Chasing a New 50 Breast PB—Here’s Exactly What I’m Doing

So here’s the deal—now that 50’s of stroke are officially Olympic events, everyone’s asking me the same question:

“Cody, are you coming out of retirement?”

Short Answer? Not exactly.

HOWEVER, I’m back in the water training again- this time, it’s for something a little different (and a lot more fun).

I’ve started training for the 50 breaststroke again—but this time it’s not about chasing Olympic medals. It’s about having fun and setting Masters World Records with my buddies. We’re building a team for the 4x50 Medley Relay, and we’re gunning for records in all three formats:

👉Short Course Yards

👉Short Course Meters

👉Long Course Meters

The goal isn’t just to break the Masters 25+ record—it’s to crush it. And once we do, the only question will be: how much faster can we go?

🏋️‍♂️ WHAT I’M DOING TO HIT A NEW PERSONAL BEST

To break records and get my fastest 50 breast split ever (my college best was a 23.3), I’ve got a focused plan:

1. Lifting heavy, every day

To swim fast, I’ve got to get strong—and I mean really strong

Back when I went sub-20 in the 50 freestyle, I was hovering around 190 pounds. Right now? I’m closer to 175. That means I need to pack on muscle—again. Lifting is a daily priority.

Heavy weights. Compound lifts. Focused movements.

The goal is to build explosive power that translates directly into the water. It worked for freestyle, and now I’m applying that same blueprint to breaststroke.

No shortcuts—just consistent work in the gym, day after day.

2. Power swims, 3x per week

In the pool, I’m keeping things short, sharp, and specific.

I’m swimming three times a week, and every one of those sessions is built around pure power. That means resisted training, max-effort sprints, and minimal volume.

I’m using the same formula that got me under 20 in the 50 free—except this time, I’m applying it to breaststroke. It’s all about speed off the blocks, efficient strokes, and explosive effort.

No long sets, no wasted yardage—just targeted work that builds raw race-day speed.

3. Perfect stroke, every rep

Short course breaststroke is unforgiving—there’s no room to fake it.

I’ve always struggled with spinning when I try too hard, and that’s the trap a lot of breaststrokers fall into. So now, every single stroke has to be deliberate. Controlled. Clean. I’m channeling Cameron McEvoy’s approach—fewer reps, but better ones.

Whether it’s a warmup drill or an all-out 25, if I’m swimming breaststroke, it has to be perfect.

4. Still doing distance… kinda

Even though my focus is sprinting, I haven’t abandoned distance work altogether.

I’m still on a mission to swim 50 miles in 50 states, so I’ve got to keep a light aerobic base. A couple days a week, I throw in some easy freestyle swims—just enough to stay mile-capable. That balance is important.

While I don’t need a huge cardio engine to crush a 50, I do need enough base fitness to recover, stay healthy, and knock out those mile swims without falling apart.

🎯 New Goals, Same Passion

I’ll be honest—this chapter of swimming feels awesome. Competing for the love of the sport. Training with friends. Setting big goals, but having fun doing it.

If you're coming back after a break or setting fresh goals in your own swimming journey, here's my advice:

👉 Have fun.
👉 Write down your goals.
👉 Put a timeline on them.

That’s how dreams become action.

Until my next newsletter, I will see you all - later