A PhD in Exercise Physiology Shares Masters Swimming Wisdom: Eddie Tiozzo, EP 297

It's on deck with Eddie Tiozzo—age 52, former water polo player, and PhD in exercise physiology—to unpack how smart training, strong shoulders, and a dynamic mindset can carry you through decades in the sport. Eddie’s story moves from Croatia and Italy to Florida pool decks as a member of Swim Ft. Lauderdale Masters, and along the way he shows how curiosity and consistency beat rigid formulas every time.

We dig into his favorite events—the 100 back and 100 IM—and the weekly plan that keeps him fast and healthy: four swims of 3–4.5K, two focused gym sessions, and one stretching session. Eddie breaks down why “broken,” varied sets trump cookie-cutter 10x100s, how to use bands effectively without ignoring weights, and the power of alternating lighter, high-rep days with heavier, low-rep sessions. If pull-ups are out of reach, he shares a scalable assisted variation that builds true pulling strength for better catch mechanics, stronger starts, and shoulder resilience.

Beyond sets and reps, Eddie opens up about earning his PhD later in life, tackling an open water 10K as a dedicated sprinter, and why community keeps him coming back to the blocks. We swap notes on Federica Pellegrini, reading real books, and the quiet discipline that turns good habits into lasting performance. Whether you’re chasing a Masters best time, trying to stay pain-free, or craving a fresh training spark, you’ll find practical ideas you can apply at your next practice.

If this conversation gave you a boost, follow the show, share it with a teammate, and leave a quick review on Apple to help more swimmers find us. Your support keeps the momentum flowing—see you on deck.

Email us at [e-mail]. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Check out Kelly's Books at www.KellyPalace.com

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
It's time for an on-deck interview to help you
live well and swim well.
Welcome to Champions Mojo.
And now your host, Kelly Palace.

SPEAKER_01 (00:12):
We are on deck at the beautiful city of Fort
Lauderdale Aquatic Center at theFall Classic Short Course Meters
Meet.
And we're going to be talkingwith a very fast, very excellent
swimmer.
And give us your name, age, andyour team.

SPEAKER_02 (00:31):
Eddie Tyotso, age 52, uh swim for Lauderdale.

SPEAKER_01 (00:36):
And Eddie, what is your swim history?

SPEAKER_02 (00:39):
Actually, it's a water polo history.
I used to be a water poloplayer, and then uh before
college I stopped.
And uh when I moved to theStates, I joined this team about
15 years ago.
So I'll be doing master'sswimming for about 15 years now.

SPEAKER_01 (00:54):
Where did you move to the States from?
Croatia.
Croatia?
Okay, that's why my husband saysyou're his Croatian brother,
right?
So spell your last name.

SPEAKER_02 (01:05):
Uh uh T-I-O-Z-Z-O.

SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
Tiatso.
Okay, beautiful.
Tiatso.
Is that Croatian?

SPEAKER_02 (01:14):
No, that's Italian.
I'm I'm uh half Croatian, halfItalian.

SPEAKER_01 (01:18):
Okay.

SPEAKER_02 (01:18):
Now one-third uh American, so it's a little bit
of everything.

SPEAKER_01 (01:22):
Beautiful.
All right.
So um what is your your favoriteswimming accomplishment?

SPEAKER_02 (01:29):
Oh, that's a tough one.
Uh maybe swimming at 10K inBermuda.
That was about maybe seven,eight years ago.
Uh I'm pretty much a sprinter.
So 10K was a huge stretch forme, but I I did it.

SPEAKER_01 (01:47):
That is quite an accomplishment for a sprinter.
So on that note, what is yourbest or favorite event?
They don't have to be the sameone.

SPEAKER_02 (01:56):
Um, my best, maybe 100 back, my favorite 100 IM
show course.

SPEAKER_01 (02:04):
Okay, and what kind of training regimen are you
doing?

SPEAKER_02 (02:09):
Uh currently it's uh four swims a week, between three
and four and a half, I wouldsay, per workout, uh, two gyms
and one stretching session.

SPEAKER_01 (02:20):
That's a beautiful summary of a training regimen.
I I love it.
I asked some people thatquestion, they just they they
don't answer it as concisely.
So wonderful.
And how about let's drill downand what's your favorite set?

SPEAKER_02 (02:34):
Uh my favorite set.
I don't know if I have afavorite set.
Maybe I'm still in a search ofmy favorite set.
I don't like to do sets whereit's you know 10 100s or 10
200s.
I like sets that are broken andsort of dynamic where you do uh

(02:56):
when you where you do differentdistances, different strokes,
different intervals.
So it just needs to be umdynamic and not boring.

SPEAKER_01 (03:07):
I hear ya, I hear ya.
Um you're talking to a womanthat's favorite set is 2100, so
okay.
All right.
What is your biggest comebackeither in life or in the pool?

SPEAKER_02 (03:23):
Comeback.
Uh maybe, maybe my PhD because Idid it at a fairly old older
age.
I started when I was 32 and thenI finished it in my late 30s.
So it was uh it was a hugesacrifice at the time, but it's
it's definitely paid off.

SPEAKER_01 (03:43):
And what is your PhD in?

SPEAKER_02 (03:46):
Exercise physiology.

SPEAKER_01 (03:48):
So we're talking to a doctorate in exercise
physiology.
What what piece of advice thisisn't even on my list of normal
questions?
Would you would you give masterstormers as far as like our
recovery?

SPEAKER_02 (04:03):
Well, just overall, do your resistance training.
Uh keep your shoulders flexibleand strong.

SPEAKER_01 (04:12):
So that's even better than recovery because you
can't recover if you haven'tdone the hard work.
Yes.
Do you think resistance bandsare enough to create strength?

SPEAKER_02 (04:21):
Yes.
I I would say yes.
That's better than doingnothing.
But if you want to maximize alittle bit more, I would say add
some weights, add some bodyweight exercises.
But resistance bands by allmeans, they're fine too.

SPEAKER_01 (04:41):
And if um, do you recommend for masters swimmers
in general, high repetitions,lower weights, or do you like
the range or heavier?

SPEAKER_02 (04:53):
I would say mix both.
On certain days, maybe maybethat's your recovery day where
you do lighter weights, morereps, and then on certain days
where you want to push andchallenge yourself uh in the
gym, then then you do heavier,maybe less less reps.

SPEAKER_01 (05:08):
What's your favorite body weight exercises for maybe
people that can't do a pull-up?

SPEAKER_02 (05:13):
Oh, assisted pull-up, where you place your
feet on a bench, you're flat,and you're doing pull-ups that
way.

SPEAKER_01 (05:19):
Okay, good, good, good stuff.
Okay.
Okay, this these are the easyones now.
What Olympic swimmer, dead oralive, that could be all
throughout history, would youwant to have lunch with?

SPEAKER_02 (05:34):
Federica Pellegrini.
She's she's a legend, and so Ican also practice my rusty
Italian.

SPEAKER_01 (05:41):
She is a legend.
Federica Pellegrini.
Love her.
Okay.
What is a fun fact about youthat we do not know?

SPEAKER_02 (05:50):
I love to read.
I love paper.
I love to turn pages and read.
But I I hate audiobooks.

SPEAKER_01 (05:59):
Very good.
That is a fun fact.
Is there anything else that Ihave not asked you that you
would like to share with themaster swimming community?

SPEAKER_02 (06:08):
I personally love being part of this community
because it just makes us moving.
He makes us keeps us healthy.
And um, yeah, there's some greatpeople uh on the pole deck.
Every every swim meet, everypractice.

SPEAKER_01 (06:24):
I love it.
Awesome.
Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 (06:31):
Thank you for listening to the Champions Mojo
podcast.
Would you consider leaving us afive star review on Apple?
That's like getting a best timefor us.
Kelly and our team would be sograteful.
See you next week for anotherBoost of Mojo.