I do have a very, very slight tendancy to get carried away at times. . .
That's okay it's a great set. And a fantastic picture, too! You don't look like (s)he-man at all, a very fit butt kickin' swimmer, but not (s)he-man.
I do swim with a bunch of people that think if we are swimming 50s that it's a sprint set no matter the interval or number of repeats. I've had lanemates that are distance swimmers ask if I want to lead that type of set since I'm a sprinter ... I laugh and say I'll lead the 12.5s ...
Here is my definitive breaststroke sprint work-out. First do a long warm-up.Before you start pick 4 things you want to work on,like head down,narrow streamline,fast hands,etc.The set is 15-20X100 on the 2 1/2min.but it isn't really.On the first,sixth,eleventh,etc. swim 25 *** at swim pretty speed,the best speed to swim with your best technique,keeping in mind the 4 things you want to work on. Then finish the 100 with free at cool down speed. The next 4 are 25 breaststroke sprint all out followed by 75 free cool down.On each one concentrate on ONE of the points you are focusing on and in the free reflect on the swim.How did it feel,what was your SPL,what was faster,what was slower etc. Then the next swim pretty 25 is to cement good form.The next 4 sprints concentrate on the weak points from the first 4. Swim pretty again,then on the next 4 just go fast,thoughtfully. Do another 5 if you have the time and energy.The 2 1/2 min interval is what works for me,your results may vary. The interval must be long enough that each sprint is at your 50 meet speed. If your stroke is getting ragged or slower increase the interval or stop the set for the day. Do the cool down part free,NOT breaststroke,you are learning to swim fast,not slow. After the set do a long cool down. I do this once a week starting 14-15 week before my taper meet.I suspect with variation it would work for the other strokes.Enjoy
This sounds fabulous! I keep telling my one coach that I need to work on breaststroke and that just doing 200IMs won't help because I'm too tired to really work on my stroke. I cut and pasted this and plan on trying it out. Fabulous idea! THANKS!
Finally, I don't like this, but it works well if you're results driven:
6 to 10 50s w/ stretch cord your choice of stroke @ 1:30
It's killer (I stink at this) but very beneficial.
I've never used strech cords, can you explain this to me please? Thanks!
Heather, yea. Sorry about that. I may actually be turning into more of a middle distance person as I had exactly that "any 50s are a sprint set" mentality when I made the post.
Truly, the 2 sets of 8x50 were used as a cool down in preparation for the 3 sets of 8x50 free @ :40. I thought that this set would help sprinters b/c I'm always aiming to take 2 breaths or less on the 50 free and 3 or less in the 50 fly. AND, I have a tendancy as many others do to die on the second 25 (or halfway home on the 2nd 25), so I need some endurance on the 50 to just keep my speed that I have on the 1st three fourths of the race. There's my lame explanation. Perhaps I'm looking at this incorrectly. But I concur to the group.
Hey, my coach tricked me b/c I could have sworn she said that was a sprint set. :o
No need for apologies! :p
EVERYONE needs some endurace work, if only for health ...
Mid-distance is good, I'll do 200s. (Well free anyway) TRUE sprint sets actually would be like repeats of 25s done on 1 min or 1:15 as 12.5 sprint, 12.5 dps. MAYBE 25s, but with lots of rest or else it's a lactate threshold set.
The repeats of 50s you talked about are lactate threshold sets. That's very important, too.
Heather, here is a picture:
www.swim2000.com/product.php
It's sometimes called resistance swimming and there are different cords out there for different types of resistance (low to high resistance). The cord is anchored usually to the block and the other end may be anchored to a belt on your waist. Attachment methods may vary. And there are other types of resistance swimming as well - you may be restrained by a bucket or parachute on a rope. And even swimming with tennis shoes is a form of resistance swimming.
The goal may be to make it to the end of the pool while maintaining a sprint speed and fighting the resistance of the cord. Reach the wall (rest for a moment - or not!) and sprint back super fast (this time with the cord assisting you along). I feel it really helps my power and speed in the 50s and helped me to swim a 27.2 in the 50 fly. I mix it up with free, *** and fly strokes. This is all assuming you have healthy shoulders. I would avoid this if you don't.
I've seen that before, and tried it once. I have people refer to swimming with cords AND swimming with tethered cords so I was thinking they were two different things ... and trying to figure out how one would swim with cords ... makes more sense now ...
I'm aiming for a sub :30 on my 50 fly this year. What did you focus on for your 27.2? I'm trying to focus on breath controll and strong walls ... (ie - start (with good underwater work) and turn (again with good underwater work))
Thanks!
I'm aiming for a sub :30 on my 50 fly this year. What did you focus on for your 27.2? I'm trying to focus on breath controll and strong walls ... (ie - start (with good underwater work) and turn (again with good underwater work))Thanks!
That is my goal too. I almost did it in my meet last weekend! In the 2 weeks prior to the meet I really concentrated on the underwater SDK and practiced turns at race pace (lots of mid pool 25's). I also did a lot of off the blocks 35's where I would go all out until the 1st stroke after the breakout. It helped because this time, I didn't start to tie up and struggle in the final 10 yards.
I do swim with a bunch of people that think if we are swimming 50s that it's a sprint set no matter the interval or number of repeats. I've had lanemates that are distance swimmers ask if I want to lead that type of set since I'm a sprinter ... I laugh and say I'll lead the 12.5s ...
Heather, yea. Sorry about that. I may actually be turning into more of a middle distance person as I had exactly that "any 50s are a sprint set" mentality when I made the post.
Truly, the 2 sets of 8x50 were used as a cool down in preparation for the 3 sets of 8x50 free @ :40. I thought that this set would help sprinters b/c I'm always aiming to take 2 breaths or less on the 50 free and 3 or less in the 50 fly. AND, I have a tendancy as many others do to die on the second 25 (or halfway home on the 2nd 25), so I need some endurance on the 50 to just keep my speed that I have on the 1st three fourths of the race. There's my lame explanation. Perhaps I'm looking at this incorrectly. But I concur to the group.
Hey, my coach tricked me b/c I could have sworn she said that was a sprint set. :o
I don't have any credentials whatsoever. I am just a 48 yr. old who took 28 yrs. off and started swimming again 2 yrs ago. I happen to have a coach who is a former top16 age group swimmer and now a triathlete. He is up to date on many training concepts including "energy pathways" and training to improve specific things. I'm trying to be smart with my training since I don't have forever to train. He builds workouts targeted to improve VO2Max or improve lactate tolerance or build basic endurance. I NEVER had any idea in 1976 what purpose was of the sets I swam. I'm not convinced my coaches really did either. Late in the season for example he'll add broken swims and race pace work to the workouts to build speed and power.
I also started reading what many consider to be the new swimming bible - Maglischo's Swimming Fastest. It is the second edition and is based on years of significant research. Councilman was "the man" in his day but the swimming mad scientists have learned many things since Mark Spitz. I think it really helps to understand at least a bit the physiology of training.
There is a growing body work that suggests that many swimmers swim too much distance. It drives some out of the sport and doesn't even make them faster. I read once that Natalie Coughlin does some 100s on 8 minute intervals when she is working on speed. These are maximum effort race pace sets.
My kids often did huge long sets of 25s - but they were not sprints. They were fast (not super-fast) with short rest. These are really aerobic threshold sets to build endurance, not sprint speed. I'd say in general a real "sprint set" will be VERY fast for short distances combined with relatively high rest to allow your lactic acid to go away between intervals. So something like 50s on 2 minutes, but the sprint is just 25 yds, the rest eeaassyy. To focus even more on power sprints can be 12.5 or 20 yds. A sprint to 35 yds includes the turn.
The point of all this is not to prove I know anything. I'm still learning and working to get faster by being smart. I'm convinced that much of the coaching done in the late 70s was borderline stupid - almost all yardage based.
Just to provide a frame of reference - I swim 50 free in 25.0, 50 fly in 26.6, 50 *** in 30.8 and 100IM in 1:01.9. I hope to swim 24.5, 25.9, 30.2 and 59.99999 next spring in the same events. I'm 5'8 and weigh 168. I wish I were taller and had bigger feet!
I've never used strech cords, can you explain this to me please? Thanks!
Heather, here is a picture:
www.swim2000.com/product.php
It's sometimes called resistance swimming and there are different cords out there for different types of resistance (low to high resistance). The cord is anchored usually to the block and the other end may be anchored to a belt on your waist. Attachment methods may vary. And there are other types of resistance swimming as well - you may be restrained by a bucket or parachute on a rope. And even swimming with tennis shoes is a form of resistance swimming.
The goal may be to make it to the end of the pool while maintaining a sprint speed and fighting the resistance of the cord. Reach the wall (rest for a moment - or not!) and sprint back super fast (this time with the cord assisting you along). I feel it really helps my power and speed in the 50s and helped me to swim a 27.2 in the 50 fly. I mix it up with free, *** and fly strokes. This is all assuming you have healthy shoulders. I would avoid this if you don't.
