running out of ideas

I swim on my own so I write up my own workouts. M,W,F I don't have a problem making up a practice because I just do 3,000 after I lift. These practice are mainly to loosen up and focus on technique. T,Th,Sat, I do 6,000. I have been writing my own workouts for a while and recently I have been running out of ideas for sets and see myself doing lots of the same sets week after week. It's been hard for me to come up with 6,000 without most of it being pointless yardage. I would really like it if some of you could throw a couple of sets out there so I can get over this boring stage. I don't need an entire workout just some main set ideas so I can give me imagination a rest for a while. I'm training for the 100/200 free and 100 fly, and my goal times are 49.99, 1:52, and 54.99. Try some of the practices on the Workouts Forum: forums.usms.org/forumdisplay.php Swimming World also offers practices on their site: www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../ Have fun!

Instead of more yardage, how about more intensity? Perhaps there might be some ideas in the "blow chow" thread from a few weeks ago.

I'm not trying to get more yardage than I'm already doing I'm just trying to keep it where it's at. I know upping the intensity would be good but I am used to getting a certain amount of yards/week in and feel like I will suffer if I drop it down.

I also work out on my own, so I know the feeling. (I would never try to do a 6,000 yard workout, though :laugh2: ) I've gotten some good ideas for sets from the workouts posted in the Workouts forum. I particularly like Speedo Racer's, because the paces and intervals are already set up (so I don't have to figure them myself). :groovy:

I have ladder days where I swim all kinds of varieties of sets based on the theme of ladders.....Sometimes its IM based...other times its more middle distance to distance free oriented...Sometimes its fly oriented...or simply sprint/middle distance. Examples: 2 50's free (one easy one fast)...2 100's (one easy recovery swim...one fast).....2 200's (same pattern)....2 100's (same pattern....2 50's (same pattern). You can do 3 of each instead of 2 of each (I usual descend each subset from 1-3 when I do this)....Sometimes I will do 3 of each but the middle or last one is a stroke or IM ....and they are all the same pace....the intervals can vary also....Some weeks I do the distance versions: 2 200's....then 2 300's....2 400's......1 800...2 400's....2 300's...2 200's I like this 1000 yard butterfly ladder (all fly): Similar to above: 2 50's...2 100's ...2 200's...2 100's....2 50's......Another variation is to insert 2 150's on the way up the ladder and on the way down the ladder in between the 100's and 200's. I work out a lot on my own too and so its hard to stay out of a rut....I feel your pain! There are also the 2 turn 50's that Beth mentioned...where you start in the middle of the pool and swim a 50 with 2 turns and end up back where you started.....there's the fartlet drills that were discussed somewhere recently.....I spend some time swimming 12.5's sometimes just to mix it up.....I like this SDK set (underwater streamlined dolphin kicking)....were you do 10-12 25's but you mix it up with some fly some back and some free....the object is to really exxagerate the distance off of the pushoff underwater while keeping a tight streamlined position and using the underwater dolphin kick ....when you breakout you work on the transition stroke and sprint the rest of the way into the wall. Hope that gives you some ideas? Not much...but I'm not all that creative! BTW Do you have a certain mixture in mind for threshhold sets vs aerobic sets vs lactate sets (stuff like that?)....Sounds like you are more sprint oriented based on the goal times you mentioned....so sprinting 50's and 25's ....as well as broken 100's and broken 200's might be of interest (if you're not already doing this stuff anyway). Good luck, newmastersswimmer

I do main sets that are 2000-3000 yds with some of it on 1:10 interval and some on 1:30 so it usually comes out to averaging around 1:20 I hold around 1:08-1:10 on them. Sometimes I do sprint stuff like 75's, 50's and 25's also. The rest is warming up/cooling down, pulling, kicking, and drills. Thanks for the ideas newmastersswimmer.

I like the ones by speedoracer. I'm just worried about dropping yardage from what I do now.

I do main sets that are 2000-3000 yds with some of it on 1:10 interval and some on 1:30 so it usually comes out to averaging around 1:20 I hold around 1:08-1:10 on them. Sometimes I do sprint stuff like 75's, 50's and 25's also. The rest is warming up/cooling down, pulling, kicking, and drills. Thanks for the ideas newmastersswimmer. posted by jsmwbnc No problem...I know what it is like to work out on your own b/c I don't have any team to work out with right now either....Sounds like Brian Stack has a good idea in checking those other links as well. Some of the threads here have suggested some really cool sets....there is a 500 yard set Paul or Rich Abrahams (or one of those really fast guys??) mentioned a while back that seemed pretty cool....Paul Smith shares a lot of his set ideas with the forum fairly regularly....and so do others....you just have to lurk around a bit and peruse the site for a while and you will stumble upon them here and there. Good Luck! (especially in attaining your goal times!) Newmastersswimmer p.s. I just snatched this drill oriented set by Paul Smith from the Distance per stroke/ strokes per length thread....these drill oriented sets are great....they can easily be worked in with the other stuff you mentioned IMO: By Paul Smith: Just swam this morning with the Las Vegas Masters....another one of my favorite teams. Coach Vic must have been followng this conversation as most of the warm up was built around streamline, dps, spl work.....the main set for this was: 6 x 100's @ 2:00 25 = 2-switch (kick on one side, rotate to the other once) 25 = 4-switch 25 = 4 strokes w/right arm....4 strokes w/left (I did 3 and 3) 25 = 9 strokes or less I held 1:20's on all 6 Then the main set came: 3 x 5 150's descend first round @ 2:15, 2nd on 2:05, 3rd......I have no idea as I pulled the first round and bailed!!

the same thing happens to me because I practice on my own. You just got to try new things to see what you like to do.