Yes, definitely. In fact, we have done the reverse of that set several times, where you start at 2:00 and drop the interval 5 seconds. You try to hold on to swimming a certain distance for as long as you can before you have to drop down to a lower distance. :applaud:
A Top Scientist should be able to figure out that for a freestyler, this set is equivalent to 21x100 on 1:10. Props to the guy who went 2200 - he really attacked it. I didn't see any breaststrokers :dunno:
The link is broken? www.floswimming.org/.../74330-the-nitro-whistle-set
I got really excited when I first heard this set, because I thought it was going to be 25s straight through. Increasing intervals is actually a great workout design that I never see coaches use. It helps keep the fatigue away and the intensity high. I think coaches want to seem tough, so they cut down intervals instead. That makes no sense to me. You're getting more tired, you need more rest for the same intensity. But swimmers too often care about feeling tired instead of actually becoming faster. Lame.
That was really an unrelated rant, because this set is fairly conventional in its set-up, it just looks weird from the outside. The swimmers will basically hold a slow aerobic pace close to their top effort over whatever the total time of the set is. It's just like a 10x100 on the 1:05 or whatever with extra hand-waving.
I'd swim the set full-butterfly, so I'm not sure how it would play out distance-wise. Given how much rest I'd need, I can see *maybe* shooting for 150 yards on the last swim. And keep the defibrillator handy!
A fun variant would be to swim this set medley, without telling anyone beforehand. Start off with 25 flys, and then it just gets weirder as you add distance. Ah, I miss messing with coaches and lanemates by doing stuff like that...
We tried it. It was fun. One time I did jump too early and it really hurt to hang on until it got easier.
It is a tough set without a coach to blow the whistle. Luckily one of the guys was real sharp with the pace clock.
Our group would do this set, though maybe we would have to start at 0:25 b/c some of the slowest people might not be able to do the first 25 on 0:20 (but it is only one, so maybe that's not such a big deal).
We do descending interval/changing distance sets every so often and I don't think this set is very different. The whistle just helps one remember the interval...our coach just programs the digital clock and calls out the interval (and encouragement) as we progress.
I am sure he would have no problem adopting this set, but I would guess our coach would probably prefer the descending interval set b/c, as the distance decreases, he would expect our speed to increase. The swimming intensity would build, just like he would want us to race on longer distances (this is a distance set, as Jazz noted).
If I was in an ornery mood, I would totally do this set Jazz style, aka 24x25 AFAP on an increasing interval. Maybe at the 1:00+ I would do an ez 25 to help flush some of the lactic acid.
And when the coach asks why I can swim a 25 on 20 but not a 50 on 2:00? That second 25 really kills me :)
Of course, I think I can do 24x25s on a 1:00 solo... kinda a waste of team workout time unless I can get some fool to race me.
I tried it on my own, writing out when to leave and posting that on both sides of the pool.
However, not enough time to read and swim and thus I screwed it up. It would be fun with my team, I think, a challenge to keep a good pace, with a few easy swims now and then.
But I would need our coach to be blowing the whistle so that I wouldn't have to think about when to go.
It's a sneaky set because you know you are getting more time and I wondered how much and when I could do more. Psychologically, for me getting more time to do more is easier (in theory) than getting less time to do the same, or dropping distance as you have less time.
Not a sprint set, but a pacing set. I liked it, but want to do it again with my team, without their knowing it was my idea. But not tomorrow...
