I know this is a very newbie question, and there is ample info in swim books/sites about this, but I'd love to hear from REAL SWIMMERS like you, thank you very much.
What works for you?
Lately I've been doing a series of 200m to 25m swims, usually totalling 800m, as a warmup.
Example: 2x200m + 2x100m + 2x50m + 4x25m, starting very easy, ending at "fast" pace.
In the future I hope to incorporate drills into the warmup, but I don't have a clue yet. :)
In-season, I go 1500, which is the warmup I like to do anyday I'm training solo:
1 x 400: IM, kick-drill
4 x 100: free descend to target 400/500 race pace, interval set about 20 seconds above that pace
If the pool is too crowded for 100s, I'll go 8 x 50s, descending in 4s
4 x 100 or 8 x 50: IM kick
12 x 25 or 6 x 50
If 25s, then I go odds easy, evens build to fast, targeting the strokes I'm going to race
If 50s, I'll got #1 and #6 easy. #2 to #5 build to fast stroke
At a taper meet, I will go 1,000 as
1 x 400: IM, kick-drill
6 x 50: free, descend in 3s
8 x 25: odds easy, evens build to fast stroke
1 x 50: BLAST FAST kick
1 x 50: cruise
Of course, this is ideal. I have pretty much been able to do this at almost all local/regional meets as there was enough space. At Nationals, you just do what you can, but even at Indy, I was able to do the above by strategically timing when/where I got into warmup
In-season, I go 1500, which is the warmup I like to do anyday I'm training solo:
1 x 400: IM, kick-drill
4 x 100: free descend to target 400/500 race pace, interval set about 20 seconds above that pace
If the pool is too crowded for 100s, I'll go 8 x 50s, descending in 4s
4 x 100 or 8 x 50: IM kick
12 x 25 or 6 x 50
If 25s, then I go odds easy, evens build to fast, targeting the strokes I'm going to race
If 50s, I'll got #1 and #6 easy. #2 to #5 build to fast stroke
At a taper meet, I will go 1,000 as
1 x 400: IM, kick-drill
6 x 50: free, descend in 3s
8 x 25: odds easy, evens build to fast stroke
1 x 50: BLAST FAST kick
1 x 50: cruise
Of course, this is ideal. I have pretty much been able to do this at almost all local/regional meets as there was enough space. At Nationals, you just do what you can, but even at Indy, I was able to do the above by strategically timing when/where I got into warmup
