Just to get the ball rolling here, I'd like to post a practice we did last night. It was written by one of our team's co-coaches, Bill White, who swam at the University of Louisville and is the most knowledgable swim coach I have personally had the pleasure to meet (this includes, by the way, one year at the U. Michigan.)
Anyhow, Bill's workout seemed impossibly challenging, but somehow he coaxed us into making it.
5 x 200 on 2:45 warm up
5 x 200 on 2:35
4 x 200 on 2:30
3 x 200 on 2:25
2 x 200 on 2: 20
1 x 100 all out sprint
1 x 100 cool down.
We got about a minute and a half rest between each of the sets above. Our team only gets the pool for 60 minutes, so the total practice was 4000 yards completed in 60 minutes. I suspect this practice would be pretty easy for younger type swimmers, but I am 49 and it was quite challenging. I should point out, however, that when it was over, all of us who made it felt a tremendous sense of satisfaction!
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Former Member
Back when I was coaching and didn't have time or inclination to really work/out hard, I developed what I call a "5x5" or 2500 yard swim. It's easy to remember, you go at your own pace, and for the fitness swimmer, it works nicely into a one hour time slot. Here it is: warm-up 500 free or choice
drill set 2 x 250 your stroke
kick set 5x 100 mixemup
pull set 2 x 250 free
sprint set 10 x 50 on your interval
Now you can readily see that to obtain variety, just mix up the numbers and/or the strokes swum. Just stay with the 5 x 500 concept. I hope this helps anyone out there floundering around looking for ideas but not wanting a complicated workout. Bert:D
Back when I was coaching and didn't have time or inclination to really work/out hard, I developed what I call a "5x5" or 2500 yard swim. It's easy to remember, you go at your own pace, and for the fitness swimmer, it works nicely into a one hour time slot. Here it is: warm-up 500 free or choice
drill set 2 x 250 your stroke
kick set 5x 100 mixemup
pull set 2 x 250 free
sprint set 10 x 50 on your interval
Now you can readily see that to obtain variety, just mix up the numbers and/or the strokes swum. Just stay with the 5 x 500 concept. I hope this helps anyone out there floundering around looking for ideas but not wanting a complicated workout. Bert:D
