I saw this in a post: I will swim 200 laps in a 25 meter pool. All free style. Non stop. This is done in 3 phases , !st 64 laps is moderate speed 2nd 64 laps is distance the balance is for endurance.
My first reaction was WHY ? If you swim like this you will never know how good a swimmer you could be !
Reasons why.
1.- Your range of motion becomes less as your muscles fatigue and tighten up. This leads to the long, smooth stroke that your first few lengths have, deteriorating into a short, choppy survival stroke.
2.- You can only train one energy system, Aerobic, the anaerobic & lactic systems are untouched.
3.- You cannot improve your technique unless you use drills in a progressive manner.
4.- Why not put in some drills to check your technique. For example 10 strokes of head-up free every few lengths to check you hand entry ?
5.- By only doing Freestyle you are setting yourself up for injured shoulders, with all kinds of impingement problems.
6.-Where are the Kick sets and fly kick sets to improve core body strength and awareness ?
7.-What about the joys' of fly, back and
*** ?
I put together this poll to see how people out there are training.
Parents
Former Member
I just moved to NYC from Austin and I was pretty spoiled on the level of coaching and training at Longhorn Aquatics--Kim can tell you. Right now I find myself adapting the coached workouts I'm getting to suit myself. As a coach myself I think it's imperative that you are creative and challenging. Personally sets that are 10 x 100 or 6 x 200 just kill my spirit. I've already done those sets, it reminds me of the 70's! Here are some sets I like, that I've adapted to fit the intervals I'm being given.
8 x 100's on the 1:30--if I did free I'd get +:20 rest so instead I kick a 50 and drill/swim a 50 of Bu or BA--then I only get :05 rest and it's more challenging.
12 x 50's on the :55. Too much rest even if I did them backstroke or fly, so I put on fins and did a relaxed 25 underwater, a big open turn and then a fast 13 yards underwater kick with a fast breakout. By the third one it's recovery in oxygen debt.
Instead of doing 6 x 200 IM's try this one:
20 x 25 (5 Bu :30, 5 Ba :30, 5 Br :35, 5 Fr :25) Relaxed and Long
16 x 25 (4 of each stroke) descend each 4
12 x 25 (3 of each stroke) strong
8 x 25 (2 of each stroke) sprint
(it's a 1400)
A good warmup-700 yards
Pattern: first and second length free, third length choice stroke,
fourth length kick w/o a board.
1 x 25, rest :10-free
2 x 25, rest :10-free, stroke
3 x 25, rest :10-kick, free, free
4 x 25, rest :10-stroke, kick, free, free
5 x 25, rest :10-stroke, kick, free, free, stroke
6 x 25, rest :10-kick, free, free, stroke, kick, free
7 x 25, rest :10-free, stroke, kick, free, free, stroke, kick
Here's a 2000 I could do:
100 left arm fly
100 right arm fly
100 streamline kick on you back
100 Finger tip drag
100 swim
Do it 4 x for a non-stop 2000
My new favorite
100 perfect free with 10 breaths on the 1:30
100 fast on the 1:15
3 x 50 on the :35
do it 4 times--the perfect free becomes a recovery 100.
or this one
2 x 25 (half length UW, half length easy), :30
2 x 25 (half length UW, half length build), :30
2 x 25 (half length UW, half length fast), :30
3 x 50 fast, :40
Repeat 4 x
Keep swimming!
I just moved to NYC from Austin and I was pretty spoiled on the level of coaching and training at Longhorn Aquatics--Kim can tell you. Right now I find myself adapting the coached workouts I'm getting to suit myself. As a coach myself I think it's imperative that you are creative and challenging. Personally sets that are 10 x 100 or 6 x 200 just kill my spirit. I've already done those sets, it reminds me of the 70's! Here are some sets I like, that I've adapted to fit the intervals I'm being given.
8 x 100's on the 1:30--if I did free I'd get +:20 rest so instead I kick a 50 and drill/swim a 50 of Bu or BA--then I only get :05 rest and it's more challenging.
12 x 50's on the :55. Too much rest even if I did them backstroke or fly, so I put on fins and did a relaxed 25 underwater, a big open turn and then a fast 13 yards underwater kick with a fast breakout. By the third one it's recovery in oxygen debt.
Instead of doing 6 x 200 IM's try this one:
20 x 25 (5 Bu :30, 5 Ba :30, 5 Br :35, 5 Fr :25) Relaxed and Long
16 x 25 (4 of each stroke) descend each 4
12 x 25 (3 of each stroke) strong
8 x 25 (2 of each stroke) sprint
(it's a 1400)
A good warmup-700 yards
Pattern: first and second length free, third length choice stroke,
fourth length kick w/o a board.
1 x 25, rest :10-free
2 x 25, rest :10-free, stroke
3 x 25, rest :10-kick, free, free
4 x 25, rest :10-stroke, kick, free, free
5 x 25, rest :10-stroke, kick, free, free, stroke
6 x 25, rest :10-kick, free, free, stroke, kick, free
7 x 25, rest :10-free, stroke, kick, free, free, stroke, kick
Here's a 2000 I could do:
100 left arm fly
100 right arm fly
100 streamline kick on you back
100 Finger tip drag
100 swim
Do it 4 x for a non-stop 2000
My new favorite
100 perfect free with 10 breaths on the 1:30
100 fast on the 1:15
3 x 50 on the :35
do it 4 times--the perfect free becomes a recovery 100.
or this one
2 x 25 (half length UW, half length easy), :30
2 x 25 (half length UW, half length build), :30
2 x 25 (half length UW, half length fast), :30
3 x 50 fast, :40
Repeat 4 x
Keep swimming!
