Tall Pauls Favorite Workouts and/or Sets

Getting to travel as much as we do we get to "taste" a lot of workouts from clubs all over the country...plus on occasion I come up with something to toss at the workouts I coach. For those lucky enough to swim with me Saturday (I'm coaching) here's the main set: SCY 800 negative split (get 400 split) @1:00 rest 6 x 100's @ 1:20 400IM 100 kick for time 400 negative split (faster than 2nd 400 of the 800, get 200 split) 1:00 rest 5 x 100's @ 1:15 200IM 100 kick for time (different stroke) 200 negative split (faster than 2nd 200 of 400) 4 x 100's @ 1:10 100IM 100 kick for time (different than first two)
  • Friday at MAC SCY 15 minute choice warm-up Sprint group 2 x (1 x 25 fly, 2 x back, 3 x ***, 4 x ***) Rd #1 drill @ :40 Rd. #2 swim @ :30 200IM kick (25 easy/25 fast) "Sheridan Shootout" (Thanks Lindsay!) Two heats of 7 swimmers, mix of boys and girls of relatively close abilities: Rd#1 Freestyle, winner advances to Rd. #2 Butterfly, Rd. #3 is back & #4 ***. If the freestyle swimmer wins the heat he/she changes to fly he/she competes against the rest of the heat who are still swimming freestyle...a bit of "cat and mouse" now takes place...if that persons fly is faster than the others free and he/she wins the heat again they move to backstroke and finally breastroke...when the breastroker wins its over for that person. It gets interesting when the swimmer gets to breastroke and is swimming against a mix of freestylers, flyers and backstrokers! 40 minutes of speed work, gamesmanship, trashtalking, frustration for some...fun for the coach! "D" Group 3 x 500's @ 6:00, 6:30, 7:00 or 7:30 descend 1-3 10 x 50's best average @ :45 3 x 200's @ 1:15, 1:20, 1:25 or 1:30 descend 1-3 10 x 100s @ base interval from 200's/500's best average
  • Wednesday at MAC 15 minute choice warm-up 8 x 75's @ R:10 - 50 swim/build/25 kick Main #1 5 x 100's @ 1:20 (odds non-free) R:30 4 @ 1:15 R:30 3 @ 1:10 R:30 2 @ 1:05 R:30 1 @ 1:00 100 easy kick Main #2 Reverse pyramid, add :05 to fastest send-off, non-free on even 100"s and no extra :30 between blocks 1 @ 1:05 2 @ 1:10 3 @ 1:15 4 @ 1:20 5 @ 1:25
  • Saturday at MAC warm-up 400 swim 300 kick 200 pull 100 drill 3 rounds of (#1 drill @ :40, #2 kick @ :35, #3 swim @ :30: 1 x 25 fly 2 x 25 back 3 x 25 *** 4 x 25 free "D" group Main #1 6x the following 1 x 500 @ 6:30 1 x 100 @ 1:30 * The 500 are descend 1-6 * the 100's are "ascend" 1-6 starting at 2nd 100 of 200 race pace * after 3rd round add fins & paddles Main #2 6x the following 1 x 200IM @ 3:00 1 x 50 free @ 1:00 * same descend/ascend pattern as above and add fins and paddles after 3rd round "Middle distance/Stroke" Main #1 2x the following 1 x 150 smooth @ 2:15 8 x 50's @ :40 2x the following 1 x 100 smooth @ 1:30 8 x 50's @ 1:00 stroke/IM order 2x the following 1 x 50 smooth @ 1:00 8 x 25's power kick @ :40 Main #2 5 x 200's @ 3:15 best average w/fins and paddles (choice of free, stroke or IM but all have to be the same).
  • Monday at MAC SCY 15 minute choice warm-up 6 x 50's @ :45 R:30 1 x 300 (repeat 25 scull/75 swim) 6 x 50's kick @ 1:00 R:30 1 x 400 IM (reverse order) 6 x 50's pull @ :40 R:30 1 x 500 pull w/snorkel 12 x 25's @ :40 underwater/kick R:30 1 x 400 (25 drill/75 swim) 12 x 25's @ :30/:35 or :40 (3 rounds of IM order)
  • Monday at Kino SCY 15 minute choice warm-up 3 x (4 x 75's) #1 swim fly/back/*** @ 1:20 #2 swim back/***/free @ 1:20 #4 kick fly/back/*** @ 1:30 #4 kick back/***/free @ 1:30 Broken 900 400 free swim R:15 300 IM swim R:15 200 choice 10 x 50's kick @ 1:00 Broken 600 w/fins (paddles optional) 300 free R:15 200 IM R:15 100 choice 10 x 25's "shooters" w/fins R:20
  • Wednesday at MAC SCY 15 minute choice warm-up 200 IM @ 3:00 4 x 100's free @ 1:10 4 x 50's @ :45 stroke 4 x 25's underwater @ :40 200 kick @ 4:00 4 x 100's IM @ 1:20 4 x 50's free @ :40 4 x 25's underwater @ :40 2 x 200's @ 2:10 8 x 50's @ :35 2 x 100's @ 1:05 8 x 25's fast kick @ :40 2 x 100's @ 1:05 8 x 25's stroke @ :30 2 x 50's @ :30 8 x 25's underwater on choice send-off
  • Tuesday at MAC SCY 15 minute choice warm-up 3 rounds IM progression (#1 drill @ :35, #2 kick @ :35, #3 swim @ :30) 1 x 25 fly 2 x 25's back 3 x 25's *** 4 x 25's free 4 rounds of the following (Rd #1 fly, #2 back, #3 ***, #4 free) 1 x 75 from a dive build to 90% @ 1:30 1 x 50 kick moderate @ 1:30 2 x 25's fast swim @ :45 (1 each round from a dive) easy 200 choice 200 kick for time (with board, flutter kick only, one arm-pull into each wall only). Congrats Batch with a 2:38! 500 pull with snorkel
  • Wednesday at MAC SCY Welcome Jack from New Hampshire! 15 minute choice warm-up Sprint/middle distance/stroke group 4 x 25's @ :20 4 x 50's @ :40 4 x 100's @ 1:20 R:30 repeat set by adding :10 to each "block" and change to kick easy 100 8 minute Tabata cycle (37.5yds fast from a dive, 12.5 yds easy to wall..repeat without a break for 8 minutes) 10 x 50's @ :50 recovery 8 minute Tabata Cycle vertical kick (:20 seconds "on/:10 rest for 8 minutes). Disclaimer...one of our swimmers birthday was today so 2 minutes into the Tabata kick cycle I challenged her to a get out swim. The goal was 1:01 100 fly and she dropped a 58.5! "D" Group...pulled lane lines, "OW" workout with a stroke "twist"! 1 x 125 (100 smooth/25 fast stroke) 1 x 250 (200 smooth/50 fast stroke) 1 x 375 (300 smooth/75 fast stroke) 1 x 500 (400 smooth/100 fast stroke or IM) 1 x 625 (500 smooth/125 fast stroke or IM) 1 x 750 (600 smooth/150 fast stroke or IM) 1 x 875 (700 smooth/175 fast stroke or IM) 1 x 1000 (800 smooth/200 fast stroke or IM) R:30 between each swim
  • Friday at MAC SCY 15 minute choice warm-up Sprint/Stroke group Kick (prefer to not have swimmers use fins if they can make intervals, no break between rounds) 20 x 25's @ :25 16 x 25's @ :20 12 x 25's @ :25 8 x 25's @ :20 easy 200 swim Repeat above with same intervals but swim...no more than 2 rounds free 4 x underwater kicks for time from a dive "D" Group 800 long and smooth 3rd person rest interval 4 x 100's best average @ 1:10 600 long and smooth 3rd person RI 14 x 25's fly @ :30 400 swim for time @ 5:00 8 x 50's kick @ 1:00 200 swim for time @ 2:30 recovery/warm-down pull w/snorkel for remainder of workout (approximately 10 minutes left for fastest group)
  • "D" Group 800 long and smooth 3rd person rest interval 4 x 100's best average @ 1:10 600 long and smooth 3rd person RI 14 x 25's fly @ :30 400 swim for time @ 5:00 8 x 50's kick @ 1:00 200 swim for time @ 2:30 recovery/warm-down pull w/snorkel for remainder of workout (approximately 10 minutes left for fastest group) You're a sick man, Paul. :D Did they know about the swims for time beforehand?