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)
  • 15 minute cohice warm-up SCY -Note: resting this week for state meet this weekend 1000 swim - 150 choice of stroke, long and smooth/50 at 500 race pace 200 kick 10 x 50's @ 1:00 - 25 drill/stroke/25 build free 100 kick 10 x 50's @ :50 (distance swimmers swam this as a 500) - 25 build stroke/25 easy 50 10 x 25's "power kick" @ 1:00 6-8 25's from mid-pool/focus on turns 200-500 pull w/snorkel
  • Monday at MAC (EN2) 15 minute choice warm-up 4 x (4 x 50's) Rd #1 = 25 drill/25 free swim (IM order on the drills) @ 1:00 Rd #2 = 25 swim/25 kick (IM order) @ 1:00 Rd #3 = swim (IM order) Rd #4 = swim free @ :40 200 easy kick 500 #1 swam as 25 easy (focus @ DPS)/25 @ strong (mile race pace), 50/50, 75/75, 100/100 the same 16 x 25's "shooters" @ :40 500 #2 swam the same as #1 except fast swims are all stroke or build and IM 16 x 50's - odds free @ :40 - evens stroke @ :50 500 pull w/snorkel
  • 15 minute choice warm-up 4 rounds of variable (1 "variable" = 4 x 25's, #1 easy to fast, #2 fast to easy, #3 all easy, #4 all fast) Rd #1 free swim @ :30 Rd #2 free kick @ :40 Rd #3 stroke swim @ :30 Rd #4 stroke kick @ :40 200 easy breathing 4, 3, 2, 1 breaths per 25 4 x 75's @ 1:15 #1 = 25 at 200 race pace/50 DPS focus #2 = 25 DPS focus/25 at 200 race pace/ 25 DPS focus #1 = 50 DPS focus/25 at 200 race pace #1 = build to 90% 100 easy (with 50yds of it backstroke) 20 x 100's - odds @ 1:30 from a dive fast - evens @ 2:00 recovery 300-500 pull w/snorkel, paddles and buoy
  • Paul, I have been intrigued by this set, but not sure how to approach it. Question on your "tabata" sprints - the set where you do 8 minutes of some sort of 37.5 sprint from a dive continuous for 8 minutes..... 1. First, which 37.5 do you work, up to the 37.5? If so, should I do other complementary sets for the finish of a sprint? 2. How do you approach this set? It's not a true all-out sprint, right? Should I pace-sprint? How do I know how fast I should be going? What type of effort should I focus on? I would think it is at least 100 pace, like the back half of a 100. Perhaps think of it as training to be as tired as you are at that 50 mark and going fast from there? 3. I do like having to get out and dive over and over. There is such as thing as being in "dive shape", and we overlook this as a masters swimmer. As a kid, you can run, jump, dive, etc but it is much harder as an adult. If you aren't in "dive shape", you are using way too many silver bullets just getting into the water in a real race. 4. I also think this is a great "mental toughness" set.
  • 15 minute choice warm-up LCM Both groups: 4 x 100's @ 2:00 25R/25L/25 swim/25 kick - odds free/evens stroke "D" group 1 x 800 @ 12:00 (alternating 100 cruise-DPS focus/100 at 800 race pace) easy 50 kick 1 x 400 @ 6:00 (alternating 50 cruise-DPS focus/50 at 400 race pace easy 50 kick 1 x 1500 fast w/fins & paddles 400 warm down "Sprint/Middle-Distance-stroke" Group "Thorpe Set" 16 x 50's @ :50 every 4th at 200 race pace 12 x 50's @ 1:00 every 3rd at 200 race pace 8 x 50's @ 1:10 every other at 200 race pace 4 x 50's @ 1:20 all at 200 race pace * IM'ers swim IM order on fast swims within each block 400 easy pull w/snorkel, buoy & paddles
  • Paul, I have been intrigued by this set, but not sure how to approach it. Question on your "tabata" sprints - the set where you do 8 minutes of some sort of 37.5 sprint from a dive continuous for 8 minutes..... 1. First, which 37.5 do you work, up to the 37.5? If so, should I do other complementary sets for the finish of a sprint? 2. How do you approach this set? It's not a true all-out sprint, right? Should I pace-sprint? How do I know how fast I should be going? What type of effort should I focus on? I would think it is at least 100 pace, like the back half of a 100. Perhaps think of it as training to be as tired as you are at that 50 mark and going fast from there? 3. I do like having to get out and dive over and over. There is such as thing as being in "dive shape", and we overlook this as a masters swimmer. As a kid, you can run, jump, dive, etc but it is much harder as an adult. If you aren't in "dive shape", you are using way too many silver bullets just getting into the water in a real race. 4. I also think this is a great "mental toughness" set. Chowmi...FIRST Merry Christmas!! As for this workout...to be clear this is not a "true" Tabata cycle but rather high-intensity interval training. "Tabata Method A popular regimen based on a 1996 study uses 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at an intensity of about 170% of VO2max) followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes (8 cycles). In the original study, athletes using this method trained 4 times per week, plus another day of steady-state training, and obtained gains similar to a group of athletes who did steady state (70% VO2max) training 5 times per week. The steady state group had a higher VO2max at the end (from 52 to 57 ml/kg/min), but the Tabata group had started lower and gained more overall (from 48 to 55 ml/kg/min). Also, only the Tabata group had gained anaerobic capacity benefits." The way we do it is 37.5 yards or meters all out from a dive, followed by 12.5 easy recovery, hope out and repeat for 4 minutes usually but we have gone for as many as 8 minutes. And yes, clearly a physical AND mental toughness set...most of our swimmers who are in their early 20's are getting their heart rates around 180-200 so be careful!
  • Monday (A2) at MAC LCM 15 minute choice warm-up 2 x 300's @ R:20 #1 = 25 scull/75 swim #2 = 100 swim/50 kick 4 x 50's @ 1:10 "swim golf" free (descend 1-4, add stroke count and time together for "score" and try and lower eash 50 2 x 300's @ R:20 #1 = 300IM (25 drill/25 swim/25 kick) #2 = 300IM swim 4 x 50's @ 1:20 swim golf-stroke 2 x 300's pull w/snorkel @ R:20 4 x 50's kick @ R:20 easy 300 warm down
  • SCY-Speed work 15 minute choice warm-up 4 x 150's @ 2:30 - 25 stroke-build/75 easy free/50 build kick 4 x 50's free @ 1:00 descend 1-4 (#4 at 200 race pace) 4 x 25's @ :30 easy free/no breath 1 minute rest 4 x 50's @ 1:05 stroke descend 1-4 (#4 at 200 race pace) 100 easy kick w/board, 100 backstroke 4 x (1 x 100's fast R:10 1 x 100 easy), descend fast 100's 1-4 w/#4 at 200 race pace, easy 100's all w/emphasis on long stream lines off walls and DPS 400 pull w/snorkel, buoy and paddles 200 easy kick
  • LCM 15 minute choice warmup 3 x 200's strong #1 @ 3:20, #2 @ 3:10, #3 @ 3:00 4 x 50's stroke @ 1:00 easy 100 kick 3 x 200's strong #1 @ 3:10, #2 @ 3:00, #3 @ 2:50 4 x 50's stroke @ :55 100 easy kick 3 x 200's strong #1 @ 3:00, #2 @ 2:50, #3 @ 2:40 4 x 50's stroke @ :50 100 easy kick 4, 6 or 8 minute "Tabata" cycle (35m fast from a dive, easy 15m, climb out and repeat for 4, 6 or 8 minutes)
  • Saturday at MAC LCM 100 x 100's (or 25's SCY) descend 1-100 on interval of your choice...GO!