I need some workout advice. My goal is to get my 100 Free time under 1:00. Right now I am at about a 1:05. I only get 45 minutes in the water each day. I need some thoughts on what type of sets I should be doing. this morning I did 10 100's, 8 of them on the 1:25 and mixed in 2 on the 1:20.
Should I be doing sets where I try to hold 1:10's and under but take more rest in between or sets like I did this morning. Anyone with thoughts??
Thanks and Merry Christmas to all.
I need some workout advice. My goal is to get my 100 Free time under 1:00. Right now I am at about a 1:05. I only get 45 minutes in the water each day.
How many days a week do you swim? IMHO, 45 minutes is perfectly sufficient if you're a masters' swimmer focused on a 100 and getting in 4 to 5 times per week. My recommendation, though, is that the vast majority (80%) of almost all of your workouts needs to be at accelerated to fast pace. Give yourself one day of recovery here and there, but you need to train your body to swim fast. Swimmers tend to focus more on yards than intensity and sprinters (I'm told) need to be especially focused on intensity and speed during their workouts.
Ande has a number of threads on this and Erick Hochstein recently started another thread.
Try sets like 6x25 freestyle on :20 trying to hold 14 seconds or better. You can then shoot try to go faster each time you do it, or try to swim 14 seconds on a faster interval, or you could add flip turn on the end of each 25.
This morning my splits for the 100 were 32 and 33. The last lap of that 100 was tough. I could really feel my stroke deteriorating. so it seems most are in agreement that my workouts should be focusing on race pace as much as possible. Doing 100's, 50's and 25's as fast as I can, but then taking more rest?
Regardless of the race you have to break it down and swim "fast" at the shortest distance to make the rest of the race faster...everything is about speed wether it is a 25 of a 10k...and your ability to improve is based on your ability to find "easy speed" right out of the gate.
All to often i see open water swimmers, triathletes and fitness swimmers only concerned with yardage vs. the quality of that yardage. Speed work needs to be incroprated (IMHO) in 75% of your workouts.
If you want ot break a minute in 100yds your 25 needs to be "easy" at the feet going 12/13 seconds...this is the baseline. From there we're looking at 50's in the 26/27 range, 75's in the 43/43 range and then on to the 100/200/500/1000....
Counting strokes, keeping a consistent level of power and not spinning/rushing, etc....things you can work on alone but a good coach can really make the difference.
I think your post (and times) is interesting. I can swim 100 SCY free in 55.25. The best I can do in workout for repeat 100s is 12-15 x 100 @ 1:25. That set is "uncomfortable" for me.
But I am not as good a workout swimmer as some - but am a better racer than some.
If your 100 is a 1:05 - what is your 50 time? Also - how do those 100 races go? Are you gassed completely at the end? Do you split well? Are your turns good? Attention to details might improve your time 2 secs.
It sounds to me like you have enough aerobic capacity to beat 1:00.
I suggest 1-2 sets a week that are focused on lactate threshold.
Once a week do something like:
10 x 50 on 2:00 - absolute best effort on each one.
Variations could be:
5 x 100 on 4:00
or
1 x 100 on 4:00
2 x 50 on 2:00
4 x 25 on 1:00
I suggest doing at least a few sprints too - even every workout. I like sprints that are 25 sprint, 25 easy on 2:00. Do 4 of them - either before your main set or after.
Along with that, work your turns, underwaters, and breakouts. Typically, if your turns need work you are looking at a :01.5 drop (give or take a few tenths).
45 minutes...that's rough for a workout time!
Try to include aerobic/anaerobic mix (EN3) sets (i.e. 8 x 150 @90% on :30 rest), and venture into full anaerobic sets (SP1/SP2) as well (i.e. 3 x and 6 x 75 @race pace on 1:15 rest).
What are your current splits, etc?
I need some workout advice. My goal is to get my 100 Free time under 1:00. Right now I am at about a 1:05. I only get 45 minutes in the water each day. I need some thoughts on what type of sets I should be doing. this morning I did 10 100's, 8 of them on the 1:25 and mixed in 2 on the 1:20.
Should I be doing sets where I try to hold 1:10's and under but take more rest in between or sets like I did this morning. Anyone with thoughts??
I just went under a minute and I would struggle with 10x100 on 1:25, but I am more a sprinter. You need to swim faster in practice with more rest. You need to kick faster and harder in practice.
Ande's speed set is 12 x25's ALL OUT.
I need some workout advice. My goal is to get my 100 Free time under 1:00. Right now I am at about a 1:05. I only get 45 minutes in the water each day. I need some thoughts on what type of sets I should be doing. this morning I did 10 100's, 8 of them on the 1:25 and mixed in 2 on the 1:20.
Should I be doing sets where I try to hold 1:10's and under but take more rest in between or sets like I did this morning. Anyone with thoughts??
Thanks and Merry Christmas to all.
thats odd, 65 for a 100 sprint yet you can bosh out repeats on 1:20 and 1:25. this has got to be something to do with your technique.
heck now-a-days i have to be in a well good mood to do say 10x100 on 1:20 (when i was an age grouper we used to do 30-60x100 on 1:20!! :-| )
but on heavy speed work sets i can do 62 (or under on a good day) from a push right after such a set. and in a race....well i dont know, ive not raced the 100m free for a long time now but my best was 55. i was more of a backstroker, i used to be able to repeat 100's back on 1:25!!
whats your stroke like? do have a good roll of the shoulders, extending the arms right out in front? a nice high elbow on the pull? are you extending that pull right down past your hips?
what about streamlining off of starts and turns? how far are you going off a turn? do you dolphin kick? all these things are about getting the most out of the energy you put in. you shouldnt be feeling your stroke going to pot on the last length.
how about using paddles? build some more strenght in the arms, or how about using a pair of fins to do some sprint work? with the fins you should be able to see what its like to move through the water faster and that way you can see what to do to your stroke to make swimming at that speed do-able.
and yeah, try the stuff the other guys mention... training at race pace is a great way to get used to it and improve. for reference, Rebecca Adlington does about 5-6 sessions of her week doing basically olympic/WR pace...thats why she's so damn good.
