Introduction.
I coach 3 mornings a week at a 25 meter pool with an average of 25 swimmers in 5 lanes. I coach 2 evenings a week at a 25 yard pool with an average of 12-14 swimmers in 5 lanes. Both workouts are for one hour. They are mixed groups with competitive swimmers, triathletes, and people who just want a good workout. Ages range from 20 to 87, with an occassional teen-ager dropping in. My emphasis is on techinique and pace. I swim 3 days a week with a coach at a Y pool. I use some sets that I learn from my coach, Laura Peter. I also write a workout for myself for Saturday mornings. The workouts that I coach are 2500-2800 meters for the fastest lane, scaled down for other lanes. In the yard pool, they are 2700-3000 yards for the fastest lanes. For my personal workouts, I aim for 2500 yards and try to boost it to 2700 in the fall.
Friday, May 31
Warm-Up (1000)
200 Swim, 75 free/25 choice
100 Swim, free (25 breathe rt / 25 br lft / 25 alt br / 25 choice)
200-300 Kick
~Keep fins on~
100 free drills (2 x 25 double pull, superman position /2 x 25 same but complete pull on 3rd )
100 swim (2 x 50) high elbow (early vertical forearm – EVF)
200 (25 drill/25 swim); 100 non-free / 100 choice.
Main (1500)
300-400 (6-8) x 50 Pull; #1-3 or #1-4 w/o paddles; #4-6 or #5-8 with paddles. On ?
200 Swim, free, long and strong
300-400 (6-8) x 50. Odds choice / evens free.
200 Pull
2 x 100 on 3:00 or 3:30. Choice. #1 good effort; #2 FAST. Do not have to be same stroke.
2 x 50 choice, moderate, but good stroke.
Cool-Down (200)
100 easy
2 x 50 easy
Friday, May 31
Warm-Up (1000)
200 Swim, 75 free/25 choice
100 Swim, free (25 breathe rt / 25 br lft / 25 alt br / 25 choice)
200-300 Kick
~Keep fins on~
100 free drills (2 x 25 double pull, superman position /2 x 25 same but complete pull on 3rd )
100 swim (2 x 50) high elbow (early vertical forearm – EVF)
200 (25 drill/25 swim); 100 non-free / 100 choice.
Main (1500)
300-400 (6-8) x 50 Pull; #1-3 or #1-4 w/o paddles; #4-6 or #5-8 with paddles. On ?
200 Swim, free, long and strong
300-400 (6-8) x 50. Odds choice / evens free.
200 Pull
2 x 100 on 3:00 or 3:30. Choice. #1 good effort; #2 FAST. Do not have to be same stroke.
2 x 50 choice, moderate, but good stroke.
Cool-Down (200)
100 easy
2 x 50 easy
Monday, June 3
Warm-Up (800-1000)
100-200 Swim free.
200-300 Swim (75 free/25 non)
300-500 (6-10) x 50. 25 drill/25 swim. Choice of stroke and drill.
Main (1500)
200 Pull with paddles; try to feel the early catch (EVF). Can be 75 free/25 non-free.
100 Swim (free or stroke that you used in pull)
200 Pull with no paddles. Can be 75 free/25 non
100 Swim (free or stroke that you used in pull)
200 as 25 drill/25 swim, choice
100 Swim (stroke you used on d/s)
~Fins on~
200 as 50 Kick/50 Swim, choice
100 Swim, choice, with fins
300 (12 x 25) Count strokes. 2- Swim with fins; 2- Swim with fins and paddles
2-pull with paddles, 2-swim with paddles , 2-pull with no paddles, 2-swim
100 Swim, all one stroke. Count strokes on each 25. No toys/equip.
Cool-Down (100-200)
Swim free (25 br on lft only/ 25 br rt only/25 alt br/25 br however)
Monday, June 3
Warm-Up (800-1000)
100-200 Swim free.
200-300 Swim (75 free/25 non)
300-500 (6-10) x 50. 25 drill/25 swim. Choice of stroke and drill.
Main (1500)
200 Pull with paddles; try to feel the early catch (EVF). Can be 75 free/25 non-free.
100 Swim (free or stroke that you used in pull)
200 Pull with no paddles. Can be 75 free/25 non
100 Swim (free or stroke that you used in pull)
200 as 25 drill/25 swim, choice
100 Swim (stroke you used on d/s)
~Fins on~
200 as 50 Kick/50 Swim, choice
100 Swim, choice, with fins
300 (12 x 25) Count strokes. 2- Swim with fins; 2- Swim with fins and paddles
2-pull with paddles, 2-swim with paddles , 2-pull with no paddles, 2-swim
100 Swim, all one stroke. Count strokes on each 25. No toys/equip.
Cool-Down (100-200)
Swim free (25 br on lft only/ 25 br rt only/25 alt br/25 br however)
Wednesday, June 5
Note: This didn't go as well as anticipated. Attendance had been under 20 for several workouts, so I thought I could time and get splits.
However, 26 showed up! Even with an extra lane, making 6, I couldn't do it in 2 groups. Plus, timing 12 at a time was too challenging to get splits. I did get everyone's final time.
Warm-Up (800-1000)
200-300 25 drill/75 swim, choice
100 swim free, perfect stroke
100 swim all non-free or 25 non/25 free
200-300 Pull
200 choice, 25 drill/25 swim
Main (1600)
200-400 (8 x 50) at 400 pace for free or (4 x 50) at 200 pace for non-free or 200 IM
Non-free do odds only; rest on evens. :50, :55, 1:00, 1:10, 1:40
Divide group into 2 groups:
Grp 1 will do 200 non-free or IM for time
Grp 2 will do 400 free for time
Grp 1 will do another 200 for time, choice
I will try to get splits.
300 Recovery (100 pull/100 swim/100 pull)
200-300 Kick
200 as 8 x 25 #1-2 swim free with fins, #3-4 swim with no fins, #5-6 Pull with paddles,
#7-8 Choice stroke and gear
Cool-Down (200)
Easy swim
Monday, June 10
Warm-Up (900)
100-200 Swim
200 Pull
~Everybody out and to the deep end. Line up behind Ln 4. You can pass, if needed.~
250 (2 x 125) Snake. Down ln 4, up ln 5, dn ln 6, …Get out when you finish ln 8. Start over.
250 Double snake. Down 1 side of ln 4, back up ln 4, dn and back ln 5,… Out and back to
regular lane when you finish ln 8.
Main (900-1700)
6 x 50 choice. Descend 1-3, 4-6. On 1:00, 1:10, 1:15, 1:20, 1:45.
8 x 50 freestyle. Work on steady pace. On :50, :55, 1:05, 1:10, 1:40.
4 x 50 choice. Descend 1-2, 3-4.
8 x 50 pull.
2 x 200 #1 Swim, #2 Pull
Cool-Down (200)
4 x 25 Count
2 x 50 Count
Wednesday, June 12
Warm-Up (700-1000)
200-300 (75 free/25 non)
400-600 (8-12) x 50. Do in groups of 4. #1 easy, good stroke. #2 drill/swim. #3-4 descend.
100 Swim, moderate.
Main (1500)
500 (200 pull/100 swim/200 pull). Get time on the two 200 pulls. Rest 20. Swim is choice.
~Fins on~
400 (100 Kick/100 Swim) x 2, choice
300 (50 change 3/50 “C” drill/50 as 3 kicks on side-3 kicks on front-3 kicks on side/50 swim)
200 (4 x 25 sprint/2 x 50 sprint), all same stroke
100 choice. Time yourself. Try to predict your time.
Cool-Down (300)
25-50-75-75-50-25
Friday, June 14
Our regular workout was cancelled due to power outage at the pool. A small group got together for this workout - a little less
yardage than most.
Warm-Up (1000)
200-300 Swim
100 Pull, no paddles
12 x 50 Choice. Do some swim, d/s, or kick
Main (1200)
4 x 100 All same stroke or alternate free and non-free
4 x 50 Even pace, choice
4 x 50 Even pace, choice
4 x 100 Pull or Swim
Cool-Down (200-500)
200 swim
100 pull
200 swim
Monday, June 17
A lot of the swimmers are doing an open water event this week. Most will not warm-up.
I want to work on starting out in warm-up mode and then establishing rhythm.
Warm-Up (800)
4 x 100 Rest 10 after each 100. Start slowly, gradually build.
8 x 50 Open water: establish pace for 1 mile. Meet: mix it up (K, P, D, S)
Main (1500)
400-600 Meet: (2 x 50 + 1 x 100) x 2; Open Water: 3 x 200 (at least one pull and one swim)
300 (6 x 50 drill) #1 catch-up (free), #2 3R-3-3L (free, back, or fly),
#3 chg 6 (kicks) w/ 3 (strokes) (free or back), #4 “C” drill- get on side (free),
#5 “L” drill- get on side (back), #6 almost c.u., elbow up, EVF (free)
200 Pull
200-400 Open Water (L4-5, 6-7):
Mix up lanes into 2 groups, so fast, med, slow in each group
Swim 200-400: go down L4, back L5 or down L6, back L7. Everyone starts together.
List your head to sight and pass as needed.
Cool-Down (300)
(25 K/25D/25S ) x 4. Fins ok.