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.
Monday, Feb 8, Meter Pool
Distance is less because we worked on butterfly drills.
Warm-Up (500-1000)
200-400 Swim
100-200 25 catch-up (scull out, elbow up)/25 swim (enter and pull at shoulder width)
100-200 50 chg 3 with 3 strokes (anchor hand, good pull) / 50 Swim
Fins ok. Back or free.
(4-8) x 25 count strokes, max dps
Main (900)
8 x 25 Sprint
6 x 50 descend 1-3, 4-6
4 x 100 descend 1-3, hold 4 same as 3. Lane 8 use blocks.
Butterfly drills
▪Review steps 1-5.
▪Deep end: vertical kick. Explain diamond.
Concentrate on hip movement. Narrow the diamond.
▪Kick 25 back to shallow end. On back, hands at side, think about hips.
Cool-Down (100-300)
Pull. Think about your stroke.
Monday, Feb 8, Yard Pool
Warm-Up (1100)
▪400 (100 S / 50 D / 100 S / 50 D/ 100 S)
▪5 x 100 Pull. Rest 10-15. Increase effort.
▪200 Drills (fins). Two times through (free and back):
2 x 25 chg 6 (get on side, anchor hand for pull)
2 x 25 chg 3 w/ 3 strokes
Main (1200, 1500, 1650)
4 x 50 on :50, :55, 1:00, 1:05,1:15-1:20
2 x 100 on 1:20-1:25, 1:35, 1:50, 2:00-2:05, 2:15-2:20
1 x 200
1 x 200 on 2:40, 3:15, 3:40,4:00,4:30
2 x 100, 4 x 50 Same interval as above. Adjust if needed.
(2-3) x (50, 100). Rest 30 sec after each set of (50,100).
Cool-Down (100-400)
100 as 25 D/25 S
100 Swim
Repeat
Wed, Feb 10, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (1000)
400 Swim
150 Free Drill (25 rt only / 25 lft only / 50 3 rt, 3 lft / 50 swim)
150 Back Drill (repeat above)
300 Pull
Main (1800)
Fins on
10 x 50 (Odds kick w/ brd or kick on back with arms extended. Evens 25 Kick no brd/25 swim)
Fins off
4 x 100 (25 chg 3 with 3 / 25 swim)
4 x 25 Count strokes, breaststroke
(1-4) x 200
Ln 8 – preparing for meet.
5 x 50 alt kick and kick/swim
2 x 100 drill/swim
4 x 25 ***
Use the starting blocks
Cool-Down (100)
Easy swim
Wednesday, Feb 10, Yard Pool
Warm-up (1100)
▪500 Swim, mix it up
▪8 x 50 as 25 Kick / 25 Swim
▪8 x 25 2 x the following:
(1) kick 12 ½, swim 12 ½ (2) pull 12 ½ , swim 12 ½ , (3) sprint, (4) easy
Main (1200-1800)
▪300 Pull
▪300 Swim
▪6 x 50, Drill/Swim. 2 are catch-up, 2 are ¾ catch-up, 2 are (K3 on side, K3 front, K3 on side)
▪3 x 100 Swim
▪3 x 100 Pull
▪4 x (25 count, 50 count) Choice
Cool-Down
Easy swim.
Friday, February 12, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (800-1200)
200-400 Swim
200-400 Pull
3-4 Butterfly drills in shallow water. Swim to deep end
Vertical fly kick. Move hips. “Narrow the diamond.” (Swimmer is kicking in a diamond. Hands and feet are in the narrow part, hips are in wide part, moving back and forth.)
Kick fly on back, hands at sides to shallow end. Just move hips, don’t think about feet.
Try kick again with hand extended above head.
300 (25K/25D/25S). Fins ok.
Main 1 (700-1000)
Pick lane so that you have at about 15 sec rest. 10 sec is ok, not more than 20 sec.
Ln 4: 10 x 100 on 1:35
Ln 5: 9 x 100 on 1:45
Ln 6: 8 x 100 on 1:55
Ln 7: 7 x 100 on 2:05 or 2:10
Ln 8: 7 x 100 on 2:10 or 2:15
Main 2 (100-300)
(2-6) x 50 Pull, fast on :55, 1:00, 1:05, 1:10, 1:15
Cool-Down
Try fly kick on back. Flick feet at the end for extra propulsion.
Monday, Feb 15, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (1100)
▪200-300 Swim
▪200-300 Pull
~Fins on~
▪ 200 Kick (4 x 25, 2 x 50, free or back)
▪200-300 Drill
25 K on back w/ arms at side, move hips, flick feet up / 25 swim free w/ long pull
25 K on back w/ arms extended / 25 swim fr
25 Chg 3 w/ 3 free / 25 swim fr
25 Chg 3 w/ 3 back / 25 swim bk
2 x (25 drill / 25 swim, choice)
Main 1 (800) Holding back to hold pace.
▪100, 200, 100 Swim. First 100 determines pace of each 100!
▪100, 200, 100 Pull. Same as above with pacing.
Main 2 (200-600)
▪(4-12) x 50 Ln 4: 4 on :55, 4 on :50, 4 on :45 - Ln 5: 1:00, :55, :50
Ln 6: 1:10, 1:05, 1:00 - Ln 7: 1:15, 1:10, 1:05 - Ln 8: 1:30, 1:20, 1:15
Monday, Feb 15, Yard Pool
Warm-Up (1000)
300 {100 Swim, 50 Drill (25 c.u./25 ¾ c.u.)} x 2
100 Swim
200 Drill (25 K on rt / 25 K on lft / 25 chg 6 / 25 chg 6 with 3 / 25 chg 3 / 25 chg 3 with 3 / 50 swim) - free
200 Drill (repeat above backstroke)
200 Pull
Main (1600-2000)
100 Swim. Set pace. Tell me your time. (I am always amazed that some people do not look at the clock.)
200 Hold pace. Time yourself.
300 (6 x 50 hold pace) on :45, :50, :55-1:00, 1:10
400 (4 x 100Swim). Pace the same? On 1:20, 1:30, 1:50, 1:50-1:55, 2:15
Lanes 4-5: 400 Swim, 300 Pull, 200 Swim, 100 Swim
Lanes 1-3: 300 Swim, 200 Pull, 100 Swim
Cool-Down
Easy swim.
Wed, Feb 17, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (1000)
200 Swim
300 (50 drill/50 swim)
100 (25 K fly on back, 25 K fly on front, hands at side) x 2
100 Repeat fly kick with hands extended
4 x 25 Pull, no paddles, count
200 Pull
Main (1200-1600)
16 x 25 Odd count, even build. Choice
8 x 50 Odd sprint, choice. Even easy free. On 1:00, 1:10, 1:20, 1:20, 1:45
4 x 100 Even pace. Set interval for 15 sec rest.
2 x 200 Pull, descend.
Cool-Down (400)
400 easy swim
Wed, Feb 17, Yard Pool
Warm-Up (800-1000)
200-300 Swim
200 Pull
200 (50 catch-up/50 Swim)
100-200 Swim thinking about long stroke and rolling
Main (1700)
(700)
4 x 25 Pull, no paddles, count strokes, rest 5-10
4 x 25 Swim, count strokes
50 Swim, count strokes
3 x 100 Swim on 1:25, 1:35, 1:45-1:50, 1:50-1:55, 2:10
50 Swim, count
100 Pull, no paddles, count each 25
(300)
4x 25 kick, fast
2 x 50 kick on 1:00, 1:05, 1:10, 1:15
1 x 100 kick
Repeat first set (700)
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy swim or pull
Friday, Feb 19, Meter Pool
This was challenging. Eveyone left pretty tired, but feeling good about the workout. Several mentioned that they would not have been able to do it alone; they needed the group.
Warm-Up (800-1000)
200 Swim
300 50 drill/50 swim (fins ok); catch-up, 3 rt/3lft, chg 6 w/3
200-300 Pull
(2-4) x 50 Think about streamline off walls. Don’t swim until the flags. Rest 10-15.
Main (900-2000)
Ln 4: 4 x 100 on 1:45, 1:40, 1:35, 1:30, 1:25 (5 sets of 4 on descending interval - 2000)
Ln 5: 4 x 100 on 2:00, 1:55, 1:50; 3 x 100 on 1:45, 1:40 (1800)
Ln 6: 3 x 100 on 2:15, 2:10, 2:05, 2:00, 1:55 (1500)
Ln 7: 3 x 100 on 2:20, 2:15, 2:10; 3 x 50 on 1:30, 1:20, 1:10 (9 x 100, 9 x 50 – 1350)
Ln 8: 3 x 100 on 2:45, 3 x 100 on 2:40; 3 x 50 on 1:45, 1:40 (600+300=900)
If you have trouble on the last (fastest) set, you may wear fins and/or paddles, but no buoy.
Cool-Down
Easy swim.
