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.
Saturday, Apr 3, Yard Pool
This is the workout I did this morning. I definitely needed some stroke work to prepare for Zones.
Warm-up (1000)
200 Swim
200 Pull
200 Kick
200 Drill/Swim by 25s (IM?)
200 Swim
Main (1400)
8 x 100. Odd are non-free on 2:15. Even are free on 2:00
200 Pull, easy
8 x 50. Odd are fast; even are easy/recovery
Cool-Down (100)
Easy swim
Monday, Apr 5, Meter Pool
Zone Meet is 3 weeks away; national meet is 6 weeks away. I am starting some speed work for everyone, but keeping the yardage about the same. On Friday, the 200s at the end were hard so I figured we needed a few more 200s.
Warm-Up (700-900)
200-300 Swim, free
200-300 Mix it up – swim free, non-free, drill – your choice
4 x 50 Individually. Set your own interval and work around others (like a meet warm-up).
4 x 25 Let me time you.
Main (800, 1500-1700)
Lanes 4,5,6: 6 x 200. On 3:15, 3:30, 4:10
Lanes 7-8: 6 x 100. On 2:30, 3:00
#1-2 are Pull; #3-4 are Swim; #5-6 are Swim with fins.
An interval is tricky here because you have to change equipment. Adjust as needed.
4 x 25. I’ll time you again.
Lanes 4-6: (4-8) x 50 on 55 or 1:00, 1:05 or 1:10, 1:15-1:20. Choice.
Lane 7-8: 25s from the starting blocks. Use block in lane 7, swim back in lane 8.
Cool-Down (100)
Easy swim.
Monday, Apr 5, Yard Pool
Warm-Up (800-1000)
•300-400 Swim
•200 Stroke work, freestyle
Wrong way: 25 bent arm / 25 straight arm
Fingers/hand leads; elbow always higher than hand;
What happens if hand too far under body / no roll / not finish stroke.
50 Glide 2, hand leads, elbow up
50 Try to feel the catch and pressure on forearm
50 practice correct stroke
•200-300 Pull. Think. 75 free/25 choice.
•100 Count strokes on each length.
Main (1700)
3 x 100 (25 chg 3/75 free)
3 x 100 (25 catch-up/75 free)
6 x 100 swim on 1:25, 1:30, 1:50, 2:00, 2:10
3 x 100 pull, no paddles. Think about pressure on the forearm. Same interval.
2 x 100 swim on 1:40 (lanes 4-5), 2:00 or 2:10, 2:10 or 2:15, 2:30. FAST.
Cool-Down (100-200)
(4-8) x 25
Wednesday, Apr 7, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (700-1000)
200-300 Swim, choice
150-300 (25K/25D/25S), choice
200 Swim, free. Glide2. Think about “catch.”
Review fly drills: (50)
Jump the rainbow and glide
Jump, kick as feet enter water, glide
Jump, kick, glide, double arm pull as you surface
Jump, kick, glide, pull, kick
50 (2 x 25) fly with underwater recovery
50 (2 x 25) butter/flutter (swim fly 3 strokes or as long as it feels good – switch to free)
50 choice, good stroke, preferably non-free
Main (750-1500)
Set 1 – 2 times through (600-1200)
Freestylers: establish good pace on 50s and 100s. Fast 200.
Strokers: Work 50s and 100s. 200 is recovery. May only get one set done.
4 x 50 50, 1:00, 1:10, 1:20, 1:45
2 x 100 1:30, 1:55, 2:15, 2:40, 3:00
1 x 200
Set 2 (150-300)
3 x 100 descend or 2 x (3 x 50) descend. Adjust interval from above if needed.
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy swim
Wednesday, Apr 7, Yard pool
Warm-Up (1400-1600)
200-300 Swim, choice
4 x 50 Pull, descend on :50, :55, 1:00, 1:05, 1:10
3 x 100 Kick on 2:00-2:10, 2:05-2:10, 2:10-2:15, 2:15, 2:20
200 Swim, free, Glide 2, think about entry/catch
3 x 100 Pull on 1:30, 1:50, 2:00, 2:10, 2:15
4 x 50 Kick on 1:00-1:05, 1:10-1:15, 1:15-1:20
100 Easy swim, choice
Main (1000)
4 x 100 swim on 1:25, 1:45, 2:00, 2:10, 2:15
3 x 100 swim on 1:20, 1:40, 1:55, 2:05, 2:10
2 x 100 swim on 1:15, 1:5, 1:50, 2:00, 2:05
1 x 100 swim, fast
Cool-Down (200-400)
4 x 50, drill/swim, at least one non-free
200 easy swim
Friday, Apr 9, Meter Pool
I had to improvise today. There was heavy rain and possible thunderstorms. Attendance was only 16 (usually 25). I had planned a timed 400, but the people who needed it most weren’t there. I’ll save it for next week. We did some stroke work instead.
Warm-Up (800-1200)
200-300 Swim
200-300 Pull
200-300 (50 Kick/50 Drill); drills: finger-tip drag, chg 3, catch-up
(4-6) x 50 #1-2 glide 2, #3- Choice. On 50, 1:00, 1:10, 1:15, 1:30 (add 5 for non-free)
Main (1050)
450 (50 work on specific skill/100 practice skill) x 3
1st time – free, throw arm forward using hip and shoulder.
2nd – kick with arms at side, 3 kicks on one side then switch sides; back or free; important to
initiate rotation from the hips, not shoulders.
3rd – free glide 2, throw arm or breaststroke breathe at “Y”.
Lanes 4-6
4 x 100 on 1:35, 1:50, 2:10
4 x 50 on :50, 1:00, 1:10. Descend 1-3, 4 easy. Or, starts and 25s.
Lanes 7-8
2 x 100 on 2:30, 3:00
25s from starting blocks
Cool-Down (200-300)
4 x 50 easy
100 easy
Monday, Apr 12, Meter Pool
This is a workout that I did Saturday. I needed some 50s for speed and some 100s for distance. Our Zone meet is in 2 weeks. It went very well so I had the group do it this morning. Everyone was very pleased and held good times on the 100s, even though they were tired. I think the 50s got them in the groove of swimming faster.
Warm-Up (900-1000)
400 Mix up strokes, add some drills.
3 x 100 Pull. Increase effort. Interval for 15 sec rest.
200 Kick
100 Drill/Swim by 25s (Lanes 4-5 only)
Main (1150-1250)
600 as 4 x (3 x 50). Descend 1-2; 3 is easy. Interval for 15 sec rest.
150 as (25K/25D/25S) x 2
(4-5) x 100 free. Interval for 15 sec rest.
Cool-Down (250)
5 x 50 easy swim or drill/swim
Lane 8
I separated the workout today for lane 8. Two of the swimmers are 80-84 and one is 85-89. They are excellent swimmers, but i am never sure how much they should do each workout. This went very well.
Warm-Up (600)
200 Mix up strokes, add some drills
2 x 100 Pull. Free. Rest 20 sec. Increase effort.
200 Kick
Main (950)
450 as 3 x (3 x 50). Descend 1-2; #3 is easy. On 2:00.
100 as 25 drill/25 swim.
4 x 100 free on 2:45.
Cool-Down (150)
3 x 50 easy swim or drill/swim
Monday, Apr 12, Yard Pool
I got the idea for this workout from one of Tall Paul's posts. I did it last week with the morning group.
Warm-Up (600-800)
100-300 Swim free
50 3R/3L. Do not breathe every stroke. Look at where your hand enters.
100 Swim free, longer pull, straighter arm
100 50 Swim choice / 50 Swim free, count each length
100 Pull free
50 Pull free, count each length
100 4 x 25 Sprint, rest 10
Main (1900)
8 x 100 Swim
Ln 5 (2 @ 1:45, 1:35, 1:25, 1:15)
Ln 4 (2 @ 1:55, 1:45, 1:35, 1:25)
Ln 3 (2 @ 2:10, 2:00, 1:50, 1:40)
Ln 2 (2 @ 2:25, 2:15, 2:05, 1:55)
Ln 1 (2 @ 2:40, 2:30, 2:20, 2:10)
Easy 50 Swim
4 x 50 Kick (2 w/ brd, 2 on back)
Easy 50 Swim
8 x 100 Pull (reverse order from swims, start with fastest interval)
Cool-Down (200)
4 x 50 swim or drill/swim
Wednesday, Apr 14, Meter Pool
I wasn't sure about this one because of all the drill, but it worked well. The swimmers got tired with the drills so the set of 50s was good to do at the end. The challenge was to do the right pace when tired.
Warm-Up (500-900)
200-400 Swim, glide2, anchor hand and think about pull
200-400 Pull. Long pull, reach.
100 as 25 “human” stroke/25 swim
Main (1000-1600)
200 as 50 of each: 4 c.u./2 full strokes, 3R/3/3L, pull, glide2
200 as 50 of each: swim, 3R/3/3L, pull, glide2
200 as 50 of each: 4 c.u./2 full, swim, pull, glide2
200 as 50 of each: 4 c.u./2 full, 3R/3/3L, swim, glide2
200 as 50 of each: 4 c.u./2 full, 3R/3/3L, pull, swim
200 swim
Lanes 7-8: do 100s, 25 of each
300-400 as (6-8) x 50. Distance swimmers keep even pace.
Stroke/Sprint descend 1-2, 3 easy; descend 4-5, 6 easy; descend 7-8
Interval should allow 20-30 sec rest.
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy swim
Wednesday, Apr 14, Yard Pool
Warm-Up (600-900)
200-300 Swim
200 Pull
300 as 6 x 50. K/D, S/K, D/S, K/D, S/K, D/S
100 Swim, glide 2
Main (1500-1800)
Holding your pace:
600 as (100 swim, 200 pull, 200 swim, 100 pull)
600 as (100 pull, 200 swim, 200 pull, 100 swim)
Speed work:
300-600 as (1-2) x (2 x 50 descend, 1 x 100 fast, 1 x 100 easy/recovery)
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy Swim
The fastest lane finished early and did 8 x 25 at the end.
