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.
Wednesday, Oct 7, Yard Pool
I was sick and had no substitute coach. The pool staff printed the workout for each lane.
~No fins tonight~
Warm-Up (900)
200-300 Swim
200 Alternate 25 catch-up, 25 swim
200-300 Pull. Think about a long stroke. Elbows up.
100 Count strokes for each 25. Keep the count low!
Main (1800-2000) Rest 20-30 between each section, but no more than 30 seconds!
100 50 as 1-arm: 3 right only, 3 full strokes, 3 left, 3 full; 50 swim
100 Swim. Moderate. Get time.
200 Swim. Try to hold pace from the 100.
200 Pull.
3 x 100 Swim on: Ln 5 – 1:30, Ln 4 – 1:40,
Ln 3 – 1:55 Ln 2 – 2:05 or 2:10,
Ln 1 – 2:15 or 2:20
300 Pull.
~If it is 7:15 or later when you get here, cut the last two to 300 and 3 x 100.
400 25 drill/75 swim. Suggested drills: Almost Catch-up, Fists, Finger-tip Drag
4 x 100 Pull on same interval as above, or drop interval 5 seconds.
Cool-Down (100-200)
4 x 25
1 x 100
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, Meter Pool
I wrote this workout for a substitute coach.
Warm-Up (800)
200 Swim
200 as 50 Catch-Up / 150 Swim
~FINS ON~
25 Change 6
100 Drill 25 Change 6 with 3 strokes
25 Change 3
25 Change 3 with 3 strokes
100 Swim, with fins
4 x 50 Kick, choice, rest 10-15 seconds
Main #1 (1350)
200 Pull
5 x 50 #1-3 moderate, same pace
#4 fast
#5 easy/recovery
200 Swim
5 x 50 Same as above
200 Pull or Swim (your choice)
5 x 50 Same as above
Lanes 4, 5 should be able to do Main #2.
The other lanes should use the 4 x 75 below as cool-down.
Main #2 (400)
4 x 75 (25 K/25 D/25 S), fins okay
100 IM Swim (fly, back, ***, free), substitute free as necessary
Cool Down (200)
8 x 25 (odd count strokes, even easy)
Monday, Oct 14, Meter Pool
This worked out very well - good workout!
Warm-Up (1000)
200-300 Swim, choice
300 4 x (25K/25D/25S) Continuous, choice. ~Fins okay~
200 Kick (100 free w/ brd; 100 back or ***)
~Fins off~
100-200 (4-8) x 25 count strokes. Max dps.
Main (1400)
600 Free – 200 pace. 4 x 50 on :55, 1:00, 1:10, 1:15, 1:30
2 x 100 on 1:40, 1:50, 2:05, 2:15, 2:30
1 x 200 for time
200 Pull, recovery
400 Choice – 200 pace. 4 x 50 on 1:00, 1:15, 1:20, 1:20, 1:30
1 x 200 for time.
200 Pull, recovery
Cool-Down (100-300)
(2-6) x 50 Drill/Swim. Choice stroke, choice drill. Rest 10-15 seconds.
Most were surprised on the 200s and were faster than expected.
Monday, Oct 14, Yard Pool
WARM-UP (1200)
300-400 as 200 Free, 50 Choice, 100 Free, 50 Choice
200-300 Pull Choice
~Everybody start next section together~
4 x 50 Kick choice
2 x 50 Drill 1-arm drill, extend/”shrug” shoulder (free)
2 x 50 Drill/Swim Chg 4, “anchor hand” (free)
2 x 50 Drill/Swim Choice
MAIN (1600)
100 Count strokes each 25.
200 as 4 x 50 on :50, :55, 1:00, 1:10, 1:15
300 as 50 same interval as above; 2 x 100 on 1:25, 1:40, 1:50, 2:05, 2:10; 50
400 as 4 x 100 Pull
300 as 3 x 100 Swim on 1:35, 1:45, 2:00, 2:15
200 Broken 200: 50 rest 10, 100 rest 10, 50. Get time; subtract 20 sec.
100 Count strokes each 25.
Cool-Down (100-200)
(2-4) x 50 Easy
Wednesday, Oct 14, Meter Pool
Warm-Up ( 800-1000)
200-300 Swim
200-300 Kick
200-300 Pull. 25 ***/25 back/50 free. Must do either *** or back, can sub free.
100 No fins. 25 Rt only/25 Left only/50 4 Rt, 4 Lft
Entry, shrug shoulder to reach, elbow up, pull shoulder width, finish.
Main (1500)
5 x (3 x 100).
Set 1: 3 x 100 Free on 1:45, 1:55, 2:15, 2:20, 2:30
Set 2: 3 x 100 Non-free or Catch-Up/Swim/Almost Catch-Up/Swim
On 2:00, 2:10, 2:30, 2:30, 2:45
Set 3: 3 x 100 Free on same interval as first set
Set 4: 3 x 100 Pull on 1:40, 1:50, 2:10, 2:15, 2:20
Set 5: 3 x 100 Free on same interval as pull.
Cool-Down (100-300)
(2-6) x 50 Easy.
Friday, Oct 16, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (500)
200 Free
100 Free. Think about wrist and hand position.
100 as 25 back/25 ***/50 free
100 Free. Think about finishing the stroke – overemphasize the finish.
Set 1 (800)
400 Kick. 100 fly (25 w/ brd, 50 on back, 25 w/brd);100 back (extend arms); 100 free w/brd;Fins off. 100 ***.
400 as 200 Pull, 2 x 100 Pull on 1:40, 1:50, 2:05, 2:15, 2:20
Set 2 (600)
300 Swim. Get your time and figure your average per 100.
300 50 fingertip drag w/ wide recovery. Finish stroke so hand is in correct position; 50 swim free w/ same recovery but no ft drag;50 back, change 4 w/4. Roll hips, hips turn before the hand enters; 50 back swim
100 Choice.
Set 3 (400)
200 4 x 50, choice on 1:00, 1:10, 1:20, 1:20, 1:40
200 Swim. Choice. Get time – moderate.
Cool-Down (200)
50 easy swim/50 count strokes/100 easy
Monday, Oct 19, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (500-1000)
100-200 Swim
100-200 Pull
Fins okay.
100-200 as 50 4-4-4-4 / 50 Swim
(4 kicks hands together in front, 4 kicks on left side,
4 kicks hands together in front, 4 on right)
100-200 as 25 drill/25 swim
Choose drill from: free – one arm, opposite breathe; back – “L” drill
fly – underwater recovery; br – pull w/ dolphin kick;
Fins off.
100-200 Swim choice
Main (1200-1600)
(6-8) x 50
Odds choice on: 1:00, 1:10, 1:20, 1:20, 1:40
Evens free on: :55, 1:05, 1:15, 1:15, 1:30 (work on 400 pace).
300-400 Swim free. Try to hold pace of 50 free above.
(6-8) x 50 Same as above.
300-400 2 x 200 free descend or 1 x 200 free, 1 x 100 non-free
Cool-Down (100-200)
(4-8) x 25
Friday, Oct 23, Meter Pool
I like to do this workout periodically to check progress. Today I pushed a few swimmers out of their comfort zone. Three swimmers fit in between lane 4-5. I challenged them to try the 1:40 interval for as long as they could, then switch to the slower lane. They managed to find the right pace and did all 20 with about 10 seconds rest.
In lanes 7-8, I had some swimmers do 5 x 100 free in lane 7, then switch to lane 8 for 5 x 100 non-free. Some of the older swimmers switched to 50s non-free when they got too tired to continue with the 100 interval.
Warm-Up (500-600)
100-200 Swim, choice.
200-400 2 x (2 x 50 pull, descend; 2 x 50 swim, descend)
Main (1000-2000)
Ln 4: 20 x 100 on 1:40
Ln 5: 18 x 100 on 1:55
Ln 6: 16 x 100 on 2:10
Ln 7: 15 x 100 on 2:15
Ln 8: 8 x 100 on 2:45
Cool-Down (100-400)
Flip turns – kick in w/ hands at sides, come out on back
kick in w/ one arm extended, out on back (alternate arm)
swim in, out on stomach
Saturday, Oct 24, Yard Pool
I missed 2 weeks due to illness and have had trouble getting back to quality workouts. Today was a major breakthrough. I (age 68) swam with 2 young men (age 30). It worked out real well. They did the distances listed first, and I did the distance in (). I held my pace pretty well and definitely would not have done the workout alone.
Warm-Up (400-500)
400-500 75 swim/25 drill
Main (1800-2500)
100 (50) Swim, establish pace
200 (150) Swim, hold pace
300 (200) Pull
400 (300) Swim, pace?
500 (400) (4-5) x 100 Pull
400 (300) Swim
300 (200) (2-3) x 100 Pull
200 (150) Swim, pace?
100 (50) Swim, cool-down
