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, Feb 16
Warm-Up (800-1000)
200-300 Swim
~Everyone stop together. Put on fins.~
200 Review drills: 50 K free on side / 50 chg 6 with 3 strokes, free / 50 K back on side /
50 chg 6 with 3 strokes, back
150 (4 x 25 K free w/ brd, fast; 2 x 25 K back, arms extended, fast)
~Fins off ~
150 (3 x 50); (1) finger tip drag (2) 25 swim/25 catch-up (3) almost c.u.
100-200 (2-4) x 50, choice. Good technique
Main (1400)
200 choice, count strokes. Be prepared to tell # of strokes per length.
200 alternate 25 FT drag/25 swim, free
200 swim, aerobic, distance pace, moderate effort, choice
200 pull
200 with fins. Alternate 50 c.u./50 swim.
200 swim, aerobic, distance pace, moderate effort, choice
200 descend each 50, choice but all one stroke
Cool-Down (100-300)
(2-6) x 50. Easy, steady pace.
Wednesday, Feb 16, Yard Pool
This is a combination of the morning workout from Mon and Wed.
Warm-Up (600-700)
200-300 Swim
~Everyone stop together. Put on fins.~
200 Review drills (all free): 50 K on side / 50 chg 6 / 50 chg 6 with 3 strokes / 50 chg 3 with 3
~Fins off ~
200 (4 x 50); (1) finger tip drag (2) 25 swim/25 catch-up (3) almost c.u.
Main1 (350)
~fins on, all backstroke~
100 (25 swim/25 K on side) x 2
50 (25 swim/25 chg 6)
50 (25 swim/25 chg 6 with 3)
50 (25 swim/25 chg 3 with 3)
100 ( 2 x 25 “L” drill, 50 swim)
Main2 (1400)
200 choice, count strokes. Be prepared to tell # of strokes per length.
200 alternate 25 FT drag/25 swim, free
200 swim, aerobic, distance pace, moderate effort, choice
200 pull
200 with fins. Alternate 50 c.u./50 swim.
200 swim, aerobic, distance pace, moderate effort, choice
200 descend each 50, choice but all one stroke
Cool-Down (250)
5 x 50. Easy, steady pace.
Friday, Feb 18, Meter Pool
This workout was a big success. The main set is 2000 meters, all 50s. I wanted the distance swimmers to get used to a longer main set. Those who swim non-free had an opportunity to practice other strokes.
Warm-Up (300-500)
100-200 Swim
100 Count strokes (50 free/50 choice)
100-200 Pull
Main (2000)
►8 x (5 x 50)
1st Set: Freestyle, descend 1-2, 3-5 on :55, 1:00, 1:05, 1:10, 1:15, 1:40
2nd Set: Odds free; evens non-free or 3 rt only – 3 strokes – 3 lft only; add 10 to int for evens
3rd Set: Freestyle. All five the same pace. Remember this pace for later.
4th : Odds non-free or 25 FT drag/25 c.u.; evens free.
5th: Pull
6th: Count strokes. Try to keep count the same for all five.
7th: Swim, steady pace.
8th: Descend 1-2, 1-3, choice.
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy swim
Monday, Feb 21
Warm-Up (600-1000)
100-200 Swim
100-200 Swim with fins, choice.
200 Kick
100-200 Pull
100-200 Swim
Main
Distance swimmers: keeping a steady pace. (1800)
Decide pace per 100 that you want to work on. Add 10-15 sec to determine correct lane/interval.
Non-free swimmers: Do 50s as non-free (good pace); 100s as free. Do odd # 50s to make interval. (1350)
4 x 50 on :45, :50, :55, 1:05, 1:10
2 x 100 on 1:20, 1:35, 1:45, 2:00, 2: 15
6 x 50
3 x 100
8 x 50
4 x 100
Cool-Down (100-200)
(4-8) x 25. Think about streamline push-offs.
Wednesday, Feb 23
This workout went well. The slowest lane did mostly 50s, each lane dropped to 75s or 50s as necessary. The fastest lane did all 20 x 100 with the interval descending.
Warm-Up (400-600)
200-300 Swim
200-300 Pull
Main (1500-2000)
20 x 100 or 20 x 75 on descending interval. Everyone goes together.
2 x 100 on 2:10; lane 8 go 2 x 75
… on 2:05; when you can’t make the interval, switch to 75s and then 50s
… on 2:00
…on 1:55
…on 1:50
…on 1:45
…on 1:40
…on 1:35
…on 1:30
…on 1:25
Cool-Down (100)
4 x 25
Monday, Feb 28, Meter Pool
I wasn't sure who would be the coach on deck so I wrote a workout that could be printed out for each lane.
Warm-Up (800-1000)
200-300 Swim
200 Drill/Swim by 25 (no fins)
200-300 Pull
200 as 4 x 50 Swim, choice. Rest 10-15 seconds
Main (1600)
Directions: Stop after each part and get lane organized. Be sure everyone is ready with buoy or fins. Rest should be less than 30 seconds.
100 Long and strong
200 Try to hold same stroke
300 (25 drill / 50 swim) x 4 (continuous)
400 as 2 x 200 Pull. Descend (second faster than the first)
300 as 50 kick/50 swim (fins okay)
200 Same pace as first 200
100 Long and stroke like first 100
Cool-Down (100-200)
(2-4) x 50 easy
Friday, March 4
Everyone was tired, but enjoyed the workout. They liked the challenge at the end to see how fast their interval could be.
Warm-Up (800-1000)
200-300 Swim
8 x 50 (1-4 kick/swim; 5-8 drill/swim)
200-300 Pull
Main (1500)
8 x 50 Descend 1-3, 4 easy, descend 5-7, 8 easy
4 x 100 on 1:50, 2:05, 2:15, 2:30, 3:15 (30 sec rest, figure best average)
2 x 200 Pull; #1 easy, #2 moderate
Challenge: 3 x 100 with 5-10 sec rest (1:20, 1:30 or 1:35, 1:45, 1:50, 2:00)
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy Swim
Monday, March 7, Yard Pool
Warm-Up (800)
200-300 Swim
500 Pull as (3 x 50 rest 10 after each 50, 1 x 100 rest 20 after 100) x 2.
Main (1600-2000)
400 Moderate swim. Long stroke. If you want some variety, swim each 100 as 75 free/25 non.
2 x 200 1st 200 easy. 2nd 200 faster. Rest 20-30 seconds.
4 x 100 Pick an interval for 15 sec rest on each 100. Hold a steady pace. Freestyle.
8 x 50. If free, keep same pace as 100s. For variety, can alternate 50 non/50 free. 10 sec rest.
If time, 16 x 25. Think about good push-off with streamline and low stroke count.
