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.
I swam in a meet in Charlotte Oct 29-30 and was meet director for a meet in Virginia Beach Nov 5. I still coached, but I got a little behind in posting workouts. I have most of the paperwork done now and will be more efficient at posting.
Wednesday, Oct 26 Taper
Warm-Up (900-1000)
Think about streamline turns.
200 Swim
200 Pull
200 Drill/Swim by 25
100 50 catch-up/50 almost c.u. Watch each lane.
200 2 x 100 Kick. Rest 10-15 sec.
100 IM, swim. Sub free where necessary
Main (600 plus starts)
3 x 100 Descend, choice.
3 x 50 Descend
50 Easy swim
Practice off blocks.
Divide into relays
200 Relay with each swimmer going 50 free
100 Relay as Medley Relay.
100 Backstroke Relay
Cool-Down (100-300)
200 easy swim
100 Pull
Friday, Oct 28 Taper
Warm-Up (700-900)
100 Free swim
100 as 50 Catch-up/50 almost c.u.
100 as 50 almost c.u./50 swim free (no real difference)
100 as 50 change 6 (6 kicks on side) with 3 strokes free / 50 chg 6 with 3 backstroke
100 with paddles (25 *** pull with fly or free kick/50 free swim/50 br pull with fly,fr, br K)
100-200 swim, choice
100-200 (2-4) x 50 choice from the middle of the pool (2 turns per 50)
Main (1400)
200 (4 x 50 choice with no more than 10 sec rest). Do not stop to wait for others.
200-400 (2-4) x 100 free on tight interval: 1:35, 1:45, 1:55, 2:10, 2:45
200 50 easy swim/150 easy pull
150 as 3 x 50 descend, choice, on :55, 1:00, 1:05, 1:20, 1:50
50 d/s recovery
400 Pull. Distance (800+) do 4 x 100 same interval as above. Others do 2 x 100 and easy 200.
If time (100-200)
8 x 25 on :40, :45, :50, 1:00.
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy 100-200
Monday, Oct 31 Taper for meet Nov 5
Warm-Up (1200)
200-400 Swim, choice
~Fins okay~
300 (25K/25D/25S)
300-500 (3-5) x 100 Pull on 1:40, 1:55, 2:05, 2:10 or 2:15, 2:45. Build; still part of w.u.
Main
Back, fly, or free. Stick with same stroke. (550)
4 x 25 kick (fly and free w/ brd – FAST) . Fins ok.
Fins off.
2 x 50 (bk and fr – chg 6 with 3; fly – underwater recovery). Rest 10-15
4 x 25 (1-arm ½ way, swim ½ way). Rest 10-15.
4 x 25 (kick ½ way, swim ½ way). Rest 10-15.
Fins off.
2 x 25 Sprint on :45, :45, :50, :50, :55
2 x 50 Sprint on 1:00, 1:10, 1:15, 1:20, 1:50.
*** or free (400)
4 x 25 Kick *** or 4 x 25 (with fins) 6 on front, 6 on rt, 6 front, 6 lft
Fins off.
4 x 25 Free pull with no buoy, no paddles. Br pull with fly or fr kick.
2 x 50 drill/swim, choice
4 x 25 Sprint on :45, :45, :50, :50, :55
200 easy swim, choice (200)
Cool-Down (300)
200 Pull
100 Swim
Wednesday, Nov 2 Last week of Taper
Warm-Up (1100)
200-400 Swim, choice
500 as 10 x 50 (#1-4 D/S, #5-7 Pull ½, #8-10 Kick ½)
200 as 4 x 50. Work the turns.
Main (500-700)
4 x 25 on :45, :50, :50, :50, :55. Quality!
25-75 Easy swim to starting blocks.
Pick an event. Swim the 1st ¼ at race pace. For 50s, swim 25. Groups.
Repeat the above.
100-200 Easy Swim.
100-? 25’s with turns.
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy 100-300 Pull or Swim
Friday, Nov 4 Meet tomorrow
Warm-Up (800-1100)
200-300 Swim. Include all strokes you are swimming in the meet.
200 as 25 drill/25 swim
300-500 as (6-10) x 50. Not necessary to stay together. Rest 10-15 and work around each other like in a meet warm-up. Try some: kick ½ way/swim ½ way; pull ½ /swim ½ ; build;
One-arm ½ / swim ½ ; sprint and pace work.
100 Count strokes 4 x 25.
Main (1200)
Not swimming in the meet (lanes 4,5):
12 x 100 (pull 1, swim 1, pull 2, swim 2, pull 3, swim 3)
Swimming in the meet (lanes 6,7,8):
Starts and turns. 25s from the middle of the pool in lane 6; 25 sprints from a start in lane 7, use lane 8 to return to starting end.
Do you want to be timed on anything?
Cool-Down (100-300)
4 x 25 count strokes
4 x 50 easy
Monday, Nov 7
Warm-Up (1000)
100 Swim
200 Pull
300 Kick
400 50 Drill/50 Swim
Main (1200)
Stand with water at shoulders, arms extended, shoulder width. Hold elbow up and alternate pull with each arm. That is the beginning of freestyle. Now, pull both arms with elbows up. At this point, it could be *** or fly.
2 x 25 Breaststroke pull with fly kick
2 x 25 *** pull with free kick
2 x 25 Swim breaststroke
3 x 50 freestyle (ride the glide, extend and bend, rock and roll). I’ll start you.
6 x 100 freestyle. Think about your stroke. 1 pull free, 1 swim free, 2 pull, 2 swim
6 x 50 Odds swim breaststroke; evens swim backstroke.
Or, Odds 25 full c.u./25 swim; 25 chg 6 with 3 free/25 chg 6 with 3 back
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy swim
Wednesday, Nov 9
Warm-Up (650-950)
200-300 Swim (75 Free/25 non)
200-300 Pull
200 -300 (50 Kick/50 Swim). Fins ok.
50 Practice underwater pull out for ***
Main (1200-1800)
300 Free (50 full catch-up/100 swim) x 2
300 (100 Swim/100 Pull/100 Swim)
300 Back, Free or fly. 6 x 50 as 1-rt arm only/swim; 2- lft only/swim; 3-3rt/3lft);
4-Swim; 5- 3r/3/3l/3; 6- swim
300 as 3 x 100 swim with interval for at least 10 sec rest
300 as 3 x 100 pull; same interval
300 Swim
Cool-Down (50-150)
(1-3) x 50 easy
Wednesday, Nov 16
Today we used all the toys. Paddles and fins. Water bottles and sticks.
Empty water bottles and Gatorade bottles (not big ones) are for stroke work. They help you feel the catch at the beginning of the freestyle stroke.
The "sticks" are 16 inch dowels. I put rubber band on each end. We are working on a wide entry (shoulder width). When we do "Catch-Up" drill, swimmers are supposed to hesitate with both arms out in front and count 1-2 before stroking. Many don't hesitate or can't keep their non-stroking arm extended. If they are holding a stick, they have to wait to transfer the stick from one hand to the other. The rubber bands near the ends are so you can feel that you are holding the stick near the ends.
Warm-Up (1200)
300 Swim (100 free/25 breaststroke/75 free/50 back/50 free)
300 Pull (75 free/25 non-free)
300 as 50 Kick/50 Swim
~Fins on. Move to lanes with same type of fins~
150-300 Kick as (3-6) x 50. I’ll start each lane.
Main (1400)
~Get water bottles~
50 as 2 x 25 Swim down center line. Top of bottles pointing in, not “touching” line.
50 Swim w/o bottles
100 Swim. 50 with bottles-50 without
100 Swim at pace you can hold for 400.
400 Swim with goal time determined by 100.
100 50 catch-up with sticks / 50 swim
300 Swim free at same pace OR 200 Swim non-free (moderate)
100 Swim with bottles
200 Pull.
Cool-Down (100-200)
(4-8) x 25 count strokes
Cool-Down
