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, October 31
I printed out a sheet for each lane with Halloween graphics.
Warm-Up (1000)
•Getting ready: 200-300 Swim
•Think about your costume: 200-300 Pull
~Get Lane Together. Fins on.~
•Discuss your route for Trick or Treat: 3 x 50 Kick on back or with board
2 x 75 as 25 Swim/25 Kick/25 Swim. 4th touch.
•Practice being scary: Swim or Drill 100 IM.
Main Set (700-1500)
•Trick or Treat:
4 x 50 Descend 1-2, 3-4.
3 x 100 Desc.
1 x 200 Good effort.
100 Easy swim.
•Special Treat: Repeat 4 x 50, 3 x 100, 1 x 200.
Friday, Nov 2
Warm-Up (1000)
300-500 Swim, mix it up
300-500 (6-10) x 50. Choice: drill, d/s, swim.
Main (400-1400)
2 x 25 Catch-up, count strokes, free
2 x 25 Almost c.u., count strokes, free
4 x 25 Count strokes, free
4 x 25 Pull, with buoy, no paddles, count strokes, free
4 x 25 Choice, count strokes
If swimming in meet, do a few starts and go home.
100 Swim, long glide, low stroke count
200 Pull
300 25 drill (3R-3L) / 25 swim
400 (2 x 200). #1 25 Kick/25 Swim (with fins), #2 100 Pull, check time, drop buoy, 100 swim
Cool-Down (100-200)
Swim (25 non-free/75 free)
Monday, Nov 5
Recovery Workout (local meet on Saturday)
Freestyle (1000)
200 freestyle as 25 catch-up/25 almost c.u.
100 free, count strokes
~fins on~
200 as (50 chg 6 / 50 chg 6 with 3 / 50 chg 3/ 50 chg 3 with 3)
100 free with fins
~fins off~
100 free with glide 2
200 free pull as almost c.u.
100 free swim, almost c.u.
Backstroke (500)
~fins on~
100 back kick – streamline
100 timing drill (hands at side…)
100 back swim with fins, turn hips before lifting hand out of water (like drill)
~fins off~
100 as 4 x 25 back. I want to see you turn hips.
100 (25 back/50 free/25 back)
Breaststroke (200)
50 *** swim, work on timing (breathe at the “y”, glide 3)
100 as 4 x 25 (underwater pull-out, 3,2,1) glide on each stroke
50 *** swim
Butterfly (300)
~fins on~
50 kick with board
50 kick as body dolphin, no board, streamline
100 as 4 x 25, underwater recovery
50 as 2 x 25 swim with fins
~fins off~
50 as 2 x 25 fly as far as you do it correctly, then free
Conditioning (500-800)
200 as 4 x 50. Try for exactly the same time. Choice
300 as 3 x 100. Try for exactly the same time. Choice
If time, 300 easy swim – choice
Wednesday, Nov 7
Warm-Up (1000)
500 as 100 free swim/50 c.u./100 free swim/50 almost c.u.
200-300 pull, build; think almost c.u.
~fins on~
100 backstroke; 25 kick streamline position/25 timing drill/50 swim with hip roll
100 swim with fins, choice
Butterfly (300)
50 kick with board
50 kick as body dolphin, no board, streamline
100 as 4 x 25, underwater recovery
50 as 2 x 25 swim with fins
~fins off~
50 as 2 x 25 fly as far as you do it correctly, then free
Breaststroke (300-500)
100 breaststroke kick or 200 Kick with fins
50 *** swim, work on timing (breathe at the “y”, glide 3)
100 as 4 x 25 (underwater pull-out, 3,2,1) glide on each stroke
50 *** swim
Main (700)
200-300 (4-6) x 50 on 1:00, 1:10, 1:20, 1:30, 2:00
300-400 (3-4) x 100 Odds pull, evens swim
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy swim
Monday, Nov 12
This is a good time of year for conditioning. I am having swimmers work up to
10 x 100 on the shortest possible interval. Today, they will do 4 x 100 fairly comfortably, then 4 x 100 on a faster interval.
Warm-Up (1200)
300 Swim (75 free/25 non-free)
200 Free (25 c.u./25 count/25 almost c.u./25 count) x 2
3 x 100 Pull, descend
~fins on~
200 IM drill (fly: 25 underwater recovery/25 one-arm; back: 25 3R-3-3L/25 chg 3;
***: 24 pull with fly kick/25 pull with free kick; free: chg 6 with 3/chg 3 with 3
~fins off~
200 Swim, choice
Main (1400)
4 x 100 on 1:40, 1:55, 2:05, 2:20, 3:00
200 (4 x 50 Drill/Swim) #1 c.u. (free), #2 3R-3L (bk, fly or fr), #3 Choice, #4 almost c.u.
4 x 100 on 1:35, 1:50, 2:00, 2:15, 2:55
~fins on~
200 (4 x 50) 25 Kick/25 Swim
4 x 50 swim, choice
Cool-Down (100)
Easy swim
Wednesday, Nov 14
Continuing work towards 10 x 100 on tightest possible interval, they are doing 5 x 100 on faster interval from Monday.
Warm-Up (1300)
100-200 Swim
~Fins on~
300 as 4 x (25K/25D/25S)
200 Swim as 25 non-free/25 free
~Fins off~
400 Pull as (100 pull/200 pull/100 pull). Regroup after each part.
200 as 8x 25 (perfect push-off/streamline). Rest 10 sec.
Main (1300)
4 x 50 Choice. Descend 1-2, 3-4. On :55, 1:05, 1:15, 1:30, 1:50
100 Free (25 count/25 c.u./25 count/25 almost c.u.)
5 x 100 on 1:35, 1:50, 2:00, 2:15, 2:55
~fins on~
300 (50 Kick/50 Swim)
4 x 50 Choice. Descend 1-2, 3-4. On :55, 1:05, 1:15, 1:30, 1:50
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy swim
Friday, Nov 16
Warm-Up (1000)
250 (100 Swim free/50 c.u./100 almost c.u.
250 (5 x 50) #1 3R-3L (fly, back, or free) / #2 swim (choice) / #3 chg 2 (free) /
#4 swim (choice) / #5 swim free (almost c.u.)
~fins on~
100 Kick backstroke (streamline position)
100 Backstroke (25 timing drill/25 swim). Turn hips!
100 Backstroke (25 “L” drill/25 swim). On your side to form “L”!
100 Backstroke swim, move hips as in drills.
~fins off~
100 Swim (25 ***/25 free or 25 back/25 free)
Main (1400)
200 (4 x 50) on 1:00, 1:10, 1:20, 1:30, 1:50 #1-2 choice descend / #3-4 free descend
200 (2 x 100) on 1:35, 1:50, 2:00, 2:15, 2:50
200 Pull. 100 with paddles / 100 without paddles
200 Swim, free. Good effort.
Float with hands at side. Move head up or down to see what happens to fee.
Float with hands extended. Move head.
***Reason for almost c.u. on free is to maintain streamline position.***
50 Try pulling with feet tied. No buoy. &&&
100 swim free, almost c.u.
200 (4 x 50) on 1:00, 1:10, 1:20, 1:30, 1:50 #1-2 choice descend / #3-4 choice descend
100 swim choice
200 Kick
Cool-Down (100)
4 x 25 Count
***I was amazed that some of my swimmers never understood why I keep pushing them to do almost catch-up. Today they were nodding like they “got it.”
&&&Back in the 50s, we pulled with a rubber band from an inner tube around our ankles, nothing for buoyancy. Pulling was not fun like it is with a buoy. I bought some Velcro and cut it in strips to tie fee. I didn’t push it today, just a 50. But, we will do more.
Monday, Nov 19
This is a 25 meter pool.
I am working on getting everyone to swim (at least) 10 x 100 on a tight interval (5-10 sec rest)
Warm-Up (1100)
200 Swim (100 free almost c.u./100 choice)
200 Pull
200 Kick
300 (50 drill/25 swim) x 4
200 Swim (100 free almost c.u./100 choice)
Main (1400)
9 x 100 with changing interval. Ln 8 – 4 x 100. See chart below.
200-300 Pull
200 (4 x 50) Swim
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy swim, choice. Work on correct stroke when you are tired.
Ln 4: 1 on 1:35, 2 on 1:40, 3 on 1:45, 2 on 1:40, 1 on 1:35
Ln 5: 1 on 1:50, 2 on 1: 55, 3 on 2:00, 2 on 1:55, 1 on 1:50
Ln 6: 1 on 2:00, 2 on 2:05, 3 on 2:10, 2 on 2:05, 1 on 2:00
Ln 7: 1 on 2:15, 2 on 2:20, 3 on 2:25, 2 on 2:20, 1 on 2:15
Ln 8: 1 on 2:55, 2 on 3:00, 1 on 2:55
I gave each lane a printout with when to leave for each swim.
Thanksgiving, 2012
Each lane got a printout with graphics for each item to be thankful for.
Give thanks for…
(1) Family (Swim 300 choice)
(2) Friends (Pull 300)
(3) Country (8 x 50)
Odd – drill/swim
Even – swim
(4) Abundant food. 5 x 100 on descending interval.
Starting intervals: 1:55, 2:10, 2:20, 2:30, 3:05.
Lane 8 do 3 x 100
See chart below. I gave each lane a chart with when to leave for each swim.
(5) Choice of beverages. 200 free (50 c.u./50 almost c.u.)
(6) Great desserts. 200 Kick
(7) Our pool facilities. (4-10) x 50. #1-4 pull; #5-10 swim.
(8) Your coaches.
100-200 as (4-8) x 25.
Odd – perfect push-off, great stroke.
Even – count strokes
Ln 4: 1:55, 1:50, 1:45, 1;40, 1:35
Ln 5: 2:10, 2:05, 2:00, 1:55, 1:50
Ln 6: 2:20, 2:15, 2:10, 2:05, 2:00
Ln 7: 2:30, 2:25, 2:20, 2:15, 2:10
Ln 8: 3:05, 3:00, 2:55
