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.
Friday, Dec 18, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (400-800)
200-400 as 75 swim/25 drill
(2-4) x 100 as 50 Kick/50 Swim, fins ok. Rest 15 sec.
Main (900, 1250, or 1650)
(1) Even pace, free : 10 x 50 or 8 x 50 or 6 x 50 on interval for 10 sec rest
(2) Timed 50 at pace for above. Predict time w/in 1 second.
(3) Hold pace, free: 3 x 100 or 2 x 100 or 1 x 100
(4) Descend, choice:6 x 50, descend 1-3, 4-6 or 5 x 50 descend 1-3, 4-5 or 3 x 50 Descend 1-3
(5) Timed 50 at 200 pace. Predict time w/in 1 second. Faster than last timed 50. Choice.
(6) Hold pace, choice: 2 x 100 or 1 x 100
(7) Sprint. Choice: 4 x 50 or 3 x 50 or 2 x 50 Long rest. On: 1:30 or 1:45 or 2:30
(8) Timed 50 all out.
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy Swim
Saturday, Dec 19 Yard Pool and Monday, Dec 20 Meter Pool
I did this on Sat and had my workout do it on Mon.
Warm-Up (700)
200 Swim
200 Pull
200 Kick
100 Drill
Main (2100)
▪2 x 300 as #1 Swim, #2 Pull. Time yourself. Both should be close or pull will be faster with paddles.
D=Drill, NF=Non-Free, F=Free
▪5 x 100 as #1-100 (D or NF); #2-(75 D or NF)/25 F; #3-(50 D or NF)/50 F
#4-(25 D or NF)/75 F; #5-100 F. Set interval by adding 10 sec after 1st 100.
▪4 x 100. Even pace on interval 10-15 sec faster than above.
▪300 Kick
▪4 x 50 on interval with 15 sec rest.
▪4 x 25 Count strokes. Rest 5-10 seconds after each 25.
Monday, Dec 21, Yard Pool and Wednesday, Dec 23, Meter Pool
On the twelfth day of Christmas your true love (aka coach) gave to you …
WARM-UP (1050)
300 (12 Drummers Drumming) 12 lengths of Free for warm-up
~Fins OK~
275 (11 Pipers Piping) 11 lengths of 25 K/25 S. No board (on back or side) – stretch.
250 (10 Lords a Leaping) 10 x 25 Swim on interval with 10 sec rest.
#1-2 Fly or Free, #3-4 Back or Free, #5-6 *** or Free, #7-8 Free, #9-10 Choice 225 (9 Ladies Waiting) Count strokes.
1, 2, 3, 2, 1 or think of it as 25, 50, 75, 50, 25. Choice
MAIN (1175)
400 (8 Maids a Milking) 8 x 50 on interval for 15 sec rest. Choice.
#1-2 descend, #3 easy, #4-5 descend, #6 easy, #7-8 descend
500 (7 Swans a Swimming) Double 50 interval for 100s.
#1 50 Pull, #2 100 Pull, #3 50 Swim, #4 100 Swim, #5 50 Pull, #6 100 Pull, #7 50 Swim
150 (6 Geese a Laying). 6 lengths alternate drill/swim, choice.
125 (5 Golden Rings) 5 x 25 Sprint odd. Easy even.
COOL-DOWN (275)
100 (4 Calling Birds) 4 lengths easy
75 (3 French Hens) 3 lengths pull, no paddles.
50 (2 Turtle Doves) 2 lengths pull, no paddles
50 (1 Partridge in a Pear Tree) 1 x 50 swim
Total: 2350-2500
On the 12 Days of Christmas workout above, I printed one for each lane. The printed copy had graphics for most of the 12 day (drummer drumming, lords leaping, maids milking etc).
This is the last workout until the 31st or 1st. Tomorrow night my family (husband and 17 yr old granddaugther) and I are leaving for a week in London.
Monday, Jan 4, Meter Pool
I had another day out of town and had someone else do the workout. Each lane had a copy so they could work their way through it.
Procedure:
Lanes 4-5, goal is 3000 m. Start at #1
Lanes 6-7, goal is 2500 m. Start at #2
Lane 8, goal is 2000 m. Start at #3
Important:
▪If you get lapped, stop when the rest of your lane stops. Do not expect them to wait for you.
▪If you lap everyone in your lane, you should: wait patiently, move to a faster lane, or swim an easy 50 extra.
▪You have to be realistic in your choice of lane and courteous to others. You can make this work!
(1) 500 Swim as 75 free/25 non-free (or 25 drill)
(2) 500 as 50 swim/50 kick, choice. Keep fins on for swim.
(3) 400 Swim. Lanes 4-7: Free. Try to hold a decent pace.
Lane 8: 75 free/25 non-free (or 25 drill).
(4) 400 Pull, free.
(5) 300 Swim as 50 non-free/50 free.
(5) 300 as (25 Kick/25 Drill/25 Swim) x 4. Continuous, choice.
(6) 200 as 4 x 50 on 1:00, 1:05, 1:15, 1:20, 1:45
(7) 200 Pull, choice
(8) 100 Swim, IM or choice.
(9) 100 Swim, free.
Monday, Jan 4, Yard Pool
4 x 100 Swim. Choice. Rest 10-15 seconds. Easy, this is warm-up.
4 x 100 as: #1-100 Kick, #2-75 Kick/25 Swim, #3-50 K/50 S, #4-25 K/75 S. Rest 10-15.
4 x 100 as 50 Drill/50 Swim.
#1 Chg 6 free; #2 Chg 6 back; #3 catch-up free; #4 3 rt only/3 lft only
4 x 100 Swim, descend on 1:30, 1:35 or 1:40, 1:50 or 1:55, 2:05 or 2:10, 2:20
4 x 100 Pull, on 1:20, 1:30, 1:45 or 1:50, 2:00, 2:15
4 x 100 Swim on same interval as pull (or subtract 5)
4 x 100 Odds pull (no paddles), evens swim. Generous interval, beginning of cool-down
4 x 100 25K/25D/50S, rest 10-15. Cool Down.
Tuesday, Jan 5, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (700-1000)
200-400 swim, choice
200-300 as 50 pull (no paddles)/50 swim
200 as 50 drill/50 swim
100 swim, count strokes on each length
Main Set #1 (800)
▪4 x 200 as:
#1 – 50/150, time 1st 50
#2 – 50/50/100, time 2nd 50
#3 – 100/50/100, time 50
#4 – 150/50, time 50
This set is to time yourself on one 50 of a 200 and see if you can hold your 200 pace.
Main Set #2 (400)
▪4 x 100 Pull on interval for 20 sec rest
Cool-Down (300)
200 as 25 drill/25 swim
100 easy swim
Wed, Jan 6, Yard Pool
Warm-Up (1000)
200 swim
200 d/s by 25
200 kick
200 pull
8 x 25, count strokes
Main (1000-1600)
Ln 5: 8 x 200 on 2:50
Ln 4: 7 x 200 on 3:15
Ln 3: 6 x 200 on 4:00
Ln 2: 6 x 200 on 4:00
Ln 1: 5 x 200 on 5:00
#1 swim, #2 pull, #3 swim, #4 25 catch up/75 swim, #5 pull,
#6 broken 200 (neg split)-stop 10 sec at 100 to get time for 1st 100; sub 10 from final time
#7 swim, #8 pull or swim
Cool-Down (200)
4 x 50 d/s
4 x 50 swim
Friday, Jan 8, Meter Pool
This group had long workouts on Mon and Wed so we did some stroke work today.
Warm-Up (900)
▪5 minute swim
▪8 x 25 Drills
Free (1) Chg 6, (2) Chg 6 w/ 3, (3) Chg 3, (4) K 3 arms ext, K3 on rt, 3 arms ext, 3 on lft
Back (5) Chg 6, (6) Chg 6 w/3, (7) Chg 3, (8) Kick 10-12 flutter kicks on back, arms ext, then swim rest of 25
▪200 Kick. 50 dolphin on back, 50 back, 50 fr w/ brd, 50 *** w/ brd
▪100 Kick, choice.
▪200 Pull. 50 fr w/ paddles (catch, bend wrist), 25 *** w/ paddles, 25 br or fr, 25 bk w/ paddles, 25 fr or bk, 25 bk or br w/o paddles, 25 choice.
Main (1300)
250 as 25-50-75-100 Swim free, long stroke, roll hips
200 free swim
100 as 25-50-25 back, roll from hip
200 as 4 x 50 back or 25 bk/25 fr
200 free swim
150 as 6 x 25 ***, count strokes. 2 of 6 must be ***.
400 as 8 x 50 choice
Cool-Down
? x 25, count strokes, choice
