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.
Saturday, Jan 9, Yard Pool
Overall workout is 6 x 400.
(1) 400 swim. 75 free/25 non-free
(2) 8 x 50 drill/swim on 1:00 or 1:10
(3) 8 x 50 kick on 1:05, last two breaststroke
(4) 2 x 200, descend. Rest 15-20 seconds between.
(5) 400 Pull.
(6) (2 x 50 as fly/bk and br/free + 100 free) x 2
Monday, Jan 11, Meter Pool
Warm-Up (800)
200-300 Swim
300 as 25K/25D/25S
4 x 50 Kick, fast
Main (800-1600)
(2-4) x the following:
3 x 50 on interval for 10-15 sec rest
Rest up to 1 minute, then fast 100
150 pull, recovery
1st time through: IM, Non-free, or 25 non-free/25 free
2nd time: Free
3rd – 4th : Choice
Cool-Down
50-200 easy swim
Mon, Jan 11, Yard Pool
Warm-Up (900-1100)
200-300 Swim
3 x 100 Pull on 1:25, 1:35, 1:50, 2:00, 2:20
(4-6) x 50 as 25 Drill/25 Swim, mix in some non-free on :55, 1:00 or 1:10, 1:10 or 1:15, 1:20
200 Kick
Main (1600, 1250, 1050) Work on steady pace.
25-50-75-100-125-150-175-200-175-150-125-100-75-50-25
Fastest lanes did all. Slowest lanes skipped the 175s.
I set intervals for each lane for 15 sec rest on shorter swims and 30 sec rest on longer ones.
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy pull or swim.
Wednesday, Jan 13, Meter Pool
As usual when we do distance per stroke (DPS), swimmers complained of being tired all day. That's from using muscles they don't usually engage in the stroke.
WARM-UP (800)
200 Swim
200 Drill (50 chg 6, 50 chg 6 w/ 3, 50 chg 3, 50 chg 3 w/3)
4 x 50 Kick on 1:05 or 1:10, 1:10 or 1:15, 1:20-1:30, 1:45
200 Pull Long stroke
MAIN (1100)
Free (700)
150 (25-50-75 Count strokes, maintain DPS)
200 (2 x 100 Descend but maintain DPS)
150 (25-50-75 Count strokes, Pull)
200 (2 x 100 Descend pull, DPS)
Choice (400)
100 (25-50-25 Count, DPS)
100 (2 x 50 Descend, DPS)
100 Pull (50 if breaststroke or fly)
100 Kick
MAIN #2 (300-600)
(6-12) x 50 Descend 1-3, 4-6, etc.
COOL-DOWN (100-300)
Easy Swim
Wednesday, Jan 13, Yard Pool
This is a repeat of a workout the morning group did last week.
Warm-Up (900-1000)
▪200-300 swim
▪8 x 25 Drills
Free (1) Chg 6, (2) Chg 6 w/ 3, (3) 3 RT/3 LFT, (4) 3 RT, 3, 3 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. (1) 50 dolphin on back, (2) 50 back, (3) 50 fr w/ brd, (4) 50 *** w/ brd
▪100 Kick, chose from 4 above.
▪200 Pull. (1) 50 fr w/ paddles (catch, bend wrist), (2) 25 *** w/ paddles, 25 br or fr,
(3) 25 bk w/ paddles, 25 fr or bk, (4) 25 bk or br w/o paddles, 25 choice.
Main (1400)
4 x 50 Free, good stroke, on :50, :55, 1:00, 1:05, 1:15
2 x 100 Free, on 1:20, 1:30, 1:50, 2:00, 2:15
200 free swim
100 as 2 x 50 back or 2 x (25 bk/25 fr)
100 back or alternate 25 bk/25 fr
100 as 4 x 25 ***, long glide or alt. br and fr
100 2 x 50 *** or 2 x (25 br/25 fr)
400 as 8 x 50 choice
Cool-Down (300-400)
4 x 25, count strokes, choice
200-300 swim
Friday, Jan 15, Meter Pool
This was a completely new concept for my coaching. I had the swimmers swim 125 and meet me at the other end (deep water). One of the swimmers in this workout teaches deep water aerobics. She did 20 minutes with the group in place of warm-up. They did not use the belts for flotation so had to tread water the whole time. They had a choice to use the belts, but they chose not to. I think it was well received as something new. All agreed that it was not easy.
After the warm-up, they swam 75 to meet me back at the shallow end.
50-100-150-200 swim, keeping a steady pace. Interval was based on time per 25: 25, 30, 40, 45, 50.
Repeat above pull, same intervals.
We are doing the Hour Swim tomorrow. I asked each swimmer what pace/100 they would like to keep for 2 miles. Most gave me a time way slower than I would have said. Trying to hold that pace, they did:
4 x 100 on long interval 20-30 seconds rest. i think it makes it harder to pace when there is rest. As expected, most were consistent, but faster than predicted. They adjusted their predictiions and did another set of 4 x 100.
In addition to the aerobics, swimmers got in 2000 (fast lane) to 1400 (slowest lane).
Sunday, January 17, Meter Pool
My workout group did the Hour Swim on Saturday. Our pool let us use 3 lanes for 3+ hours; we can do 3 heats of 6 each (2 per lane). Eighteen had signed up, but two were sick. Everyone brings a counter or stays to count another heat. We always have several who just come to help. I am recovering from a cold and didn't swim. I have had some good practices this week and hope to do the Hour at the end of the month. This is a workout that I did alone.
Warm-Up (500)
50 swim then 3 x (50 kick/50 drill/50 swim)
Main (1600)
400 Swim, trying to hold a steady pace
400 Pull, faster than the 400 swim
4 x 100 swim on interval with 10-15 sec rest
4 x 100 pull on interval 5 sec faster than swims (I used paddles)
Cool-Down (400)
400 Swim. I intended to go all free, but was getting leg cramps so mixed it up.
Wednesday, Jan 19, Meter Pool
We missed Monday's workouts because the pool (a city facility) was closed for the MLK holiday. I knew there would be a big crowd at Wed's workout so I planned lots of 50s to keep the lanes organized. There were 29 present.
Warm-Up (700-1000)
200/300 Swim
300 as 50 Drill/50 Swim (Drills: Catch-up, 3 rt/3 lft, 3 rt/3/3lft/3)
200/400 as 50 Kick/50 Swim
Main #1 (1100-1400)
200 as 4 x 50 pull, choice on 1:00, 1:10, 1:30, 1:30, 2:00
200 as 4 x 50 swim, choice (even pace) on same interval
300-400 as (6-8) x 50 free pull on :50, :55, 1:10, 1:10, 1:40
400-600 as (8-12) x 50 swim free (descend 3, #4 easy) x (2-3)
on :55, 1:00, 1:15, 1:15, 1:45
Main #2 (200)
200 Kick
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy 100-200 swim
Wednesday, Jan 20, Yard Pool
Warm-Up (1000)
100 Swim
400 as 50 Drill/50 Swim (choice)
100 Swim
400 as 50 Kick/50 Swim
Main (1800)
400 Swim
2 x 200 Pull, steady pace. Rest 20 sec
300 as 100 Kick/50 Swim (breaststroke first time through)
6 x 50 as 2 x (2 x 50 pull, 1 x 50 swim)
2 x 100 Pull, descend, rest 15 sec
4 x 50 swim (anything) on 1:00, 1:10, 1:20
Cool-Down (200)
4 x 25 count
2 x 50 easy
www.usms.org/.../articledisplay.php
Friday, Jan 22, Meter Pool
I have never felt confident teaching butterfly. However, I really liked the “West Side Fly Progression” that was in the USMS Coaches’ newsletter. I am going to start on it today. See link above.
Warm-Up (600-900)
200 Swim
200 Kick
200 Pull
100 Swim
100 Kick
100 Pull
Butterfly Progression (10-15 min)
Steps 1-3 (4 if time)
Main (1200)
300 Swim, 300 Pull
200 Swim, 200 Pull
100 Swim, 100 Pull
Cool-Down (100-200)
(2-4) x 50 easy
