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, Aug 20
Warm-Up (1000)
200-300 Swim, choice
200-300 Pull. 75 free/25 back
200-300 Kick. Choice
100 Swim, choice
Main (1600)
400 Swim, free. Stop after each 100 just long enough to check your time (approx. 5 sec).
400 (2 x 200). First one free at the same pace as 400. Second one can be free or choice.
400 (4 x 100). #1, 2 are free. #3,4 are choice.
400 (8 x 50). #1-4 are free, #5-8 are choice.
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy swim
Monday, Aug 25
This was a good workout. Swimmers did well on 3 x 100 for best average near the end.
They were tired, but happy, at the end.
Warm-Up (1000)
300 Swim free. 100 swim;100 25 swim/ 25 c.u.; 100 swim
200 Swim choice. 25 drill/75 swim. For fly, back, or free do 4 rt/4 lft
300 Pull. 100 w/ paddles; 100 w/o; 100 with
100 Breaststroke; 25 pull with fly kick/25 swim with 3 ct glide/25 with 3 fly k, 3 br k /25 swim
100 IM swim or drill
Main (1600)
Freestyle:
150 25 free, count / 50 free, count /75 free, count Rest 10 after each part
150 3x50 at same pace. On :45, :55, 1:00, 1:10, 1:40 (LANE 8: 2 x 50)
300 3 x 100 holding same pace. On 1:35, 1:55, 2:05, 2:20, 2:40 (LANE 8: 2 x 100)
200-300 50 Kick/50 Swim
300 3 x 100. Figure best average. On 1:45, 2:05, 2:15, 2:30, 2:50 (LANE 8: 2 x 100)
Choice:
200-400 (4-8) x 50. #1-2 recovery; #3- moderate pace
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy swim
Wednesday, Aug 27
Warm-Up (700-1000)
300 (100 Swim / 100 Pull / 100 Swim) choice
200-400 (4-8) x 50 Kick. Go when 3rd or 4th person touches. Mix it up.
200-300 (25 drill/25 swim) choice of stroke and drill.
Main (1600)
500 Pull (2 x 200, 1 x 100). Descend on 200s. 100 should be good effort, but not all out.
Broken 400. Stop after each 100 to get time. Try to hold same pace. Freestyle.
Broken 300. Stop after each 100 to get time. Try to hold same pace. Freestyle.
Broken 200. Stop after 1st 100 to get time. Hold pace. Choice.
Broken 100. Stop at the 50 to get time. Choice.
Rest extra 30 sec.
100 Good effort. Choice.
Cool-Down (100-200)
(4-8) x 25. Good streamline. Proper stroke technique.
Wednesday, Sept 3
This worked well for me as coach. I gave each lane a written copy of the warm-up and then the main set. Then I spent the time with my IPad Mini making short videos and showing each to the swimmers right away. It was especially good to show someone how long their stroke is with a buoy or fins and how they shorten it with no equipment.
Warm-Up (800-1200)
200-300 Swim
200-300 Pull
200-300 Kick or K/S (by 50s)
200-300 Drill/Swim (by 25s)
Main (1400)
200-300 (4-6) x 50. Odds choice, evens free. On :55, 1:10, 1:20, 1:30, 1:55.
400-600 (4-6) x 100. Freestyle. Odds pull; evens swim. On 1:30, 1:45, 1:55, 2:05, 2:20, 2:50.
200 Swim, choice. Can mix it up.
150 Swim. 50 free/50 choice/50 free.
150 Pull. 50 free/50 choice/50 free.
Cool-Down (100-200)
100-200 as 25 drill/25 swim.
Friday, Sept 5
I am posting this one before we do it in our workout. I'm not sure how the mixing up of lanes will go.
After the workout: This workout went very well. Everyone seemed to move to the correct lane. I
adjusted the intervals depending on who was there.
Warm-Up (1000)
400 Swim (200 free/50 non/100 free/50 non)
200-300 Pull
200 (25 drill/25 swim) 1st 100: non-free; 2nd 100: free
100 Swim, choice
Main (1600)
Mixed Non-Free/Free: Lanes 3,4,7, 8
Lane 3: 3 x 100 non on 1:50 / 3 x 100 free on 1:30 / 3 x 100 non on 1:50 (900)
Lane 4: 3 x 100 non on 2:15 / 2 x 100 free on 2:05 / 3 x 100 non on 2:15 (800)
Lane 7: 2 x 100 non on 2:30 / 2 x 100 free on 2:20 / 2 x 100 non on 2:30 / 2 x 100 free (800)
Lane 8: 2 x 100 non on 2:55 / 2 x 100 free on 2:45 / 2 x 50 non on 1:50 (500)
All Free: Lanes 5,6
Lane 5: 12 x 100 on 2:05 (1200)
Lane 6: 10 x 100 on 2:30 (1000)
Everyone:
200 Swim (50 choice/50 swim)
200 Pull, free
200 50 Kick/50 Swim
Cool-Down (100)
4 x 25
Monday, Sept 8
Note: It really worked to film each lane and then show it to them immediately. We all know that perception and reality are not always the same when you are swimming. Seeing yourself is enlightening!
Warm-Up (600-900)
200-300 Swim
300-500 (6-10) x 50. Go on 3rd touch, but look at the clock!! Leave 5 sec apart.
Mix it up with d/s, swim, k/s
*We will switch lanes throughout the workout so I bring each lane to lane 8 to film your
backstroke. Keep your gear together so you can move quickly.
Each lane will go backstroke: 25 change 3/ 25 change 3 with 3/50 swim.
Main (11200-1800)
300 Swim free
300 Pull free
200 Swim, choice but all 1 stroke
200 Pull
100 Swim, free
100 Pull
300 Kick (100 free with board / 100 back / 100 choice)
300 (4 x 75) #1-2 25 free/25 non/25 free; #3-4 25 non/25 free/25 non
Wednesday, Sept 10
I printed the Warm-up and the Main Set in large print for each lane. Too much writing to put on the board.
Warm-Up (900-1000)
100 Free, catch-up (slowly, 2 kicks in superman position before pulling again).
100 Free, ¾ catch-up
100 (25 non-free/25 free)
200-300 Pull (75 free/25 back)
200 (8 x 25) #1-2 free, one arm free ½ way, then swim; #3-4 back one-arm ½ way
#5-6 breaststroke, pull *** w/ fly kick ½, then swim; #7-8 fly or free or back, like #1
~fins on~
100 (4 x 25) fly; #1-2 kick with brd; #3 kick w/o brd, scull to breathe; #4 underwater recovery
100 swim, choice (with fins)
~fins off~
Main (1350-1650)
100 free, (25 chg 6 / 25 chg 6 with 3 / 25 chg 3 / 25 chg 3 with 3)
100 free, count strokes (25 chg 6, 25 chg 3, 25 c.u., 25 swim)
200 Repeat 2 x 100 back or free. Rest 10-15 between 100s.
400 (2 x 200 Free), #1 long and strong. Get time. Rest 20-30. #2 faster than #1.
200 25 non-free/25 free OR 25 (3R-3L) / 25 swim
50 (2 x 25) Kick, no fins. Only 1 can be breaststroke.
Stop if you feel you are making no progress. I want to see how far you get.
~fins on~
150 (2 x 75). #1 25 kick/50 swim, #2 50 swim/25 kick. Choice.
150-450 (3-9) x 50. (#1 Kick, #2 D/S, #3 Swim). Repeat.
Cool-Down (50-150)
Easy swim
Friday, Sept 12
Note: Some of my swimmers are still struggling with the fly with underwater recovery or "stone-skipper" drill. They are improving, and I'm sticking with it. I really believe it gets the breathing in the right place and gets "head down, butt up."
Warm-Up (1000)
200-300 (50 catch-up, slowly / 50 free swim)
100 Swim, choice
~fins on~
100 backstroke (25 chg 6 / 25 chg 6 with 3 / 25 chg 3 /25 swim)
100 free (25 chg 6, face in the water / 25 chg 6 with 3 / 25 chg 3 /25 swim)
200 Kick (free or fly with board or back). Mix it up.
100 fly (2 x 25 underwater recovery; 2 x 25 use same timing – breathe early, overwater
recovery while head is down).
~fins on~
100 swim, choice
Main (1600)
300-600 (3-6) x 100 free (#1 pull w/o paddles; #2 pull w/ paddles; #3 swim) x 2
100-200 (1-2) x 100 choice, same stroke. #1 easy, #2 faster
100-200 (2-4) x 50. #1-2 same stroke; #3-4 same stroke.
200 pull, free
200 Kick, choice
200 swim, choice
Cool-Down (100-200)
(4-8) x 25
