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.
Monday, Jan 26
Warm-Up (1000)
150 or 250 Swim. (100-200) free / 50 back or ***
150 or 250 Pull. (100-200) free / 50 back or ***
~fins ok~
200 (4 x 50) Drill. One arm for ½ of 25, swim rest; other arm ½ way, swim rest.
#1 free, #2 fly, #3 back; #4 is 25 *** pull w/fly kick, 25 br pull w/ free kick.
~fins off~
200-300 (4-6) x 50. Odds d/s. Evens swim.
Main (1600)
800-1200 ? x 100. L4-12, L5&6-10, L7-9, L8-8
On: 1:30, 1:55, 2:05, 2:20, 2:45
~fins on~
200 (4 x 50) swim with fins. Long and strong.
200 Pull. Long and strong.
Cool-Down (100)
Drill or swim 100 IM.
Warm-Up (900-1200)
300 Swim, 200 free/100 choice. Stop. Get lane together.
300 Pull, 200 free/100 choice. Stop. Get lane together.
200-300 Kick, 100 free/ rest choice. Stop. Get lane together.
100-300 25 drill/25 swim, choice
Main (1300-1500)
Everybody stand with some room to move. (1) Keep your feet in place, turn body to right, hold it. (2) Keep feet in place, turn to your left. If you had difficulty, work on stretching your back.
100 (4 x 25). #1 Swim on line, make sure hands never “touch” the line. Wide entry,pull straight back. #2 Concentrate on head position. Get it down. Don’t lift it to breathe. #3 “Ride the glide.” Glide on both sides, hold your hand on the surface while you glide. #4 Repeat #3.
200 (4 x 50), freestyle. Think about the “catch.” Elbow up, roll as you pull. Quickly, roll to other side. “Snap” the hips. Think about a corkscrew as you swim. Go on 3rd person. Slow down your stroke to do it right.
400 (4 x 100) free on 1:40, 2:00, 2:10, 2:20, 2:45. Don’t worry about speed; g et the stroke
right.
600-900 (8-16) x 50 or (2-4) x (4 x 50). East set: #1 stroke count, #2-4 descend. Choice.
On 1:00, 1:15, 1:20, 1:30, 2:00
Cool-Down (200)
200 Swim
Friday, Jan 30
Warm-Up (1000)
200-300 Swim, choice
~fins on~
Think about rolling hips on backstroke like on freestyle. “Snap” your hips back.
100 (4 x 25) #1 chg 4 (Kick 4 on one side, change to other side for 4 kicks);
#2 “L” drill with 3 strokes (kick 3, hold arm up for 3, stroke); #3-4 head position:
Kick in streamline position until feet pass the flags, then keeping head in same position,
swim rest of the way.
100 (4 x 25) #1-2 back, 1-arm ½ way; #3-4 same drill back, fly, or free
~fins off~
100 backstroke. Kick past flags to get head in correct position, then swim.
100 free swim. Concentrate on head position and wide entry.
100 free swim. Glide!!!
200 Pull, 75 free/25 back
Main (1500)
600-1000 (3, 4, or 5) x 200. #1 Swim free, relatively easy, think about stroke, get time;
#2 Pull free; #3 50 drill/50 swim; #4 Swim free, get time, faster than #1;
#5 Swim choice. Lane 7 Skip #3. Lane 8 Do #1, 2, 5.
On 3:10, 4:00, 4:30, 5:00, 5:50
If entered in Richmond meet, do broken 100s. Do 1st and 3rd 50 of each 200.
500 5 x (2 x 25 build, rest 10 between. 50 fast). Rest 30 before repeating.
Cool-Down (200)
Easy swim
Monday, Feb 2
Warm-Up (1000-1500)
300-600 (100 Swim, 100 Pull, 100 Kick). Keep fins on and repeat.
100 backstroke. Fins optional. Remember hip rotation, head position.
~Fins off~
100 free with glide. Do not alter your stroke. You get the glide by holding hand on surface
and turning hips.
100 breaststroke swim with noticeable glide.
200-300 Pull. (100-200) free pull. 100 25 back or *** pull/25 free pull.
200-300 (50 kick/50 swim). Fins again.
Main (1100-1300)
200 (8 x 25). At least 2 different strokes. Odds build, evens sprint. Time yourself on evens.
On (approximately) :30, :40, :45, :50, :55. You decide on interval.
200 Pick a stroke.
Back, fly and free: 4 x 25 One arm ½ way, then swim. ***: Pull ½ way, then swim.
2 x 50 fast on 1:15, 1:30, 1:45, 2:00. You decide on interval, at least 15 sec rest.
200 Pick a stroke, can be the same. Repeat 4 x 25 and 2 x 50.
200 Freestyle, back, or fly: (2 x 25) kick ½ way, swim rest. (1 x 50) sprint, then rest 30.
(1 x 100) fast swim.
200 choice, easy swim or pull
200-400 (1-2) x 200 Any combination, but both should be the same. Descend. Rest 20.
Cool-Down (100)
2 x 50 easy
Wednesday, Feb 4
Warm-Up (1000)
250 Snake swim. Start in lane 4. Up and back in each lane.
25 Walk to shallow end. Swim 3 lengths in shallow water. Bend elbow.
125 Snake swim. Start in lane 4 at deep end. One length in each lane. Go to usual lane.
200-300 (2-3) x 100 Pull. Go on 3rd touch.
300 (6 x 50) Drill/swim. Choice. Go on 3rd.
Main (1600)
~fins on~
100 25 kick back in streamline position /swim 25.
100 Each 25-kick past flags in streamline position. Keep head in same position, swim.
100 (4 x 25) back. Rotate hips before hand enters.
~fins off~
300 (4 x 75). 25 free/25 back/25 free. Rest 10.
200-400 (2-4) x 100 free
400-600 Repeat the set of 200 (2-3) times.
100 (4 x 25) fast. Rest 10.
100 (2 x 50) fast. On
Cool-Down (100)
Easy 100
Friday, Feb 6
Warm-Up (1000)
100 Swim
Get lane together
200 (4 x 50) drill/swim. Go on 3rd.
300 (50 kick/50 swim)
400 25-50-75-100-75-50-25. Swim. Go on 3rd. Choice..
Main (1500-1700)
500 Swim - 200 free/100 non-free/200 free
400 (4 x 100) pull on interval for 10-15 sec rest
300 Swim (50 kick/50 drill/50 swim) x 2
200 Swim, choice. Good effort.
100 Swim. Build (each 25 gets faster).
200 If time, 2 x (2 x 50) descend.
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy swim
Monday, Feb 9
Warm-Up (900-1400)
100-200 Swim
100-200 Pull
100-200 Kick (fins ok)
Keep fins on. Get lane together.
150-200 (3-4) x 50 Kick. On :55, 1:10, 1:15, 1:20, 1:50
150-200 (3-4) x 50 Drill. Same interval. Drill in IM order?
Fins off.
150-200 (3-4) x 50 Pull on :50, :55, 1:00, 1:10, 1:40
150-200 (3-4) x 50 Swim on :55, 1:05,1:15, 1:20, 1:50
Main (1300)
200-400 (1-2) x 200 #1 free. #2 choice. On 2:50 or 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, 4:30
Pick a stroke to work on 100 pace, not IM.
100 (4 x 25). I will call out times. Each heat help heat behind you hear their time. Hold pace.
100 (2 x 50). I will call out time. Hold same pace.
100 I’ll call out times.
300-600 (2-3) x 150. 100 Pull, drop buoy, 50 swim. On 2:15, 3:00, 3:15, 3:45, 4:30
Cool-Down (100)
4 x 25
Wednesday, Feb 11
Warm-Up (1000)
200 (100 free/25 catch-up/50 free/25 catch-up)
200-300 (2-3) x (50 free with glide/50 non-free)
100 free with wide entry, long pull
200 pull
100-200 swim. Change stroke every 25.
Main (1500)
300-600 (2-4) x 150. 100 Pull, drop buoy, 50 swim. On 2:15, 3:00, 3:15, 3:45, 4:30
200 (4 x 50) on 1:30 or 2:00. Same stroke. Fast, but same pace for all 4.
100 choice, easy
200-300 Take average of 4 x 50, add 15 sec.= new interval. (4-6) x 50 on interval.
200-300 Swim. Choice, mix it up.
Cool-Down (100-300)
(1-3) x 100 swim. Moderate. Rest 10.
Friday, Feb 13
Warm-Up (1200)
500 Snake swim. Start in lane 8. Up and back in each lane. (250) Duck under lane line and walk over to shallowest part of pool. Swim 3 lengths with high elbow pull so you don’t touch the bottom (25). Walk to lane 8 in deep in. Snake swim one length in each lane. (125).
~fins on~
200-300 Kick 100/swim 100/kick 100
100-200 25 drill/25 swimm, choice
~fins off~
200 (100 swim free / 50 catch-up done correctly and slowly / 50 almost c.u.)
Main (1600)
300-400 (3-4) x 100. Odds: non-free or fast free / Evens: free, moderate
On 1:45/1:30; 2:10/1:55; 2:20/2:05; 2:30/2:20; 2:55/2:40
250-500 New relay format. All lanes start together.
Ln3 – 2 teams of 2 (relay), each swims 5 x 100 (4)
Ln4 & Ln5 & Ln6 – 2 teams of (relay), each swim 10 x 50 (12)
Ln 7 & Ln 8 – 2 teams of 4 (relay). Each swims 10 x 25 (16)
200-600 (2-6) x 100. Same as above. Add to interval if needed.
Cool-Down (100)
Easy swim.
