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, Feb 16
Warm-Up (1000)
200 Swim free.
100 Kick free (not back).
200 Pull free.
100 Swim choice.
100 Kick same stroke.
100 25 drill/25 swim, same stroke
100 Pull, same stroke.
100 Swim, any stroke or combo.
Main (1600)
200 Free. Moderate, long stroke. Rest 20-30. Get time.
200 Pull, free. Rest 20-30
200 Free. Stroke and time like first one. Rest 20-30.
200 Can swim free or another stroke or combo, pull or swim with fins.
200 (4 x 50) Drill/Swim. Choice. Go on 3rd touch.
~Pick a stroke for 6 x 50:
300 (2 x 50 Pull. 2 x 50 Kick. 2 x 50 Swim)
If time, pick a stroke again. Can be the same.
300 Repeat 6 x 50 as above.
Cool-Down (100)
4 x 25
Wednesday, Feb 25
Warm-Up (650-1200)
200-300 Swim (75 free/25 non-free)
150-300 (1-2) x 150 Pull. Wait until lane finishes before starting again.
150-300 Drill/Swim (1-2) x 150. Each 150 is 50 drill/25 swim/50 drill/25 swim. Choice.
150-300 (2-4) x 75. Swim. (25 free/25 non-free/25 free)
Main (1500)
300 Swim 100 free/50 choice/100 free/50 choice continuous
300 Swim (3 x 50) x 2. 1st time: choice; rest 20 to regroup / 2nd time: free
Interval for 10-15 sec for choice; drop interval 5 sec for free
300 (3 x 100) Pull. Interval for 10-15 sec rest
300 Swim (3 x 50) x 2. Same as above.
300 (2 x 150); rest 20 between. Each 150 is 50 Kick/50 Swim/50 Kick. Fins ok.
Cool-Down (100-300)
Easy swim.
On Wednesday, Feb 25, the pool opened late due to more snow. Nine still made it to the workout!
No workout on Friday, Feb 27, due to more snow and sleet. The pool didn't open until 10 am.
Friday, Mar 6
Another delayed opening due to weather. Pool didn’t open until 10:00. A group of 10-12 met then. I swam also, so no coach on deck.
Warm-Up (800-1200)
200-300 Swim
200-300 Pull
200-300 Kick
200-300 25 Drill/25 Swim
Main (1600)
Note: The following can be done in any order. Start with longer or shorter distance.
Each lane should decide on interval.
8 x 50
4 x 100
2 x 200
1 x 400
Monday, Mar 9
This was a good workout. I tried to get swimmers to understand that there is a wide range from swimming aerobically and anaerobically. It is important to know at what speed you can swim and keep going, right before it becomes anaerobic. Some got it; a few didn’t. But I think most understand what they need to do.
Warm-Up (1000)
100 Swim, choice
200-300 Pull
~Get lane together~
300 (6 x 50). Odds free, evens choice. Go on 4th person. Build each 50.
200-300 50 Kick/50 Swim. Fins ok.
Main (1500)
100 (2 x 50) Aerobic “with air”. Get time. On :55, 1:05, 1:10, 1:20, 1:50. Free.
100 Aerobic. Get time. Free.
100 (2 x 50) Anaerobic “without air”. Get time. On 1:05, 1:20, 1:25, 1:30, 2:00. Free.
100 Anaerobic. Get time. Free.
200-300 (4-6) x 50. Drill/Swim. Choice.
Aerobic covers a lot of ground. Can be very slow to moderate. When swimming 200 or more, you need to find your “Anaerobic Threshold” – how fast you can go w/o being “without air.”
200 (4 x 50). Free. Faster than aerobic; slower than anaerobic.
200 (2 x 100). Free. Faster than aerobic; slower than anaerobic.
200-300 Aerobic. Can mix it up. Recovery
100 (4 x 25) Choice. FAST. Rest 15.
Cool-Down (100-200)
Easy Swim
Wednesday, Mar 11
I'm posting this before we have tried it in workout. I'm not sure how it will go.
Warm-Up (800-1200)
200 Swim choice
200 Pull
200-300 Swim (25 non-free/25 free)
~fins on~
200 Work on the “catch” in free.
50 catch-up with the stick. Think about “elbow up” before you pull.
50 catch-up w/o the stick.
Repeat both 50s above
200-300 (50 back/50 free)
~fins off~
Main (1100-1400)
200 (4 x 50) free. Think about “anaerobic threshold” pace
Lane 8 plus some from lane 7: 4 x 100 free or 50 non/50 free on 3:30. (700)
3 x 100 free or 50/50 on 3:00.
Lanes 4-6: 500 free to establish average 100 for repeats. (1000)
200 (4 x 50) #1 drill; #2-3 drill/swim; #4 swim
300 (3 x 100) on average + 10. May have to switch lanes.
200 Swim, moderate
Cool-Down (200)
50-100-50 Easy
