Tuesday, February 28, 2006

 

A reason why we do sprint sets occasionally

The Pacific Magazine section of the Seattle Times had an article titled "Burst Into Shape" in the Sunday 2/26/06 edition. Many are interested in getting in yardage and have little interest in the sprint sets that we sometimes do. The paragraphs from the article might give some insight to why we do some sprinting.

"Researchers at McMaster Univeristy say six minutes of intense exercise a week can be equal to an hour of daily moderate activity. Such bouts 'improved muscle health and performance comparable to several weeks of traditional endurance training,' syas Martin Gibala, an associate professor in the department of kinesiology at McMaster.

The research, published in the Journal of Applied Physiiology, found that performing repeated bouts of 'sprint' exercies made profound changes in skeletal muscle and endurance capacity, similar to training that requires hours of exercise each week. The endurance capacity in the sprint group increased on avearge from 26 to 51 minutes, and the subjects' muscles showed a significant increase in citrate synthasee, an enzyme that is indicative off the tissue's ability to use oxygen.

Researchers at Southwest Missouri State University and the University of Missouri found that accumlated 10 minute bursts totaling 30 minutes are more effective than continuous exercise in lowering fat and triglyceride levels in the bloodstream after eating. The study found that regular repetition of short exercise bouts can have a postive effect on metabolism. Researchers emphasized the results only apply to those participating in regular exercise."

 

Monday, March 6, 2006 30 Minute Swim

Intermediate Lanes (3,200 yards)
This is called the 30 minute swim because the main set of 100's should be done without extra rest. You should go straight into the next interval without waiting.

Long Warm up
100 Choice
2x50 catch-up drill
2x50 1 arm
2x50 DPS
2x50 4 breaths per 50
100 free
100 kick

Main Set
5 100s 1:50
5 100s 1:45
4 100s 1:40
4 100s 1:35

Stretch Out Sets
100 Ez
2x(50 Choice, 50 kick, 100 choice)

Warm Down
200 Choice

 

Sunday, March 5, 2006 - Stroke

Intermediate lanes (3,100 yards)

Warm up
200 Free
3x100 Pull
100 Kick

Drills
6x50 drill down/ swm back (1:10)

Main Sets
200 stroke
6x50 kick down/swim back (1:15)
4x100 Pull Free (1:45)
100 ez
4x100 stroke (2:05)
4x50 stroke Kick (1:20)
8x50 stroke (desc 1-4, 5-8) (1:05)

Warm Down
200 Choice

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

 

Monday, February 27, 2006 Mid-Distance

Intermediate Lane (3,500)
Warm up
200 Free
100 Pull
100 Back
100 Breast

Drills
3 x 50 push off go as far as possible before swimming free
3 X the following set
50 breathing every 3, 50 breathing every 5, 50 breathing every 7

Main set
3x200 free
50 ez
4x50 kick
3x200 pull
50 ez
4x50 kick
4x100 choice

Warm Down
200 Choice

 

Sunday, February 26, 2006 50 Sprints

This is a test set. The idea is to work power. Each 50 is a sprint. Each 50 should be as fast as the last.

Intermediate Lane (3,100)

Warm up
200 Free
3x100 Pull
100 Kck

4x50 Drills (everyone together)

5 x 100 free on 1:45

10 50s on 2 Minutes (wait for coach, everyone will go together)
There are supposed to be fast with the last as fast as the first. You don’t have to give times. You may swim 100s or 150s on 2:00, but you must go last in the lane and NO TIMES will be recorded.

5 x 100 Pull or swim choice, steady pace

200 Warm Down

Saturday, February 18, 2006

 

Comments by Terry Laughlin Total Immersion Guy (February 19 and 20 workouts are below)

Terry Laughlin is the person behind Total Immersion which is a method of training to swim faster. You can read the whole post at Triscoop forum with Terry Laughlin's posts on his recent training (his posting name is tiguy), but I've put a few of the things he said below. I found it very interesting.

Terry recently posted on www.triscoop.com (a triathlete forum) on the fact that despite major surgury (due to a ruptured rotator cuff in 2004) he has dropped his times and is swimming as fast as he did 10 years ago. Terry wrote: "What's interesting -- and a bit paradoxical -- about this is that I've spent much of the past two years recovering/rehabbing from two surgeries and a few other injuries - much of it sports-related, but not swim-related, weight lifting, mtn biking and winter sports. Still, this period is the first time since 1992 when I've actually turned back the clock and started reclaiming some of the ground lost to aging."

How is he doing this? He writes; "I've been unable to "train" for long stretches, and replaced harder work with "examined" swimming (since August mainly in the Endless Pool in our Swim Studio in New Paltz) which complemented rehab."

I didn't know what he meant by "examined swimming" rather than "harder work" so I posted a question to understand it better.

He wrote back:
"Examined" swims means mainly that I focus primarily on heightened awareness of how I'm working with the water, seeking to achieve progressively more subtle control, perhaps akin to working with the water like a jeweler adjusting a fine timepiece, rather than a laborer breaking rocks. While my physical capabilities will inescapably decline with age -- though I do all I can to minimize that decline -- my self-awareness and "physical wisdom" can certainly increase. And I'm learning that, to a far greater extent in water than on land, an increase in awareness can more than compensate for a decrease in aerobic capacity, strength, etc.

What I've been particularly struck by in the last month or so is how much this idea has been brought home by the fact that I've been injured or in recovery for so much of the last two years -- and that circumstance has turned into opportunity rather than disadvantage.

I separated my shoulder in a mountain bike fall August 4 and did no "workouts" until Dec 17, the day I signed up for the Manhattan swim. From late Sept through late Dec, I did swim 2 to 3 hours a week in the Endless Pools at our Swim Studio, but with no timed swims or intervals, all I did was "stroke tuning" - i.e. experimenting with fine adjustments in the current.

Despite the long gap in training, by my 4th or 5th Masters practice after returning, I was swimming faster than before the injury and within a few more weeks my training times were faster than in several years. On Jan 21, I had another injury, badly bruised ribs. I continued swimming, but with significant pain. One week later I swam my fastest 1000 in eight years or so in a Masters meet, though that morning I was in so much pain I almost didn't go. The next day in Masters workout, our last item was a timed 1650 (equivalent of 1500m) which I did in 21:30, faster than I've done in a meet in 8 years or so -- and fast enough to place 8th in my age group at Masters Nationals last year. I have been stunned by this turn of events and it's caused me to reflect on how it can be. And I can only conclude that the enforced limitation on swimming "hard" has forced me to do far more "examined" swimming than ever before.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

 

Monday, February 20, 2006 Pyramid

Intermediate (3,400 yards)
Warm Up
200 Free
100 Breast
100 Back
100 IM
100 Kick

Drills
2x50 dolphin kick no board
2x50 1 arm fly, right arm down, left arm back
2x50 alternate right arm, left arm, both arms
2x50 fly

Main Set
50 Free
50 Fly
50 Free
100 Breast
100 Free
100 Back
200 Free
200 IM
50 EZ
400 Free
50 EZ
200 Free
200 Pull
100 Free
100 Pull
100 Free
50 Pull
50 Free
50 Pull

Warm Down
200

 

Sunday, February 19, 2006 Distance

Intermediate (3,300 yards)
In this set, the warm up is actually part of the main set. If want to emphasize free, just do free instead of IM.

Warm Up
450 Pull

Main Set
400 IM
450 Free
400 Pull
350 Free
300 IM
250 Free
200 Pull
150 Free
100 IM
50 Free

Warm Down
200

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

 

Swim Suits (order and paid by Feb 16)

Great Deal for you. Chris has arranged for Starbucks to subsidize our swim suits. One per person. Jammer $16, Brief $15, Women;s (2 styles) $22.50. If you are on the e-mail list you should have gottten an e-mail about this. You need to be on the Orca team to get this suit. Chris needs your money and order by Feb 16 or no suit.

 

Monday, February 13, 2006 Free and Stroke

Monday, February 13, 2006 Free and Stroke
Intermediate Workout (3,000 yards)
Warm up
100 Free
200 Pull
4x50 Kick

Drills
2x50 Fly drill left, right both
2x50 Back 6 kicks per pull
2x50 Breast 2 kicks per pull
2x50 Free 4-kick drill
2x50 Free catchup

Main Set
3x100 Pull
3x100 Free
4x75 IM (no free)
2x100 Free
4x50 back
3x50 Free
4x50 breast
100 Free
4x25 Fly
50 Free

Warm Down
200 Easy

 

Sunday, Febuary 12, 2006 Distance

Sunday, February 12, 2006 Distance workout
Intermediate Workout (3,400 yards)
Warm up
200 Free
100 Back
100 Breast
100 Kick

Main Set
2x500 Free (1st long stroke, 2nd faster) 1:00 rest between
100 Kick ez
3x100 Back (2:10)
100 Ez
4x200 Pull (3:20)
100 Kick ez
4x100 Breast (3:20)

Warm Down
100 Easy

 

Friday, Febuary 10, 2006 Starts, 50s and Distance

Friday, Febuary 10, 2006 Starts, 50s and Distance
Intermediate Workout (3,000 yards)
Warm up
100 Free
100 1 arm drill
100 catchup
100 ¾ catch up
50 kick

Starts
4x25 from deep end of pool to shallow end. Then walk back to the deep end. Sprint half the length of the pool. Dive off the blocks or dive off from the side of the pool.

50s
21 x 50 Alternate 50 Kick/50 Stoke Drill/50 Perfect Stroke with Perfect Turns (15 secs rest, or so)

Distance
100, 200, 300 Free
If you are going to the meet on Sunday, get out here. Make sure you don’t workout on Saturday.
400, 200, 100 Pull

Warm Down
100 EZ (and stretch)

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