Friday, March 31, 2006

 

Taper

I found some information about doing a
taper. The taper lasts from 1 to 3 weeks and is varies from individual to individual. The taper is done by reducing the yardage swum, but NOT reducing the intensity. See the link that discusses a taper.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

 

Monday, April 3, 2006 Free and IM

This workout is for the intermediate lane (3,300 yards)

Warm up
Intermediate
200 Free
100 Back
100 Breast
100 Kick

Drills
4x50 drills

Main Set
100, 200, 200, 100 IM
100 Kick
50, 100, 200, 100, 50 Pull
100 Kick
100, 200, 300, 200, 100 Free
6x50 Choice

Warm Down
100 Choice

 

Sunday, April 2, Free or Stroke

You'll have a choice of doing either a free (3,200 yards) or stroke (2,900 yards) workout. Below is the workout for the medium lane.

Warm Up Stroke workout
200 Free
2x100 Choice
2x50 Kick

Warm Up Free workout
200 Free
200 Pull
100 Kick

Main Set Stroke workout
8x25 evens alternate free and back, odds alternate fly and breast
8x75 IM rotation
3x(3x100 stroke, 100 Kick, 100 free Pull)

Main set Free workout
6x50 kick
4x50 ri 10 steady
4x100 ri 10 same pace as 50s
4x200 ri 15 same pace as 100s
4x100 ri 15 faster
4x50 ri 15 fastest

Warm down, both workouts
100 Choice

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

 

Monday, March 27, 2006 - Mid distance

This workout is a mid-distance aerobic workout. The workout below is for the intermediate lane (3,100 yards)

Warm up
200 Free
200 Pull
100 Kick

Main Set
3x200 Free no pulling (3:30)
2x50 Fist Free
3x200 Pull (3:20)
4x50 IM order (1:15)
2x200 Free no pulling (3:20)
4x50 kick
200 Choice
4x50 no breathing down, easy back

Warm down
100 Choice

 

Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 100s for time

This is a test set. 100s for time on three minutes. If you don't want to do 100s for time, it isn't required. You can also do a longer distance, as long as you finish the diistance within 3:00 minutes (i.e. 150, 200, or 250 yards); however, this distance won't be timed.
For the intermediate lane

Warm up
200 Free
3x100 Pull
100 Kick

Continuation of warm up
5 x 100 free on 1:45 (continuation of warm-up)

Test Set
10 100s on 3 Minutes (wait for coach)
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.

Stretch out
5 x 100 Pull or swim choice, steady pace

Warm down
200 Choice

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

 

March 20, 2006 Free and Choice

Intermediate Lane
200 Free, 200 Pull, 100 Kick

Main Set
8x50 (1-4 desc, 5-8 desc)
3x250 (150 build, 50 fast, 50 ez)
4x50 kick
4x125 (75 build, 25 fast, 25 ez)
3x50 stroke drill
4x100 choice (desc 1-4)

Warm Down
100 Choice

 

Sunday, March 19, 2006 - Breast Stroke or Distance

You have choice to do stroke or distance
Intermediate Lane

Warm up breast stoke workout
100 Free, 100 Breast, 50 Breast Kick
100 Free, 100 Breast, 50 Breast Kick

Warm up distance workout
5x100 Alt Swim, Kick, Pull

Main Set Breast Stroke
50 Breast 2Kick/Pull
2 x 100 Breast
50 Beast kick
4x100 Free
100 Alt fly & breast by stroke
200 Breast
50 Breast kick
4x100 Free
100 Breast
50 Breast kick
2x100 Pull
2x50 Breast
200 Free
2x50 Breast
100 Free

Main Set Distance
6x50 drill down/ swim back
500, 400, 100 fast
300, 2x100 fast (1:40)
200, 3x100 fast (1:45)
100, 4x100 fast (1:45)

Warm Down
100 Choice

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

 

Monday, March 13, 2006 Moderate Distance workout

This workout is for the intermediate lanes (3,200 yards)

Warm up
200 Choice
100 Free
2x50 Choice

Main Set
5x50 kick
5 x 200 (each 200 is 100 mod free, 50 choice, 50 fast free)
5x50 kick
300, 200, 100, Pull
5x100 Choice

Warm down
200 choice

 

Sunday, March 12, 2006 - Stroke or Distance

There will be two workouts available for Sunday. The workouts below are both for the intermediate lanes. Stroke distance is 3,100 yards. Distance workout is 3,400 yards

Warm up Stroke workout
100 Free
3x100 Pull
100 Kck

Warm up Distance workout
200 Free
100 Back
100 Breast
100 Kick

Main Set Stroke Workout
4x50 drill down/ swm back (1:15) IM order
4x75 Free on 1:30
4x25 Fast Fly on :50
4x75 Free on 1:25
4x25 Back fast :50
4x75 Free on 1:20
4x75 Fly/Back/ Breast on 1:50
4x25 Free Fast on :50
4x100 Pull (1:45)
3x100 IM (2:00)

Main Set Distance Workout
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 for both workouts
100 choice

 

Friday, March 10, 2006 Free and IM

Intermediate Lane (3,100 yards)

Warm Up
200 Free
3x100 Choice
100 IM
100 Kck

Main Set
2x200 Pull (3:20)
100 Ez
4x100 Free (1:50)
100 Ez
6x50 Kick
100 Ez
3x100 IM
100 Ez
3x100 Choice (desc 1-3)
4x50 from middle of Pool

Warm Down
100 Choice

Sunday, March 05, 2006

 

Swimming can shore up your true core (Seattle Times Article)

This article Ask R7, was in the Seattle Times Pacific Northwest Magazine on Sunday March 5, 2006

Q: Yoga and Pilates are such popular forms of exercise, but I prefer swimming. I don't read much about it as a good overall form of exercise. Wouldn't swimming also provide "core training" and strengthening of the abs? When swimming, aren't you doing some of the stretching and lengthening Pilates does? Is swimming as beneficial as yoga or Pilates for the over-40 group for maintaining strength and flexibility?

A: Comparing exercises is hard to do, but every one, when done correctly, activates and works, to some extent, the core muscles.

The reader is right, though; swimming traditionally gets cut out of the core hoopla. I asked help from Mary Meyer, a Seattle personal trainer who specializes in swimming and triathlon training (www.marymeyerlifefitness.com).

Meyer acknowledges that swimming isn't generally considered in the same league as Pilates and yoga when it comes to core work, but that is largely, in her mind, because you don't have an instructor standing over you and harping about activating those muscles while you're swimming. She also acknowledges that swimmers typically carry a bit more body weight for the sake of buoyancy and insulation, but looks can be deceiving.

"I have a hard time when a client comes in and says I want the six-pack or the eight-pack or whatever," she says. "I tell them then maybe swimming isn't the way to go."

Swimming works true core muscles — the functional ones behind the abs façade. The sport builds strength and flexibility, focusing mostly on the upper body. In fact, the power of the body from the hips or upper thigh to the shoulders is the most important factor in effective swimming, she says.

Pilates offers pluses, but . . .


Is Pilates also a good calorie-burning workout? A recent study by the nonprofit American Council on Exercise says: sort of.

The study concluded that the cardiovascular benefits of Pilates appear to be limited. Even though participants think they're working hard — and from a muscular standpoint, they are — they are not achieving significant aerobic or calorie-burning benefits.

"Pilates has a long list of benefits including improved body mechanics, balance, coordination, strength and flexibility," said Dr. Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the council. "While the ACE study shows that a Pilates session burns a relatively small amount of calories, it is still a valuable addition to any exercise routine.

Swimming is also one of the few activities in which you can safely hyperextend your legs (such as when you kick down on the crawl stroke and butterfly). Meyer suggests varying strokes to increase the benefits.

While swimming is good for any age, it's especially good for the over-40 group, she says, "considering it is a non-weight-bearing, low-impact sport that uses most of the muscles in the body."

But it must be done correctly. For best results, be sure you rotate, power through and finish each stroke rather than swimming flat and cutting your stroke short. Establish as efficient an aquatic line as possible, swimming with head, shoulders, hips and feet in the same line on/to the surface of the water, and holding a straight line from side to side like a spear.

Good swimmers don't overload their arms and hands. The arm-stroke pattern is effectively a catch and throw, with about 70 percent of the propulsion coming off the throw when combined with a hip-driven core rotation. This is similar to throwing and hitting baseballs.

The kick also stabilizes the lower torso front and back. It initiates from the diaphragm, as though the legs join there instead of at the hips.

Central to form and endurance is proper breathing, which is also essential in yoga and Pilates. Breathing in the water isn't as natural as on land, and many beginning, even intermediate swimmers do not do it efficiently enough to reap the most benefits from the movement. Rhythm, concentration and flow make the difference. Once you are comfortable with swimming technique and breathing, swimming can be less taxing on lungs than running, because arms, with their smaller muscles, don't require as much oxygen as legs do. (You can, however, build a lower-body workout by using kickboards and fins.)

Richard Seven is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff writer. He can be reached at rseven@seattletimes.com.

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