Saturday, March 29, 2008

 

April 7, 2008 - Free (30 minutes of 100s)

Tonight's emphasis is on freestyle. The warm up is long and the main set is 30 minutes of 100s. Below is the expert set.

Warm Up
200 Choice
2x50 catch-up drill
2x50 1 arm
2x50 DPS
2x50 2 breaths per 50
200 free
200 kick

Main Set
30 minute swim
Lane 6 100s on 1:15 (24 100s) or 1:20 (22 100s)

Stretch out
100 Ez
2x (100 choice, 50 kick, 100 choice)

Warm Down
200 Choice

 

Coaches Corner – Breathing patterns

How often you breathe during freesytle for a very short sprint versus a long swim is different. Why is there a difference? There are two competing requirements. You are most streamlined and fasterst when your head is in line with your body. Turning your head pulls the body out of its streamline position, creates more drag, and slows you down. Some people cause more drag than others when they breathe, but that is a separate topic. The important point is that regardless of how good your position is when you take in air, it increases your drag in the water and slows you down. However, if you never turn your head to breathe, you’ll run out of air and will eventually slow down or even pass out. So at some point you need to breathe. You need the oxygen to power your muscles and in longer swims getting oxygen to the muscles overrides the advantage of remaining streamlined.

For the 50 free sprint, you’ll see very little breathing. Why? The fastest sprinters do 50 under 20 seconds. Very little of the oxygen that they take in gets to the muscles in time to be used, hence if you watch the Olympics this summer, you’ll note that during the 50 free sprint, very few breaths are taken. Conversely, in a long event, like the 1,500 M free the need for additional oxygen for the muscles outweighs the advantage of maintaining a streamline. So at the last Olympics, the swimmers who took gold and silver took breaths every 2 pulls (i.e. every time the right hand comes out of the water). In order to keep their stroke balanced and symmetric, the swimmers alternated the side used for breathing after 4 or 5 breaths by either taking 3 pulls or 1 pull and switching to the opposite side. If you take breaths less frequently on long swims, you’ll be slower. I’ve had swimmers who breathe every 4 to 8 strokes tell me that they don’t feel short of breath or don’t feel like they need to breathe more often. The reason is that they have matched their speed to the aerobic capability. If they swam long distances breathing more often, they will find that they go faster. Conversely, if someone who breathes every two pulls breathes less often in a short sprint, theywill find that they can be faster. Intermediate distances will fall somewhere between the two extremes.

Neither one of these techniques can be done well without practice. If you always take breaths every 2 pulls, you can’t expect to take 2 breaths during an entire 50 sprint and be able to perform well. Your body won’t be used to it and will let you know. Even though you should go faster, you probably won’t. Conversely, if you take breaths every 4 to 8 pulls and expect to go to an open water swim this summer and breath ever 2 pulls you also have trouble because you aren’t used to the pattern. So breathing patterns need to be practiced. Sometimes you might not want to practice a breathing pattern because you slow down. If you do slow down, move to the back of the lane or to a slower lane (that matches your speed) until you get used to it. Sometimes you might not want to practice a breathing pattern because it is uncomfortable, but you need the practice to get accustom to the different pattern. I encourage you to think about this when you are at practice.

 

March 31, 2008 - Stroke

This practice uses all strokes. Below is the expert set.

Warm Up
100 Free
100 Back
100 Breast
100 Pull
100 Kick

Main Set
4x50 Choice drill
4x50 Fly on :50
4x25 rest :15 (alt fast and ez)
6x50 Back on :50
4x50 rest :15 (1st ez, 2nd 25 fast 25 ez, 3rd 50 fast, 4th 50 ez)
6x50 Breast on :50
4x75 rest :20 (1st 25 fast 50 ez, 2nd 50 fast 25 ez, 3rd 75 fast, 4th 75 ez
2x100 IM on 1:30
4x100 rest :30 (1st 50 fast 50 ez, 2nd 75 fast 25 ez, 3rd 100 fast, 4th 100 ez
2x100 Choice on 1:35
4x125 rest :30 sec (1st 75 fast 50 ez, 2nd 100 fast 25 ez, 3rd 125 fast, 4th 125 ez

Warm Down
200 Choice

 

March 30, 2008 - Distance 4500

This practice is a distance practice. Note the longer yardage as this is week is one with increased volume. Below is the expert lane practice.

Warm Up
5x100 Free
200 Pull
200 Kick

Main Set
5x100 (50 drill, 50 swim)
500 build (start ez)
500 Dist Race Pace
8x50 kick
500 Pull
5x100
Dist Race Pace (rest :30)
5x100 Pull (1:20)

Warm Down
200 choice

Sunday, March 23, 2008

 

March 27, 2008 - Choice

This practice you get to choose the stroke you want to practice. Below is the expert set.

Warm Up
200 Free
3x100 Choice
100 kick

Drills
4x50 drills directed by stroke

Main Set
8 x 25 choice :35 desc 1-4,5-8
6x50 Kick
4x200 Pull 2:50
2x50 Ez
8 x 100 1:45 Choice desc 1-4, 5-8
100 Ez choice
8 x 50 1:00 choice descend 1-4, 5-8

Warm Down
200 Choice

Saturday, March 15, 2008

 

March 17, 2008 Timed 50s

The main set will be 10 50s on 2 minutes. This is a challenge set. The idea is to sprint a 50 every two minutes using the same stroke and trying to keep the speed fast. Below is the expert set.

Warm Up
800 choice

4x50 drill wait for coach

6x100 free on 1:25

10 50s on 2 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.

6 x 100 Pull or swim choice, steady pace

Cool Down
200 Choice

 

March 16, 2008 Fly Emphasis

This is usually a distance set, but this week the emphasis will be on fly. Below is the expert lane set.

Warm Up
200 Free
200 Pull
100 Choice
100 IM
100 Pull

Fly Drill (wait for coach)

4x50 Fly drill
50 Ez
4x150 Free
50 Ez
4x100 1st 100 fly, 2nd 75 fly 25 free, etc.
50 Ez
4x100 Pull
6x50 Fly Kick
50 Ez
3x100 (1st 25 Fly, 2nd 75 Free)

Cool Down
200 Choice

Saturday, March 08, 2008

 

March 10, 2008 - Stroke

I was going to do 10 50s for time, but since we've just had a meet. That set is delayed a week. Tonight's practice will be stroke work. Below is the expert lane practice.

Warm Up
300 Free
4x50 Pull
100 Kick

Main Set
3 x 200 Pull
6x50 Fly alt drill, swim
2x50 Fly Kick
6x50 Breast alt drill, swim
2x50 Breast Kick
6x50 Back alt drill, swim
2x50 Back Kick
5x100 Choice No Free
4x100 Free desc 1-4

Warm Down
200 Choice

 

March 9, 2008 Distance

This practice is a long descend. Below is the set for the expert lane.

Warm Up
600 Free

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

Warm Down
100 Choice

Sunday, March 02, 2008

 

March 3, 2008 - Meet Prep and Distance Alternative

This workout will have 2 sets. One for those getting ready for the meet and an alternative distance set. Below is the set for the expert lane.

Warm Up
200 Free
100 Pull
100 Back
100 Breast
100 Kick


Sprint and Meet Prep Set
Wait for coaches direction

Distance Alternative Set
2x50 fingertip drill, 2x50 catchup, 2x50 12kicks per stroke
2x50 left arm, 2x50 right arm, 2x50 free long pushoff
5x300 (4:00-4:15 interval)
100 ez
4x50 kick
400 pull, 300, 200 pull, 100

Warm Down
200 choice

 

March 2, 2008 - Meet prep and Distance Alternative

There will be two practices this workout. One will be for meet and sprint work and the other will be distance. Below is the set for the expert lane.

Warm Up
300 Free
100 Kick

Main Set for Meet prep and sprint
We are going to the deep and and will be swimming 4 50s off the blocks, you choice of stroke. Go 5 secs apart.
6x50 choice drill down/ swm back (1:00)
5x100 stroke (1:40)
6x50 kick down/swim back choice (1:05)
Sprint 4x50 off blocks choice Stroke
4x100 Pull
4x100 strk (1:40)

Main Set for Distance Alternative
5x100 (75 drill, 25 swim)
4x200 Free (hard steady effort)
3x300 Pull, Kick, Pull
2x400 IM, Free
500 Free

Warm Down
100 Choice

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