For the last 2-3 months I’ve been putting a considerably more time and effort into my swim workouts…well not alot more time but definately alot mroe intensity.
Typically I do a minimum of 3X a week usually 4X or more. I’ve broken my workouts into 3 different workouts that I definately get in speed, mid and LSD. My question is about the speed workout and it may need restructuring.
The “Speed”, and I use that term very loosely consists fo a 500WU, 5 x 100 on 2:00, 200 kick set, 10 x 50 on 1:00 minute, 200 kick set, 5 x 100 on 2:00 minute and 200 CD.
The problem is I typically start out ok. After the WU I do the 100’s. Typically hitting the wall around 1:40-1:50. Closer to 1:40 when I start closer to 1:50 or a few secs more by number 5. When I start the 50’s I typically hit the wall around :45-:47 for the first one and it goes down hill from there. By number 5 I’m barely hanging on to :53-:55 and having a hard time with recovery.
I’ve tried taking a longer break, say 10-15 seconds reguardless of time I hit the wall on the 50’s. This pretty much allows me to finish the 10 50’s after number 5 otherwise no go.
By the time I hit the second set of 100’s I’m pretty much trashed and struggle to hold 1:53-1:55 and can’t do so on 2:00 minutes.
Question is do I go slower on the repeats, allow more recovery, do fewer, shorter or some combination of teh above?
note…obviously I have no formal background in swim workouts. The above is something I just put together as a starting point.
Do you swim TT’s on occasion? You should base your intervals on your TT results and repeat regularly to adjust. TT should be at least 1000 and up to 2000 if training for IM.
Endurance workouts should be set up with very short rest intervals - 5-15 seconds. If you swim a 1000TT in 17:30 (1:45/100) you might do 10x100 @ 1:55 trying to come in under 1:45, or 5x200 @ 3:40 coming in under 3:30. As your TT times improve, adjust your intervals accordingly.
Speed workouts should have longer rest intervals. 1-3x the work intervals, but make it an active recovery by doing an easy 25, 50, 100, etc. during the rest period. ie: 5x100 @ 5:00 with an easy 100. Try to swim each 100 at the same pace - very fast.
For a week you might do 1 “speed” w/o. 1-2 Endurance workouts based on your TT with one focusing on 100’s and the other sets of 200+. Then 1 workout that’s focused on technique with a set of 10x50 hard thrown in. Incorporate drills into your w/u and recovery.
Having someone take a look at your stroke and body position, and making reccomendations for specific drills and focus points will likely pay dividends as well.
I think you need to allow more recovery. When I do my “speed” workouts, I usually rest about 30 seconds for 100s and 20 seconds for 50s. Take your pulse near the end of your rest and see if it’s dropped enough (measure for 6 seconds and multiply by 10). Ideally it should be down around 120bpm.
If, with the extra rest, you still can’t hold pace through the set, you also need to swim easier for the first few. I usually try to descend and swim each repeat equal to or faster than the previous.
Several things I notice as a former swim coach and swimmer. Not much volume. You may not be swimming enough to swim fast. Your sets are short, really short. If you have been doing workouts similiar to your sample set, I’m afraid you may have wasted quite a bit of pool time in your quest to become faster. There is no difference between your first 5x100 on 2:00 than later in the set. You need to always adjust intervals both rest and swim.
Maybe you are swimming too fast for your first couple of intervals which will not allow you to maintain a high velocity for the entire set. you shoud be aiming to maintain the highest possible velocity for the entire set rather than die at the end. Try to maintain even splitting, 1:40 -1:50 is a huge, huge gap. 1:45.5-1:47 or a time similiar is what you should be aiming for (adjust that time based upon your level).
Instead of doing 2x 200k’s why not do 4x100 where odd intervals you kick 25, drill 25, swim 25 sprint 25 on :10 rest. Evens 50k, 25 drill 25 build :10? By adding in the sprints and builds you teach yourself how to swim at different speeds and how to change pace. Both very valuable in open water and the pool.
Instead of doing 2x5x100 why not just make it 10x100 on a slightly slower interval? The goal is to develop fatigue resistance which enables you to swim faster. 5x100 is not enough unless you just started in the last 2-4 weeks.
Also shorten the warm up and cool down. Move the drill set to in front of the main set. So your workout would be re-written as 400wp, 5x100 k/d/d/b :10 rest, 10x100 on 2:10 or :15, 50 ez swim 12x50 odds kick or drill/build on :05 rest, evens sprint on :20 rest, 150 cool down done as 25k 50ez swim.
FWIW I rarely swim more than 50 for a cool down or I do a cool down set that might be 4x50 k/d :05.
What you’re saying makes sense and also fits in with what I’ve been noticing. My “top speed” has been increasing but I can’t maintain it. Also my speed in my longer swims has not been increasing, again pointing to lack of “fatigue resistance”
So without talking about specific sets the goal for speed work is not necessarily to “go as hard as possible” until failure, but to go at a speed that can be maintained over the set. Is it better to have a longer RI just to be able to hold the same interval speed?
The main problem I see is that the difference between my “long swims”, typically 500 yard repeats, is not all that much different than what I believe I could hold for 10 x 100 repeats. I’m guessing I could hold 1:47-1:52 for 10 x 100. Typically I hold 1:56-2:00 for 7-9 x 500 repeats with :10-:15 rest.
I do however suspect I could hold a faster pace on 10 x 100 with a longer rest interval. Probably something like 1:45 on 2:10-2:15.