4*
for the 50’s:
in the 1st round: 2* easy, easy, easy, FAST
in the 2nd round: 2* easy, easy, FAST, FAST
in the 3rd round: 2* easy, FAST, FAST, FAST
in the 4th round: 2* FAST, FAST, FAST, FAST
allways straight into the 200 at threshold and take a minute in between sets
I once did it with a friend who is faster than me and we did the 50’s on 1:00 and the 200’s on 3:00 (that is LCM btw) and I can tell you that last round hurt.
Just wrote this one and tried it for the first time this morning, probably a decent Olympic distance tri set-
5 x (100 @ 1:30, 200 @ 3:00)
For me the target paces were 1:15 for the 100, 2:40 for the 200, but the set can probably be adjusted for faster/slower swimmers too. Good for going out and redlining early, then settling to something still a little quick. For me at least this was an instant favorite and I may try to include it every week this spring and summer, maybe cycling through 6 or 7 times as fitness improves.
Stolen from swim workouts in a binder:
4 x 200 desc, 200 fast
3 x 200 desc, 300 fast
2 x 200 desc, 400 fast
200 easy, 500 fast
Another favorite from the same source (maybe slightly modified)
30 x 100, 1-12 every 3rd fast, 13-22 every 2nd fast, last 8 fast
Both sets backload the workout, subtly emphasizing negative split efforts.
Here’s a few:
2x
A favorite from back in the day of being a real swimmer:
2x
round 1: do the 5-4-3-2-1 on a tight interval, should be barely able to make it. do the 300’s on an easy interval
round 2: do the 300’s on a tight descending interval. Last one should be balls to the wall. Other reps nice and easy
I’m also a fan of the simple sets of 2000, descending as you go
20x100
10x200
5x400
4x500
I like this one, or ANY IM/doubles set:
50’s, 75’s, or 100’s, on short rest or intervals of an IM pattern with freestyle on either end:
Free
Fly
Back
Breast
Free
Fly
Back
Breast
Free
Free
I never got to do these as a team swimmer, since I only raced freestyle. And now tri training is SO much freestyle. I’ve found doubles sets to be a great change of pace.
Andrew Moss
A favorite from back in the day of being a real swimmer:
2x
round 1: do the 5-4-3-2-1 on a tight interval, should be barely able to make it. do the 300’s on an easy interval
round 2: do the 300’s on a tight descending interval. Last one should be balls to the wall. Other reps nice and easy
swap out the 300’s for something shorter if needed
Oooh.
A favorite from back in the day of being a real swimmer:
2x
round 1: do the 5-4-3-2-1 on a tight interval, should be barely able to make it. do the 300’s on an easy interval
round 2: do the 300’s on a tight descending interval. Last one should be balls to the wall. Other reps nice and easy
swap out the 300’s for something shorter if needed
Oooh.
I’m sold.
Some of my old faves as a real swimmer eons ago
Pyramid
100>500 500>100
Neg split everything. Beat your time of the first distance on the way down. Don’t start by sandbagging. Can be done with any pyramid.
9 x 500
Descend 1>3. Interval descends by 3. We did 6:00, 5:45, 5:30
Here is mentally the easiest and fastest way to train for the mile or 1.2 mile swim IMO.
Assuming yards:
1800 straight but break it up; 3x600. They should be in descending order. Use a watch (not swim clock) to hit your lap times at each 600.
After, multiply your time by .93 and you have your 1.5k time.
For 1.2 miles:
2000 straight, 4x500, then 150 yard finish. Also in descending.
Double for 2.4.
These sets simulate a race ideally. And you get a sense of when to increase speed during a race, even though you don’t have laps to count from.
Of course while doing, think of your form. And it teaches you to maintain form because you are going increasingly faster.
Best off, time flies because you have smaller goals to chunk off.
10 x 400m on 6:30… done like this
Warm up cruise #1
Descend #2, #3, #4, #5.
‘Reset’, and descend #6, #7, #8, #9
Cool down #10.
I did this on Tuesday and almost barfed:
200’s. Start on 4:00, and every time you finish one, take off 15s rest. So the first one is on 4:00, second one on 3:45 etc. When you realize you wont make the next one, bump down to 150m, so initially you will get some rest, but every time you touch the wall you’re still knocking off 15s. Do 150m’s until you wont make your pace time again, then bump down to 100’s. Keep going all the way through 50’s and 25’s. It’s not fun.when you bump down the distance do you start on 4min again? Or do you for instance start the 100s on 2min?
No, you keep the off time going down from 4:00 down to 15 seconds. There will be 16 repeats total.
e.g.
200 @ 4:00
200 @ 3:45
200 @ 3:30
200@ 3:15
200 @ 3:00
200 @ 2:45
150 @ 2:30
150 @ 2:15
150 @ 2:00
100 @ 1:45
100 @ 1:30
100 @ 1:15
50 @ 1:00
50 @ :45
25 @ :30
25 @ :15
Yesterday I did:
10x400@6:30
Seriously a great set. avg rest: 22s
Tomorrow:
6x300
8x200
10x100
Descending, all on 1:40 base I believe.
1 x 100 on 1:30. Quick and Efficient!
Coach loved 10x400IM on around 5:00 during college. Once a year at training trip and the last couple were basically a blur. That was brutal. My favorite was out test sets growing up though, back in the age-group swimming days.
6 x 50 all out (off the block if available) on about 3:00. Plenty of rest but if you aren’t shaking after this one you are doing something wrong.
Only way to get faster is to be able to swim fast. haha.
No, you keep the off time going down from 4:00 down to 15 seconds. There will be 16 repeats total.
e.g.
200 @ 4:00
200 @ 3:45
200 @ 3:30
200@ 3:15
200 @ 3:00
200 @ 2:45
150 @ 2:30
150 @ 2:15
150 @ 2:00
100 @ 1:45
100 @ 1:30
100 @ 1:15
50 @ 1:00
50 @ :45
25 @ :30
25 @ :15ok great. makes sense. I was thinking “25 @4:00…that sounds like way to much rest” …my guess is I’ll be wishing I had that kind of rest when I give this set a go
i only had 3 workout in my tool box. Doing them for 6 weeks in a row get me back to front pack swimming. I m boring, i keep doing the same thing over and over for years…
15X100m on 1:30 hold best average
8X400m on 5:20 hold best average
10X200m on 2:45 hold best average
Repeat over and over for 6-9 years until your in the front pack!
Interval on 100’s set at time that gives you about 8 - 10 seconds rest.
5 x 100
200 pull - long and smooth
10 x 100
200 pull - long and smooth
15 x 100
200 pull - long and smooth
My favorite depends on what I want to accomplish but my favorite that specifically works towards IM:
500 warm-up (mostly free, some back, some breast)
500 kick/drill (doesn’t matter if it’s broken into 50s, 75s, 100s)
Then climb the ladder:
100 on 1:30
200 on 1:30
300 on 1:30
400 on 1:30
500 on 1:30
500 on 1:25
400 on 1:25
300 on 1:25
200 on 1:25
100 on 1:25
I typically just get out but I should probably cooldown.
i only had 3 workout in my tool box. Doing them for 6 weeks in a row get me back to front pack swimming. I m boring, i keep doing the same thing over and over for years…
15X100m on 1:30 hold best average
8X400m on 5:20 hold best average
10X200m on 2:45 hold best average
Repeat over and over for 6-9 years until your in the front pack!
I’m assuming LCM?