I’m on a 300 metre interval training jag.
Found some (to me) interesting things while doing them.
All done at an Olympic/Standard level of intensity. I usually do about a 32 min swim (with wetsuit)
2 minutes rest between the sets
300 M : no toys = 6:00
300M: pull buoy = 5:48
paddles = 5:56
fins = 5:47
Ideas/advices?
How are your 50, 100 and 200 times doing since Nov? What’s the swim volume like and kick percentage?
Aren’t you using the baggy old jammer that made you faster last year?
To go faster: going faster in the water boils down to propulsion and reduction of drag. Reduce drag by doing exercises which engage your core, not just your abs but your back and glutes and hip flexors. Be consistent. Do it daily. You should feel your heels leaving the water when you kick.
Don’t do your kick sets with fins. Keep yourself honest. It sucks, it feels slow, it is slow, but it will get better. This will help build a stronger kick which will stabilize you in the water and make you faster.
Actually kick when you swim freestyle. It’s really tempting to just let your legs trail behind you, they create drag. Kick.
Swim times are the same across the distances.
Swimming usually 3 x / week.
Usually do about 600/800 metres of kick.
3/4 of that with fins.
Must have been a different guy.
No baggy shorts here.
Im on a core/strength program that my chiropractor gave me. Do that 3/week.
As for kick without fins.
I lost mine. Went without for three weeks.
Still did the 400 metres as suggested by ex coach.
Boy that chewed up a lot of time.
Bought some Arena Powerfins. And wow. Much faster.
Maybe do half with. Half without.
There was definitely a guy who was crowing about how his old jammer was faster than a Speedo. That thread probably got lost in the Great Shift
Being brutally honest, fins are a crutch at your level. Don’t take that the wrong way. Develop your kick. I mean look at your times, pull buoy is your best w/o fins. You’re going to have to learn how to kick and integrate it into your stroke. Find a coach who’s willing to help you do that.
Eta: and body position… pull buoy is probably masking some body position issues but now I’m entering the realm of assumption and without video I don’t want to do that.
Cruched some numbers here. Yes 50 seconds per 25 metres.
If it takes me 50 seconds to kick 25 metres in a pool workout, and I have to kick for 600 metres, what percentage of my workout would be kicking if my total workout time is 45 minutes
Alright, let’s break this down:
So, kicking would make up approximately 44.44% of your workout time. Quite a significant portion! 
I guess the question would be, how is that kicking time structured? If you’re kicking 25m/50s, you could probably focus on strong 25m at a time. How’s your ankle flexibility? How is your form? Are you driving your kick with the thighs, keeping knee relaxed, and letting the foot/ankle whip? If you have low/no ankle flexibility some targeted 25s w fins can help (not fix) loosen those ankles up.
How about something like:
6x25m hard kick w board on 1:00
rest 1m
300 swim on 7:00
300 pull buoy on 7:00 (recovery time for your legs)
6x25m hard kick w fins on :50
rest 1m
300 swim on 7:00
300 pull buoy on 7:00
4x25m odd fast kick, even fast swim on 1:00
EOW
Thanks for the prescription.
I’ll try this out
Sorry but I’m not sure what advise you’re after?
Hello hydrosloth I’ve been on some swim focused training last 3 months and I’m no great swimmer but here is a few things I can say as someone of about ur level: 32min 1900m 1.04ish IM
1 swim 3 times a week stay same 4 times minor improvements 5 times mod improvement
2 every work out every length every stroke is meaningful and should be done with purpose. The intervals are less relevant than the focus. Eg warm up is very slow and easy after initial 100m at very easy pace then it’s concentrate on counting strokes and 1 input at a time eg rotation. Breathing timing. Hand position during rexovery. Correct hand entry each stroke. Almost 11 no rush the catch. Good streamline off the wall. One focus each 25 or 50m until locked in then to the next. Total warm up all easy maybe 400-600m. Count strokes regularly throughout
3 drills every workout if u can. Finger drag, underwater recovery, side kick, fist swimming sculling etc. Every drill with a purpose no rushing. Can mix into warm up or as a part before u step up to 4. Also learning the other strokes and can add a medley into the warm up or a few lengths of something else
4 towards end of warm up speed changes a few lengths with either 10m hard rest all dap pace or vice versa.
5 use gear sparingly. Kickboard sometimes but better to kick no board. Pull bouy only once u get leg fatigue or if bike double session so u can keep going. Paddles near end extra load. Flippers only to lock in speicifc movement eh body dolphin. I personally rate ankle bands for emphasising front quadrant not rushing the catch and snorkel for drills. That’s sbout it
6 main set. Vary it 10x100 20x50 6x300 8x250 pyramid etc. Vary from short send off highspeeds to very hard longer rests etc, that’s beyond me to comment.
u say u doing 300s. What is purpose of this. If I had to guess it’s to learn 2 things 1 swim efficiently at race pace and 2 know your sustainable race pace, hit that andalso be able to shift gears between overpacing eg pulling up to a person to draft or a bouy, race pace and easier all day pace. Swim fast requires a lot of time at race pace. Not z2 unlike running or cycling. So that might look like 6x300m broken into 100m all day pace into 150m race pace into 50m overpace with 15sec rest. 6x300m all at race pace if u can handle that 15sec rest. Or 50m hard then 250m race pace 4ecovery during race pace
Every interval every length mindful to hit same pace thinking about 1 thing same as during warm up. No cross over, almost 11 not rush the catch high elbow recovery etc etc. Count strokes sometimes
After finish all that then do a kick set but kicking many lengths I kind of don’t see the point to do 300m of kicking especially with fins. 4x50m maybe enough.
The thing I’ve learned is to think more like a swimmer and it’s helped me a lot to always be thinking why and what rather than my previous way of just show up and knock out 3km or whatever. Different way, mentally more draining but stops the cycle of my ultra s++t technique covered up by strong endurance fitness and good body shape
Hope this beginner viewpoint helps. I find a lot of real swimmers are super helpful