A little different than the monster thread that’s brewing. I’m finally able to get myself into a consistent schedule for swimming, and am looking to go ~4x a week, which is what I was doing prior to a hellish last few months in “real life”.
My main sets for the last week before I stopped looked like this, all SCY:
M: Distance freestyle day (everything generally between 1:20-1:25, though sometimes below 1:20 if I’m felling good)
2500
2x1000
2x500
250 kick in between each
W: “Threshold” day
5x100 at 1:25
5x100 at 1:20
As many 100s as possible at 1:15, doing a total minimum of 20, easing back the sendoff 5 seconds if I can’t make it.
F: Distance Intervals
6x500 at 6:50, trying to hit 6:30 on every one.
S: Sprint day
8x150 on 3:00 (first 50 sprint, then easy 100)
10x100 on 1:20 (raise sendoff 5 secs if I can’t make it)
I understand the distance stuff is physiologically useless, but for me, its mentally strengthening, as I tend to freak out as sets get longer, and getting used to “long and low” stuff is nice for teaching myself not to freak out.
Anyways, there are a ton of great swimmers on here, and if I can get any advice, it would be greatly, greatly appreciated!
I see a lot of yards but no technical work…seems to me you are just working yourself into the same rut.
I would suggest some workouts with stoke glides, core stress with fins, and some Tai Chi swimming. Its all about resistance and becoming one withthe water.
Don’t know about tai chi or anything, but it doesn’t look like you’re doing any stroke and/or drill work. Honing your technique might give you bigger gains than just hammering away. Not to say that your times are slow or anything, but even Olympians drill. . . a lot.
You are a very good tri swimmer and you are doing a good variety of workouts. If you can do IM’s I would add some for diversity and they help balance out your strokes and hit some other muscles. But the big thing I would add to your workouts is a once a week set of all out 100 immediately followed by a recovery/steady 200. And for 1/2 ironman and longer swims, do a 200 all out followed by a 300. Do about 4 to 6 of them and open turn after the hard part and get your time, and overall time. This is a great set for good tri swimmers who are going to be on the front of their groups, and even for those that will be further back, but want to be in the best competitive group they can. Use a high stroke rate for the fast part, and then try and find the fastest pace you can continue and still recover within the easy distance. This is a very good race simulation set and will teach you what to do when really gassed but have to keep going…
You are a very good tri swimmer and you are doing a good variety of workouts. If you can do IM’s I would add some for diversity and they help balance out your strokes and hit some other muscles. But the big thing I would add to your workouts is a once a week set of all out 100 immediately followed by a recovery/steady 200. And for 1/2 ironman and longer swims, do a 200 all out followed by a 300. Do about 4 to 6 of them and open turn after the hard part and get your time, and overall time. This is a great set for good tri swimmers who are going to be on the front of their groups, and even for those that will be further back, but want to be in the best competitive group they can. Use a high stroke rate for the fast part, and then try and find the fastest pace you can continue and still recover within the easy distance. This is a very good race simulation set and will teach you what to do when really gassed but have to keep going…I’ve been tossing in some random IM sets on occasion, like 8x150 (fly, back, breast), or 4x300, with easier sendoffs allowing for pushing a little more, definitely helps variety. Much more fun, too. (I was a backstroker/IMer back in club days)
You would recommend doing 100s/200s, and canning the 50s? I’ve been thinking about this, but have been loathe to just because of how much all-out 100s and 200s suck.
It doesnt have to be instead of, unless you only have time for one of the sets a week. I would say in addition to. And no worries about the pain of longer sprints, take a ton of rest on these and recover well before the next one. Likely your 100 pace will be as fast or faster than your set of 50’s too.
It doesnt have to be instead of, unless you only have time for one of the sets a week. I would say in addition to. And no worries about the pain of longer sprints, take a ton of rest on these and recover well before the next one. Likely your 100 pace will be as fast or faster than your set of 50’s too.I like the idea. Maybe on the day I was doing 50s and the 10x100, I can just do 5x100 as a warmup for the 100s, and then do the 50s. The Saturday lap swims get tricky timing-wise, but I do love doing the 50s as a “nightcap”, finishing with 100 easy or something and getting the heck out of dodge.
