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Your Favorite Swim Workout (No, Not from EN Necessarily)...

Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
in General Training Discussions

Team, I'd love your input on a short project. I am looking for your favorite swim workout (or two). We have our EN workouts, but speaking as someone who is swim only, I like a little variety. The goal here will be to put them into a resource for the Team when people just need some variety with their swim. I'll kick things off...and all swim workouts are game, seriously. 

And workout names aren't required. 

My current staple swim workout:

  • 500 swim building super easy to steady.
  • 500 kick with fins, doing drills on my side. 
  • 5 x 100 (10) best effort
  • 500 pull with bands, focusing on rotation and body position. 

Comments

  • Peter GreaggPeter Greagg
    Hey Coach
    I am keen on 6 x 300 @ CSS pace (30). Of course you need your CSS pace (http://www.swimsmooth.com/css-calculator.html). Just need to add wu and cooldown.
  • Steve WestSteve West
    << slow, late onset swimmer...... <br />


    Most swim workouts always seem too complicated to me and I can't remember the sets or progressions. Heck I have trouble counting laps beyond 200 yds! 

     

    EDIT >>>>>

    Set Tempo trainer to CSS + 3 sec

    Swim until you can't hold the pace, rest, repeat  

    Objective is to extend the distance per interval over time.

  • Scott GiljumScott Giljum
    I usually swap between short and long with short being higher intensity/effort and long more focus on smooth and turning my brain off (except to count laps of course). My short typically won't go any higher than 200's. If I really don't want to think, I just roll with 10x200 (20) and be done with it. If I want some variety, I will either build up or step down with 6x200, 6x100, 6x50 or reverse. The long typically looks like a basic series of 500's or 1k. Less thinking works best for me.
  • Mike RobertsMike Roberts

    If it's race season, my focus wko of the week is the threshold stuff:  

    Red Mist is an effective beast: (4x400 at CSS/threshold pace + 6 sec/100, 3x400 at CSS pace + 5 sec, 2x400 at CSS pace + 4 sec, 1x400 at CSS pace + 3 sec)

    Pink Mist: the above, swap in 300s.

    Goldilocks: (2x100, 1x200) (2x100, 1x300) (2x100, 1x400) all at CSS pace, one beep or 20-30 sec between each.  Beware: that 400 (aka Papa Bear) is gnarly.

    When I really don't want to be at the pool (happens way more often than it should), I usually fall back on a simple 10x200 MS or a ladder MS (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1), all at CSS + 3-5 sec/100.

  • Shaughn SimmonsShaughn Simmons

    Given I am a novice swimmer, I love the repetitive 100s at 50 fast 50 slow, simply because it allows me to dial that form back in during the slow 50 before the next 50 sprint.....

    When I grow up I want to be like MR and learn to love the Red Mist 400s........

  • Francis PicardFrancis Picard
    HIM distance, lol. how original.

    When I arrive at the pool and forgot what was the EN workout, I just do a HIM distance swim + 2X500M (aka what would SS do)
  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    Good stuff here...where are all the ladies at? Don't you all swim?!?
  • Paul HoughPaul Hough
    Gerry Rodriguez Foundational ... modified to my taste. I do this once a week in the IM build.

    500 yards WU
    500 yards drill
    4 x 250 pull descending (100 easy, 100 medium, 50 fast)
    10 x 100 steady fast w fins and 10 sec R
    500 pull easy
    500 pull w paddles medium
    5 x 100 sprint w 1 minute R
    200-500 cool down
    4700 to 5000 total
  • Jennifer EckertJennifer Eckert
    200 warm up; 200 drills, which I change up to work on different things, 100 pull easy.
    I like ladders that start low, peak and go back down. (200,300,400,300,200); 8x50 as sprint/easy
    200 cool down.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]

    400 warm up then 4x50 (15"), 10-12 x 100 fast (20'), 200 pull paddles 200 easy,   2000-2200 total done a few times/week 

  • jrevillejreville
    I like to keep sets and swims shorter so form doesn't fall apart.

    12x150 done as 4x150 warm up and descending, 4x150 at IM/HIM pace, 4x150 at Oly pace.
    5x100 pull working on techniques/form
    5x100 holding faster than last set of 150s above.
    100 ez

    For all of above I use the pace clock and do an interval that gives me about 10s rest between each swim. Take a minute between sets.
  • Derrek SanksDerrek Sanks
    Here's one I like that has variety. 5-4-3-2-1
    5 x 100 (10") warm up and mix in drills
    4 x 200 (15") as
    - 1 with paddles, pull buoy and band
    - 2 with paddles and pull buoy
    - 3 with paddles only
    - 4 just swim
    3 x 300 (20") as
    - 1 moderate/zone 3
    - 2 with paddles, pull buoy and band
    - 3 build every 50 with the last 50 sprinting
    2 x 400 (25")
    - 1 pull
    - 2 race pace
    1 x 500 build every 100
    Total: 3500
  • Robert SaboRobert Sabo
    I like mixing up short and longer intervals like:
    4x (4x50 then a 400)
    or
    3x (4x50 then 4x200)
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    For oly or HIM: 5/4/3/2/1...after 8-10 min WU, 500@ race pace, then 400/300/200/100 dropping pace by 1-2 sec/100 each interval. Rest 10" for each 100, eg 500(50'),400(40")...

    For IM, add 800/700/600 at the start, again with 800@ race pace, but no more than 50" rest interval.
  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    Bring your kid and try to keep up. :-)

    Laugh when you can't, and figure it's a great day because you got to share a lane with your kid.

  • Coach PatrickCoach Patrick
    For you early birds who contributed...you're famous!!!! Thanks so much for your help!!!

    Everyone else, download the 2016 alternative swim PDF here: http://bit.ly/1WfwKEE
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