Free Swimming Workouts, Sets, Ideas, and Dryland Exercises from Professional Coaches Around the World
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This SCY set allowed us to keep the group together on the same 5:00 interval. Each group/lane swam different distances (as indicated at the bottom of the dry-erase board) based on their ability.
We started each new round together. Swimmers were instructed to descend (swim faster) across the three swims even if/when the distance might stay the same.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This was a simple set we did when we had crowded lanes. After an aerobic free set, we did this to work the legs and do some speed work.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This set worked really well for us. With a full pool, it allowed everyone to get some good aerobic swimming accomplished while also achieving some fast IM swimming without stroke technique decline.
Coach Mike Cook, Mason Makos
A fun kick set we did at the end of practice recently. The kids must have liked it because they asked to do it again this morning.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This set combined a little power/resisted swimming, resisted underwater kicking, and some flat-out speed.
The 8 x 8 underwater kicks were done with a stretch cord anchored to a starting block.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
We split the group into two in our five lanes. The half with the buckets used three lanes and the recovery/tennis ball half used the other two. With transitions between stations, this took about 55 minutes.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
Our mid-distance kids did this set prior to some race pace work, just trying to work cross-body connections (from fin to paddle) and some technique.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
I was looking for a way to do a quality set and keep it Super Bowl-themed. Here is what I came up with. And the results are below (we only had time for one relay).
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
We train primarily in short course meters and compete primarily in short course yards. This set performed in the 25m pool helped to challenge our swimmers in a meaningful way at practice.
6 rounds @ 6:00
1 x 175 fast — 25 no free/25 free, goal is to beat your best 200 SCY time of the non-free stroke
1 x 125 easy freestyle
We had 26 athletes and 5 lanes, so in order to avoid a drafting effect and allow for decent fly swimming without having to dodge teammates, we performed the 175 in 4 lanes with half of the group while the other half swam the 125 easy in the 5th lane.
This turned out to be a good challenge for those who did backstroke and fly. Those who did breaststroke were generally able to make the 200 time — I would suggest setting a goal to beat it by 8 seconds or so.
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
We had a big quality set off the blocks coming up, and I wanted us to be fully warmed up and ready to rock all 4 strokes, so we did the following set. The quality set after this went really well!
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
We did this fly set recently (SCY). The different instructions for A, B, and C groups were determined based on swimmers’ ability to maintain the integrity of their stroke technique over time.
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Tony Carroll
Lakeside Seahawks
Editor’s note: After we posted this workout, it was brought to our attention that Coach Don Heidary is the likely inspiration for this workout. You can see Coach Heidary’s workout here. Thank you to Coach Carroll for putting his spin on it.
See Coach Carroll’s other contributed workouts:
Workout Combo with Coach Tony Carroll
Pi Day Practice
Coach Mathieu Leroy
Chartres, France
Darian Townsend
NickWooters
Head Coach
Ladera Oaks
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
We performed this set in a SCM pool, same as for most of the sets I post during the September-May time period. In this one, the time expectation of beating our best 500 SCY time during each 400 was key to the success of the set.
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
The Swimming Wizard 