Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
“Race Pattern” means swim similar relative splits as you plan to swim in the race.

Free Swimming Workouts, Sets, Ideas, and Dryland Exercises from Professional Coaches Around the World
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
“Race Pattern” means swim similar relative splits as you plan to swim in the race.

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This set can be done in a SCM or LCM pool. All 35, 65, and 95s are done from a start and times to the head crossing the line.
Athletes are instructed to go all out on the 35. The goal for the 65 equals 2 x 35m time. The goal for the 95 equals the 35m time + the 65m time.
4x
35m sprint, 100 ez @4:00
65m sprint, 100 ez @4:00
95m sprint, 100 ez @5:00
We did the set 4x through to allow our IMers to go 1x each stroke.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This set is a spin-off from the 15-minute Kick for Distance Test Set from yesterday.
Use the distances achieved in that set (1/3 of total distance achieved in that set) to set a goal for this one:
3x
(5:00 kick for distance + 200 ez free) @9:00
Divide the swimmers into two teams — the team that successfully achieves their 5:00 goal the most times wins (think of a good reward for winning).
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This is one of my favorite kick sets. For each of the blue times, the swimmer is trying to kick as far as possible. I use a wrench banging on the side of the pool to tell each successive group when their time is up. When they have completed the time, they pick their head up and check their distance (I have set kickboards on the side of the pool every 5m/yards) to the nearest meter. Returning to the wall, they immediately start the 200 ez.
The goal for 2:10= 2x the achieved 1:00 Distance.
Goal for 4:30 = 2x the 2:10 distance
Goal for 4:20 = beat the 4:30 distance.
Goal for 2:00 = beat the 2:10 distance.
Goal for :50 = beat the 1:00 distance.
Total time kicked is 15:00, so we write down the distances and add them up for total distance kicked in 15:00.

Coach Mike Cook, Mason Makos

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This pre-set led us to some pretty good performances on the “long quality” 6 x 300s.

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This kick set worked well with the wide range of kicking speeds in our group. Swimmers aim for the fastest total 400 time (25+50+75+100+75+50+25=400), always doing a 50 easy on a :50 interval. 6 easy 50s means there is a total of 5:00 “active recovery” in the total set. Coach can start the watch and just subtract 5:00 from the total time at the end of the second 25. We had swimmers pick one kick (stroke) for the first round and then they can change for the 2nd round.

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.

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
A little technique interspersed with a good descend back and free. SCM.

Mike Cook, Makos Swimming
Warm up
200 mixer x25
200 kick
4x
3×50 free all out
Round 1@50 rest 30
Round 2 @45 rest 45
Round 3 @40 rest 60
Round 4@35
Pre set technique
12 x75 back 25 kick 25 shotgun 25 fast swim @1:15
REPEAT THE 50 set from above but with backstroke and fins fast tempo
200 easy kick
Main set
8×25 breast stroke (get stroke count) @35
5×50 breast with fins @50 stroke count -1
4×25 free all out coach send off 2 second apart
5×100 breast with fins @2:00 stroke count -2
6×25 free all out same as above
NO GLIDE IS ALLOWED IN BREAST STROKE TEMPO
WARM DOWN
Greg Johnson, Head Age Group Coach, Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
FPA=Fastest Possible Average

In celebration of yesterday’s Boston Marathon, this was yesterday’s set for Crimson Aquatics.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
SCM

Brian Ruffles
Head Coach & Aquatics Director
Coe College Swimming and Diving
Three Rounds of:
7 x 100 @:1:10/1:05/1:10
7 x 50 @:30/:35/:40
In each round the 100s interval decrease by :05 and the 50s increase by :05. The 50s starting interval should be challenging while the 100s are more manageable. You can customize it in many ways. I have done the 100s free with the 50s specialty, the 100s specialty with the 50s kick, or really whatever fits the group with the time of year. I would make sure that the last round of 100s is not the interval that is too fast for them to make as the first two rounds will take a lot out of them. If they make the set they join the prestigious 21 club!
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This set uses Stretchcordz for the first part to get some stationary technique/resistance work in. Swimmers then move quickly into a regular lane for the 50s and 200s (LCM)

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This post was originally published here on November 19, 2014.
Tim Loeffler, Assistant Coach at West Point
Here is a workout our 400 IMers are doing today at Army. A nice way to get them back into serious IM training and to have them push each other on the descends. We call it “welcome back 400IM”
5×100 Free (120) – 50R 50L
5×100 Kick (150) – one of each plus one IM
5×100 Free IM (130) – descend 1-5
5×100 Pull (120) – descend 1-5
8×25 single arm free (40)
8×50 (55)
odds: Free Swim-Fly Drill 3R 3L 2Full or 2R 2L 2Full – evens: Free Swim-Fly Kick on Back Fast
Main Set
3×50 (45) Free-Fly x 25; work the fly, descend the 50s
3×100 (125) add on a 50 Back; work the back; descend the 100s
3×200 (255) add on a 100 Breast; work the breast; descend the 200s
3×400 (525) add on a 200 Free; work the free; descend the 400s
***Descend to FAST
300 {25 DBL arm Back + 25 Free + 25 Scull}
Finish Set A:
5×300 Pull (330) – last one fast + 6×100 Free IM (130)
Finish Set B:
5×150 FINS or Swim Free (205) + 6×100 Free
IM (130)
This set was originally published here on April 11, 2014
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
