Gotta Hit Those Walls

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

So much of performing good turns in short course fly and breaststroke swims comes from spacing the cycles out correctly.  The key is that swimmers hit the wall at the conclusion of a full cycle, and not on a short stroke or a long glide.  This set is simple but demands exactly that.

6 x 25 Breast @ :35 — Hit the wall correctly at specified cycle count or it doesn’t count (take :20 extra rest and then continue
100 ez free
6 x 25 Breast @ :30 — same instructions as above
100 ez free
6 x 25 Breast @ :25 — same instructions above.
100 ez free
200 Breast  odd 25s at min cycle count, even 25s 15m speed drill, 10m long and smooth strokes

Loved this kick set today.

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

It was challenging but well-executed. Swimmers increase their distance over the five rounds of 4:00. 4 X 25 were done with #1 from a dive and 2-4 from push. We set our standards at 15m underwater on #1 and 4, 10m underwater on 2 & 3.

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8 Lifetime Bests in a Single Workout

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

Typically twice per short course season (once in the fall, and once in Jan/Feb), I have our older swimmers bring their old “tech suits” to practice one day to wear during a quality set.  The aim is three-fold:

1. Put up some fast times to validate our recent training and bolster our athletes’ self confidence.
2. Get some practice/rehearsal warming up, putting on the tech suit, and swimming with it on.  Swimming with a tech suit feels different, and we don’t want anything unexpected on race day.
3. Prepare for even faster swimming by… swimming fast!

This was last Saturday’s practice.  Each swimmer swam either 3 x 200 @ 22:00 or 5 x 100 @ 11:00 all out for time.  We had 8 lifetime bests swum during this practice and countless near-bests.

Boom!

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

This was a one hour set focused on intense quality and race pace swimming.  Swimmers focused on 200 & up events did the left column, swimmers focused on 200 & down did the right column.  It went well, but if I could do it again I would restructure the first 10 swims for Group 1 to give them a bit more rest.

Max Effort with Coach Scott Thacker, SMAC

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Scott Thacker
Head Coach SMAC Swimming
Waynesboro Family YMCA

Here is a set from this morning with our Senior Silver and Senior Gold Training Groups:

M.E= max effort
hypo= hypoxic work. Rest interval is 6 relaxed exhales. This allows them to focus on their breath and heart rate versus an interval.

Ended up being a good mix.

2x [12×50 1:00
[Rd 1: O: FL M.E E: FR 500p
[Rd 2: O: BK M.E E: FR 500p
[12×25 M.E :30
[Rd 1: FL
[Rd 2: BK
[200 ez bt rounds

16×25 FR fins hypo 3-2-1-0 x 25s 6 exhales

15×100 50 FL+50 BK 1:45
  1. DPS
  2. 25 M.E+75 DPS
  3. 50 M.E+50 DPS
  4. 75 M.E+25 DPS
  5. M.E

Freestyle Workout #7,839

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

Freestyle main focus today.  Splitting the group into “true distance swimmers” and mid-distance folks doing some aerobic work. “4.D.R.” refers to the 4-Dolphin Rule, swimmers must do 4 dolphin kicks off every wall.  4.D.R. was an idea I picked up from a podcast I listened to this summer with Tony Batis of PASA.

Mid-D Free and Kick Set with Coach Jeb Beaver of Monocacy Aquatic Club

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Jeb Beaver
Monocacy Aquatic Club

Mid Distance

10 x 100
1)       25 kick fast 75 swim mod 1:40
2)       50 kick fast 50 swim
3)       75 kick fast 25 swim
4)       100 kick fast
5)       75 kick fast 25 swim
6)       50 kick fast 50 swim
7)       25 kick fast 75 swim
8)       100 swim easy
9)       100 @ 500 pace
10)   100 kick all out
200 easy

500 Free Set UP!

100, 200 , 300 , 400 = make the interval with enough rest to hit pace times
Non milers Guys 31 or faster for mile Girls 34 or faster

100 @ 1:20 or 1:30
4 x 50 @mile pace 40
200 @ 2:20 or 2:30
4 x 50 @ mile pace 45
300 @ 3:20 or 3:30
4 x 50 @ mile pace 50
400 @ 4:20 or 4:30
4 x 50 @ mile pace 55
Rest 1 min
500 Free all out

Variety & Race Pace with Coach Wibke Ahrens

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Wibke Ahrens
Head Coach
Schwimmverein Mannheim, Germany
www.svm-schwimmen.de

 

 
Today some of my swimmers came to me after training just to tell me how much they liked the set.
So I decided to share it!
 
We are at the beginning of the season preparing for the first main competition in 4 weeks!
 
Variety set with a little 100’s race pace test
 
Warm up:
4x 150m  @3’00    IMO  50 stroke/ 50 kicks/ 50 drill
6x 75m    @1’40    25 fly kick w/skulls in front of your head
                            25 free kick w/windshield wipers
                            25 free
                            w/ front snorkle
Pre set:
2x 300m  @5’00    Choose two strokes (75s)
                            – 25 cycle count/ 25 reduce one cycle/ 25 reduce one more
                            – Do at least 5m underwaters off each wall
2x 300m  @5’00     IM (75s)
                             – 25 85%/ 25 90%/ 25 ez
                             – Do at least 5m underwaters off each wall
Main set:
8x 150m   @4’00     4 mainstroke/ 4 second stroke
                              100 all out from dive (PR+ max. 6”)
                              50 ez
Warm down:
8x50m      @1’10     Kick without a board
8x50m      @1’00     choose stroke
                              one paddle right/ one fin left
                              switch after 4
3x50m                    7,5 streamline off the wall on time
                              42,5 ez
1x300m                  50 free/ 50 kick ez                
 
 
4900 scm/ 120min

Bucket 75s. Parallel set to previous post, got a great effort!

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

This set was run in parallel with yesterday’s set, thus allowing me to move between groups and observe/time each one carefully.  This set was intended for our speed/power type swimmers.  They did very well.  Generally, there were able to beat their best 100 times on the 75s, but this was a challenging goal.  We use buckets that were approximately 1 gallon in size, pulled from a weight belt.

A photo posted by SwimmingWizard (@swimmingwizard) on Oct 7, 2016 at 7:08am PDT

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Feel that P500 burn!

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

I explained before the set that this was not necessarily set up for them to succeed on all 4 x 100s.  My intent was to challenge them to hit their goal times, not to make it simple for them.  The first round was difficult and some failed to make their objectives.  They stepped up big after that and we had many swimmers making the Goal 500 pace on the last few rounds!

A photo posted by SwimmingWizard (@swimmingwizard) on Oct 7, 2016 at 6:51am PDT

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Workout with Coach Brandon Fain of New Braunfels YMCA

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Brandon Fain
New Braunfels YMCA Swim Team 
SW 15 X 50          :55
-5 BK, 5 BR, 3 FLY, 2 FR
-ODD DPS
-EVEN FAST
SW 1 X 300 IM       5 :00
-DESCEND BY 25
-FEET PAST THE FLAGS…EVERY WALL
DR 1 X 200            3:30
-CHOICE
SW 8 X 75            1:25
-25 DPS / 50 BUILD
-REVERSE IM ORDER

SW 1 X 400           6:15
-MIDDLE 200 HARD
-1ST 100 BUILD BREATHE EVERY 3RD
-4TH 100 BUILD BREATHE EVERY 5TH

Sometimes You Gotta Split the Group

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

Split into two groups – breaststrokers and non-breaststrokers

 
Breaststroke group
3 x through
600 breast 50 drill/150 swim @11:00 (1:50)
3 x 200 @4:00
#1- 50 strong br/150 fr B3
#2 – 100 strong br/100 fr B3
#3 – 150 strong br/50 free B3

Non-breaststrokers
2 x through
3 x 50 fly @:50/1:00 descend
200 back @3:00/3:20
2 x 50 fly same
2 x 200 back descend same
1 x 50 fly fast
3 x 200 back same
1 x 500 free B5 @7:00/7:30

Another Excellent IM Set with Nittany Lion Coach Ryan Sprang

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Ryan Sprang
Head Caoch
Nittany Lion Aquatic Club

Tuesday June 28th 2016 – Done in LCM

Main Set -Upper IM
4 x 100 @ 1:50 50 fly from dive 50 free smooth (get average 50 fly time and double it)
1 x 400 @ 6:10 300 smooth free, rest 10 sec., 100 fast free
1 x 100 @ 1:30 cruise
12 x 50 @ :50 odd 15m back spin, 35m free smooth, even fast back, (get avg. 50 back on evens and double it)
1 x 400 @ 6:10, 200 smooth free, rest 10 sec., 200 breast/free fast
1 x 100 @ 1:30 cruise
3 x 200 @ 3:40 breast –  100 kick strong, 100 swim (descend 100 swim 1-3 & get time on #3)
1 x 400 @ 6:10, 100 smooth free, rest 10 sec, 300 back/breast/free fast
1 x 100 @ 1:30 cruise
4 x 150 @ 2:30 free – 50 build, rest 10, 100 descend #1-4 (get time on #4 and add it to the other times for a 4 IM add-up time)
rest 1 min.
1 x 400 @ 6:00 IM race FROM DIVE (see how close you can get to add-up time)

The 10 Sculls

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Coach April Cheadle

Head Coach Bainbridge Aquatic Masters
Asst. Coach Bainbridge Island Swim Club
 
I’ve benefited from your Webpage, and thought my fellow coaches might enjoy an activity that I’ve used with both my Masters and Club athletes here in Washington state.
These are the 10 stationary sculls
The sculls are all done in the deep end, with the goal being to keep your head up, your feet from kicking, and your core engaged while transitioning from one position to the next without a break.
It really can be quite exhaustive, and it focuses on developing an awareness of how to move with and against the water. The club team guys found that doing the sculls in order from 1-10 and reverse back down to 1 as fast as they could produced a heart rate over 200.
There are many combinations you can do with the sculls. Some of my favorite patterns after the teaching phase of the sculls is completed, would be to go through the current date 3x as fast as possible using the corresponding sculls for the numbers, i.e. 9,2,8,1,6.  Or call out birthdates and cycle through those using the sculls.
A longer set would be to go sculls 1-10 and reverse back to 1, followed by 2×50 swim @ :45
Then 1-9-1, followed by 2×50
Then 1-8-1, followed by 2×50

Then 1-7-1, followed by 2×50
Until you’ve patterned all the way to just 1.

Just some feel-based surprising aerobic work than can be done with the entire team regardless of ability.