Fartlek Fun. Is that redundant?

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

This is 8:00 of continuous swimming with 1:00 rest.  Each time there are slightly different instructions.  “Deep” refers to deep practice, where I ask our swimmers to focus on one technical element and try to improve it.  On #4, they swim continuous backstroke until they hear me bang the wrench on the side of the pool. When they hear the bangs, they sprint br 2 walls (25-50m) and then return to swimming steady backstroke.

Snake Fly plus Back-Breast-Free with Coach Chris Brookover

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Chris Brookover
YBCC Phoenix – Head Coach
Director of Competitive Swimming

Snake Fly – Use all 6 lanes
3 x 3 x 150
Each set of 3 is comprised:
#1 – Fly/Free by 25’s @ 2:00
#2 – 50 Fly 25 Free @ 2:15
#3 – All Fly @ 2:30

 ———————-
Bk/Br/Fr Set
2x through the set below…
1st   75 = 50 Bk / 25 Br
125 = 25 Fr/50 Bk/ 25 Br / 25 Fr
2nd  75 = 50 Br/ 25 Fr
125 = 25 Fr / 25 Bk / 50 Br/ 25 Fr
6 × 75 @ 1:00 / 1:05
1 × 125 @ 1:45 / 1:50
4 × 75 @ 1:00 / 1:05
2 × 125 @ 1:45 / 1:50
2 × 75 @ 1:00 / 1:05
4 × 125 @ 1:45 / 1:50
R: 1:40

Above  2 X
1st   75 = 50 Bk / 25 Br
125 = 25 Fr/50 Bk/ 25 Br / 25 Fr
2nd  75 = 50 Br/ 25 Fr
125 = 25 Fr / 25 Bk / 50 Br/ 25 Fr

Deceptively Hard Quality Set

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Brian Clark
Chico Aquajets/Durham Dolphins

This is one of my favorites.

5 rounds of:
25 fast/1:00
50 fast/1:00
75 fast/1:00

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The Big Descend

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

This set went really well for our team.  I like that it forced them to really pay attention to their pace and demanded exceptional effort for the last few rounds.  We did 150s instead of 100s or 200s because there is less “mental baggage” attached to that distance — swimmers’ don’t have well-defined expectations of what their times for 150 should be.

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200 Free Mania

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

Just make it on the first 1 X 200. Hold that time on the 2×200, 3 X 200, and 4 X 200. From there, get faster on the 3X200, faster on the 2 X 200, and all out on the last 1 X 200

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The Leg Crusher

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Ryan Sprang
Head Coach
Nittany Lion Aquatic Club

Here was a set we did on Friday April 26th to crush the legs:
– 1 minute vertical kick, last 15 seconds all out kick in streamline
– 100 kick @ 1:40 strong with board
– 2 x 25 @ :30 12 UW Dolph kicks blast then swim smooth
– 2 x 50 @ :55 – 10 seconds all out wall kick, flipturn, then swim the 50 mini/max (maximum speed with minimum number of strokes)
– 2 minutes vertical kick, last 30 seconds all out kick in streamline
– 200 kick @ 3:20 strong with board
– 4 x 25 @ :30 12 UW dolphin kicks blast then swim smooth
– 4 x 50 @ :55 – same as the 50’s above
– 3 minutes vertical kick – last 45 seconds all out kick in streamline
– 300 kick @ 5:00 strong with board
– 6 x 25 @ :30 12 UW dolphin kicks blast then swim smooth
– 6 x 50 @ :55 – same as the 50’s above
– 4 minutes vertical kick, last 1 minute all out kick in streamline
– 400 kick @ 6:40 strong with board
– 8 x 25 @ :30 12 UW Dolphin kicks blast then swim smooth
– 8 x 50 @ :55 – same as the 50’s above

 

Nittany Power Set

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Ryan Sprang
Head Coach
Nittany Lion Aquatic Club
 
Here is a tough power set 6 of our swimmers did on Thursday April 21st: (all swims were prime stroke or alternating between 2 strokes)
6 x 50 @ 1:30 on Power Tower (25 swim against resistance, 25 easy kick on back with assistance)
2 x 50 @ 1:00 strong, no Tower
6 x 15 meters blast @ 1:00 on Power Tower (blast to 15, easy kick back)
2 x 25 @ :30 Fast, no Tower
1 x 100 @ 2:00 EZ
4 x 50 @ 1:30 on Power Tower (same as above)
4 x 50 @ 1:00 strong, no Tower
4 x 15 meters blast @ 1:00 on Tower
4 x 25 @ :40 FAST, no Tower
1 x 100 @ 2:00 EZ
2 x 50 @ 1:30 on Power Tower (same as above)
6 x 50 @ 1:00 strong, no Tower
2 x 15 meters blast @ 1:00 on Tower
6 x 25 @ :50 FAST, no Tower
1 x 100 @ 2:00 EZ

 

Breaststroke challenge set

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

We did this set recently in SCM as a group challenge.  Everyone starts off with a 200 breast @3:30 on the first round.  Swimmers that make it and continue to make the interval keep doing a 200 breast as the interval descends.  If a swimmer misses an interval (let’s say 3:00), then on 2:50 that swimmer goes 150 breast/50 free.  If he makes it on 2:50, he does the same on the next round on 2:40.  If he misses it again, then he would do 100 breast/100 free on 2:30.  We continued until the last swimmer could no longer make the 200 breast on the interval.  Potentially, the set could be done until everyone is doing a 200 free which would lengthen the set by a few rounds.

Cycle IMs

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
 
For the 32 cycle IM swim, swimmers did 8 cycles fly, 8 cycles breast, and so on…

Editor’s note: Our goal for this year is to provide coaches around the world with a free new idea or set EVERY DAY this year! Can you help us reach that goal? Please send submissions to swimmingwizard@gmail.com.
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The Chase Down Set

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Brian Clark
Chico Aquajets and Durham Dolphins

600 Free//8:00  open turn at 500 and get your time
500 Free/6:40  open turn at 400, get time, plus beat your 500 split from the 600
400 Free/5:20 open turn at 300, get time plus beat 400 split from 500
300 free/4:00 open turn at 200, get time plus beat 300 split from 400
200 Free/2:40 open turn at 1:00 get time, plus beat 200 split from 300
100 Free/1:40 open turn at 50, get time, plus beat 100 split from 200
50 Fast beat split from 100

Editor’s note: Our goal for this year is to provide coaches around the world with a free new idea or set EVERY DAY this year! Can you help us reach that goal? Please send submissions to swimmingwizard@gmail.com.
 

He has a great perspective on swimming

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

I had the privilege to listen to all-time great swimmer Aaron Peirsol speak to our Virginia Swimming athletes at our annual awards banquet yesterday.  His story is a compelling one, and I think many swimmers would benefit from hearing it.  I would highly recommend giving his podcast interview with former Stanford swimmer Rich Roll a listen.
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"Just Make It" Set for Triathletes

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Ken Axford
PEAK Multisport, LLC

USAT Rocky Mtn’ Region Talent Identification Coordinator

Times in long course meters, adjust as needed for SCM or SCY, and various abilities.
“Just Make It”

– 500 gradual WU  (ok to vary strokes but mostly free)
——–
3 x:
– 50 kick (choice) / 50 swim on 2:00
——–
– 9 x 50 (descend 1-3, 4-6, 7-9) on :50
– 150 easy
——–
10 x 200’s on:
– 3:00
– 2:55
– 2:50
– 2:45
– 2:40
– 2:35
– 2:30
– 2:25
– 2:20
– 2:15
*if you miss an interval by 2 seconds or more, take a 1-2 minute break then pull steady aerobic until the set is finished.
———
200 CD (back and free) 

Backstroke Challenge Set for Underwater Kicking Habits

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
 

The purpose of this backstroke set is for athletes to challenge themselves to hold near race pace while performing an increasing number of dolphin kicks off each wall.  In this case, on the first round swimmers were aiming for a time within 3.0 seconds of their 200 race pace (as shown on their pace cards) while doing at least 6 kicks off each wall for each of the two 50s.  If they were successful at that, they tried to hit the same pace while doing 8 or more kicks.  Third round… 10 or more kicks. Continue until nobody in the group can hit that pace while doing that many kicks.  Swimmers who fail to hit the target pace with a specified number of kicks simply tried to hit that number of kicks again on the next round.  For a shorter more demanding set, lower the +3.0 time standard to something faster.
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The Alpe d’Huez Set

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Coach Doug Allen

800-600-400-200 drop the interval by:02 each base hundred
200-400-600-800 hold the prior 200 interval each base hundred

Editor’s note: Our goal for this year is to provide coaches around the world with a free new idea or set EVERY DAY this year! Can you help us reach that goal? Please send submissions to swimmingwizard@gmail.com.