Breaststroke Cord Work

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Coach Ryan Woodruff
Follow on Twitter @WoodruffRyan

The cycles of kick, pull and swim were done with stretch cords anchored 8 ft above the edge of the pool.  200s were regular swim breaststroke. We got some good times on the last round.

Additional info: The picture below shows how our cords are attached to the railings at the front of the balcony overlooking the pool.  It is approximately 15 feet from the wall to the edge of the pool.  I like this high-anchor position, particularly for breaststrokers as it forces their hips up slightly. Obviously, the cord at right is in use and the others are not.

Breaststroke Magic for Age Groupers Using @FinisSwim Tempo Trainers

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Ryan Woodruff

We did this set the other day with our age-groupers and it worked like magic.

One of the most common stroke flaws for younger kids is that they pause with their hands under their chest and don’t glide long enough in a near-streamlined position.  Try this using the Finis Tempo Trainer Pro.

2 x 150 breaststroke swim (@ :20 rest) with Tempo Trainer on Mode 1 set at 4.00 seconds
Swimmers take 1 cycle of breaststroke for each beep.  This will be an incredibly long glide for them all.  Make sure they spend the time in the glide phase and are using proper timing of the pull and kick.

2 x 100 breaststroke swim (@:20 rest) with Tempo Trainer on Mode 1 set at 2.00 seconds
Same instructions, just a faster tempo.

2 x 50 breaststroke swim FAST (@:20 rest), focused on swimming fast but still getting a glide between each stroke.  Do not use the tempo trainer here.

If they don’t glide on the 2 x 50, repeat the 2 x 100 and then do the 2 x 50 again.

The CrossSwim Set

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Ryan Woodruff
ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com

Inspired by CrossFit, we gave the following swim/dryland hybrid set a go tonight.  One time through the whole thing as fast as possible.  No rest. X = 1/2 of athlete’s pre-determined pullup max (minimum 3)

500 freestyle
X Pullups
30 squats (butt down to a bench)
400 freestyle
X Pullups
30 squats
300 freestyle
X Pullups
30 squats (butt down to a bench)
200 freestyle
X Pullups
30 squats
100 freestyle
X Pullups
30 squats
3 x 50 free fastest possible average @ 1:00 (begin on the first multiple of 5 or 10 after you finish the previous 30 squats)

Fastest time by anyone in our group: 21:55

Simple Fly Set

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Ryan Woodruff
Ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com

This set is simple in its construction yet challenging if swimmers endeavor to hold the same cycle count, underwater kicks and speed (within 1 sec of 100 race pace).
SCY

30 x 25
4@ :30
4@:25
2@:20
:30 rest
4@:30
2@:25
4@:20
:30 rest
2@:30
4@:25
4@:20
100 easy free @2:00
200 fly for time

Age Group I.M. Workout

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Greg Johnson
Head Age Group Coach
Greater Pensacola Aquatic Club
I tried this on a small group of 10-13 year olds. Most of them ‘A’ swimmers.
25 FLY
50 BK/BR
75 BK/BR/FR
50 BK/BR
25 FLY
All on :30 per 25. It gave them enough rest to work turns.
50 FLY
75 BK/BR/FR
100 IM
75 BK/BR/FR
50 FLY
All on :25 per 25. This made them have to go fast
75 FLY/BK/BR
100 IM
125 FAST FREE !
100 IM
75 FLY/BK/BR
All on :30 per 25. I made them race each one
Now you take them back down the pyramid, starting with the 50 fly. End with a 25 ez (or sprint!) and you’ve got a mile of IM work.

Butterfly Workout

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Ryan Woodruff

Ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com
3 x 100 @ 1:30 25 sprint fly/75 free B3
300 5 cycles fly/5 cycles breast @ 6:00
3 x 150 @ 2:10 50 sprint fly/100 free B3
200 5 cycles fly/5 cycles breast @ 4:00
3 x 200 @ 2:50 75 sprint fly/125 free B3
100 5 cycles fly/5 cycles breast @ 2:00
100 easy free
20 x 50 fly, breathing 1 up/1 down
Put cones on bottom 10m from wall. No breathing after the cone. Try to keep time consistently strong on all 20.
4 @ 1:00
3 @ :55
2 @ :50
1 @ :45

Challenging I.M. Set

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Ryan Woodruff
ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com

LCM

9 x 800 @ 13:00
#1 – straight 800 IM
#2 – done as 2 x 400 FRIM
#3 – done as 4 x 200 IM
#4 – done as 2 x 400 FRIM
#5 – straight 800 IM
#6 – done as 2 x 400 FRIM
#7 – done as 4 x 200 IM
#8 – done as 2 x 400 FRIM
#9 – straight 800 IM – all out effort

Descend 1 – 5 – 9

FRIM – Free IM (Free, Back, Breast, Free)

Distance Freestyle Delight

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Ryan Woodruff
ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com

LCM

Warmup – 400 swim, 4 x150 d-s-b, 4 x 50 20m sprint/30 m easy all @:20 rest

2 x 800 @ 10:15/10:30 (1:16 and 1:19 base)
#1 negative split, #2 broken, fast with :30 rest at 400 mark
2 x 100 at Pmile+2 @ 1:30
2 x 600 @ 7:45/8:00 (1:17 and 1:20 base)
# 1 negative split, # 2 broken, fast with :20 rest at 300 mark
4 x 100 at Pmile+1 @ 1:30
2 x 400 @ 5:15/5:30 (1:18 and 1:22 base)
#1 negative split, # 2 broken, fast with :10 rest at 200 mark
6 x 100 at Pmile @ 1:30

2 x 200 @ 2:45/3:00 (1:22 and 1:30 base)

#1 negative split, # 2 fast with no rest
8 x 100 at Pmile -2 @ 1:30

(Pmile=”at mile pace”)

6 x 150 free with snorkels @ 2:40 50 fists drill/50 swim/50 catchup
5 x 300 @ :20 rest Fastest Possible Average.
This is a broken 1500 with 1:20 total rest.
400 easy swim

Age Group IM Set

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Lucas Ferreira
Gwinnett Aquatics

SCM
Here’s an IM set our top Age Groupers (all in Middle school) did a couple weeks ago, that even surprised me on how well it worked:

4×100 FR IM Descend 1:40

4×25 FLY DPS 0:30

4×50 Drill, IMO 1:05

0:30 Rest

4×100 FR IM, make it 1:30

4×25 FLY DPS 0:25

4×50 Dr / Sw, IMO 1:10

1:00 Rest

4×100 IM RACE! From dive! 2:30


Notes: FR IM means we do Fr/Bk/Br/Fr. As you can see, we take care of the fly as well. We train SCM, and those intervals were designed with specific swimmers in mind (they really had to push to make the harder interval on those 100s). I had other lanes in different intervals, and I adjusted the sets so that everyone was together for the last 4×100. That worked out great, since we could get in ‘heats’ to really race! Many kids posted their fastest 4 100 IMs ever in our odd 25.2m pool at the end of the set. To me, that makes any set a successful one.

Man-Ups!

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Spencer George
Head Coach
Long Eaton Swimming Club

A set we like to use at Long Eaton Swimming Club, Derbyshire England is called “man ups”. Its a basic complex training set that hurts but is great fun.

Straight through the following:
10 Press ups
50m swim max effort
10 squats
50m swim max effort
10 Dips
50m swim max effort
10 Calf raises
50m swim max effort

Our top lane swimmer go around 2:10 200 free and their turnaround is 3:45 for 8 Man Ups. You can add Med Balls or weights to increase the intensity of some of the exercises if you want. Another variation is for IM, obviously the 50’s are IM order but the exercises change to hit the strokes as close as possible, so V sits before Fly, Dips before Back, Squats before Breast and press ups before Free. Have fun and “MAN UP”

Creative Open Water Training Tip #1 – Timed Feedings

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach, Parkland Aquatic Club
Ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com

LCM or SCY

Open Water races impose unique demands on an athlete physically, mentally, and strategically. Many swimmers do not have readily accessible open water to practice for these unique conditions. Here is a technique you can practice in your pool to help prepare your swimmers.

Swims of longer than 5k often necessitate that athletes feed (take beverages or food for hydration or calories). Designated feeding stations become strategically important like NASCAR pit stops – the athlete who takes on fuel most quickly and efficiently can pull ahead, and those who pit stop poorly fall behind.

Time your swimmers on a 50 that includes a feed. Try 5 x 400 build to fast last 100, and feed on the last 50. Get that split. Give immediate feedback during the interval rest.

Ron "Stix" Ballatore Tribute Workout

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Everyone who met Coach Ballatore will not soon forget him. Read more on his bio and his passing Here.

“Stix” knew how to get guys to go fast. Here is a set that he loved to do at the end of practice. We did it frequently when I had the honor of having him on deck while I was in Gainesville.   It is a good, challenging, team-building set to finish a workout.

Divide your group up into teams of four or five swimmers, and put a swimmer from each team in each lane. All swimmers on a given team will swim a no-breath 25 simultaneously. Before they start, the coach assigns one swimmer from the team a goal time for the no-breath 25. If that swimmer completes the 25 without taking a breath and beats the goal time, he earns a point for his team.  Then the next team takes its turn.  Each team is done (and gets out and goes home) when they score a pre-determined number of points.  Swimmers get fired up for their teammates and for their own 25s.  The coach can control the intensity by adjusting the 25 goal times.

Thanks, Stix.  You will be missed.

Friday Butterfly Workout

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Ryan Woodruff
ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com

SCY
This was a solid set for our sectional-level butterflyers.  Not too tough, but some good early season fly work that didn’t make them get sloppy with the technique.  We did it in three 15-minute stations and rotated through in groups

PART 1
We started with some underwater kicking in a 20-yard pool:
16 x 60yds @ :55
Done as 5 rounds of
#1 – 25 smooth free/25 underwater dolphin kick/25 smooth free
#2 – 25 underwater dolphin kick/25 smooth free/25 underwater dolphin kick
#3 – all smooth swim
And then #16 – All underwater dolphin kick, take 1 breath at each wall

PART 2
16 x 50
#1 – Fly, 3 strokes R/3 strokes L drill @ 1:00
#2 – Fly kick on back @ 1:00
#3 – Breaststroke with fly kick @ 1:00
#4 – Fly swim @ :50

PART 3
3 rounds of:
1 x 25 fly easy drill @ :30
1 x 75 fly swim @ 1:05
1 x 25 fly drill @ :30
1 x 75 fly swim @ 1:00
1 x 25 fly drill @ :30
1 x 75 fly swim @ :55

Pool Open Water Workout

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Ryan Woodruff
ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com

Today our Open Water Nationals group did a version of the following set in the pool (SCY) in preparation for the 5k in 1.5 weeks. The aims of the set are to 1) Acclimate the swimmers to tight pack swimming with frequent limb collisions, 2) practice drafting at high speeds, 3) rehearse front end and back end speed that are needed to compete in elite OW races, and 4) simply get in a good distance set. Here is the set:

4 x 50 @ :40 Fastest possible average, swimming 4 swimmers wide in an 9-foot lane.
3 x 100 @ 1:20 fastest possible average, swimming 4 wide
3 x 200 @ 2:20 ascend, swimming in a drafting line, front swimmer rotating to the back after each repeat
6 x 500 @ 6:10 hold steady and strong pace, swimming in normal practice formation, 5 seconds apart, with front swimmer rotating to the back after each repeat.
3 x 200 @ 2:20 descend, essentially the reverse of what was done on the first 3, same draft line and swimmer rotation
3 x 100 @ 1:20 fastest possible average, swimming 4 wide, try to beat times from early in the set
4 x 50 @ :40 fastest possible average, swimming 4 wide, try to beat times from beginning of the set

Easy 200

Follow-up Open Water Skills set:
3x through:
3 x 200 @ 2:20 sight once in every lap
3 x 100 @ 1:20 practice feeding from poolside water bottle on 2nd 25 each time

400 smooth warm down

North Jeffco Stroke Set

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Brett Stoyell
North Jeffco Swim Team

Best Stroke Practice working Quality and Endurance (Sectional-Trials level group)
This set was done at 5,500 ft above sea level in Arvada, Colo. almost every swimmer started the primary set holding at or under their best time and finished the set 5-10sec under their best 200 time.

Warmup
(2x)
400 @ 530 Snorkel Stk Count Free
300 @ 430 IM R#1 K-K-D, R#2 K-D-S
4×50 @ 1 Stk
#1 Drill
#2 Fast-EZ
#3 Kick
#4 EZ-Fast

Primary Stk (Breaststk and some flyers went on + 15sec for the 175s)
4×175 @ 240 Hold Best 200 time control stk count and HR
1×200 @ 300 Free Stretchout
3×175 @ 250 Hold Best 200 time – 2-3 seconds
1×300 @ 430 Free Stretchout
2×175 @ 300 Hold Best 200 Time -4-5 seconds
1×400 @ 600 Free Stretchout
1×175 @ 310 Hold as Fast as possible from a start
1×500 Recovery choice

Followed by a circuit (1min to switch stations)
G1 8×50 on medium in water cords @ 130 Either IMo or best 2 stks (Stk count against resistance – Stk tempo with assistance)
G2 12×50 @ 1:00 Fins 25 15mtr uH2O – 10 mtr sprint IMo or Best 2 stks on surface
G3 2×400 IM from a dive @ 6 Each stk as follows: 25 Build-25 Kick-25 Drill-25 ALL out. (Working Transitions all out!)

Breaststroke Challenge Set

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Greg Johnson
SCY
3 x
4 X 1 MIN VERT. KICK- BR (W/ MEDBALL)
4 X 75 BREASTROKE (SUBTRACT ONE STROKE CYCLE PER 25) @ 1:20
I had the swimmers pair up and put one partner in the water for VK and the other partner on deck. The swimmer in the water was to vertical kick breastroke right up on the wall (so their knees couldn’t come up). I had the kicker hold the med ball for 4 kicks and pass on the 5th. The partner on deck would simply drop the ball back to the swimmer. After 1 min, they switched. So actually each swimmer kicked 2 x 1 min.
On the 75s, I had the swimmers think about stretching their strokes out into long streamlines, and although tired from the VK, have them think about lowering stroke count through leg-driven breaststroke and streamline. The interval gave rest to the good breaststrokers and challenged the others (but with rest).
I realized that the attention to the VK and throwing the med ball might be too much for the group, I switched it up each round. I made the partner out of the water do flutter kicks on the edge of the wall while the swimmer in the water VK with med ball, etc.

Ryan Lochte’s "Brutal" IM Set

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