Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
SCM
2x through

Free Swimming Workouts, Sets, Ideas, and Dryland Exercises from Professional Coaches Around the World
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
SCM
2x through
Brad Herndon, Greensboro Community YMCA
This set worked real well for some fast 200 free and 100 Stroke times this weekend, takes 44 minutes, 11 mins a round, they did this 2 weeks out and were right on their 200 FR and 100 stroke goal times:
4x
3 x 175 FR @ 2:20 (hold goal 200 Fr time)
1 x 75 Stroke Fast @ 1:00
1 x 50 Stroke Fast @ 1:00
1 x 25 Stroke Fast @ 1:00
1 x 25 EZ @ 1:00 (start early after the 25 stroke fast)
Stroke = Swimmer chooses OR some did IMO by Round, but 4th Round = Fly-Back-Breast on the 75, then drop down by choice to finish with 25 of your best stroke (other than fr)
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
We did the following set to test our fitness and establish some training paces in freestyle and either backstroke or breaststroke. We had swimmers pair up to have one observer for each swimmer. This ensured we got accurate distances and also allowed us to count cycles. We will use this information in future practices.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
We did this one just as a post-set toward the end of practice.
Head Coach Luis Vidana, Desert Sharks Swim Club, El Paso, Texas
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
We were working on the back half of the IM with this one.
FPA = Fastest Possible Average
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
SCY. Every good IMer needs to be a breaststroker. This set worked a little of both. We started from the shallow end of our SCY pool, so the 200 breast included 20 eggbeater kicks in a vertical streamlined position in the middle of each 50 where we would have deep water.
This set was first published to this blog in May 2020.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
The first part of the set helped to reinforce good breaststroke technique, distance per stroke, etc. In the second part, we try to maintain cycle count over progressively longer distances at near race speed.
Have you seen our free e-book “The Quotable Swimming Coach”? Preview and download it for FREE here.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
We combined this set with a cord set to make two stations 2x through.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
SCM
Do you sometimes need an idea for practice? Would you like to receive a free email to help spark your creativity? Then sign up for my e-newsletter to get a dose of information, inspiration, and innovation delivered every once in a while.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
These non-stop 6:00 swims repeated the instructions within the 6:00. At about 5:00, coach would yell “Go!” signifying a FAST 50 breast starting immediately.
The instructions on the second round are 5 cycles kick, 4 cycles Swim, 3 cycles speed drill (head up, narrow pull, narrow kick) and repeat.
Do you sometimes need an idea for practice? Would you like to receive a free email to help spark your creativity? Then sign up for my e-newsletter to get a dose of information, inspiration, and innovation delivered every once in a while.
David Orr, Cascade Swim Club
Make sure you have signed up for my once-in-a-while e-mail to keep up with the best and most interesting workouts and much, much more from the Swimming Wizard blog, delivered straight to your inbox.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
The 300 is done with a stretch cord with belts on both ends. Each swimmer wears a belt and hangs onto the cord about eight feet from the opposite belt end. Swimmers drag each other a 25 at a time. Follow up with the FPA (Fastest Possible Average) swims. SCM.
Make sure you are following the Swimming Wizard on Instagram and Twitter for hundreds more ideas, sets, and swim workouts from coaches all over the world.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
Make sure you have signed up for my once-in-a-while e-mail to keep up with the best and most interesting workouts and much, much more from the Swimming Wizard blog, delivered straight to your inbox.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This set was a medium-intensity set aimed at preparing us for some good off-the-blocks efforts.
The next issue of “the wake-up swim” is coming soon. Sign up here.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
SCM
Do you sometimes need an idea for practice? Would you like to receive a free email to help spark your creativity? Then sign up for my e-newsletter to get a dose of information, inspiration, and innovation delivered every once in a while.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
Hit 30 cycles of breaststroke on the cord. The 75s focus on dropping the sum of time and cycles (GOLF). 100s free totally focused on technique.
Make sure you are following the Swimming Wizard on Instagram and Twitter for hundreds more ideas, sets, and swim workouts from coaches all over the world.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
Make sure you have signed up for my once-in-a-while e-mail to keep up with the best and most interesting workouts and much, much more from the Swimming Wizard blog, delivered straight to your inbox.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
SCM. This set came in three parts and really challenged our swimmers. They could do back or breast for all three parts, and were instructed to choose the interval that made the FPA (fastest possible average) set challenging. We did 2 rounds.
The next issue of “the wake-up swim” is coming soon. Sign up here.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
Make sure you have signed up for my once-in-a-while e-mail to keep up with the best and most interesting workouts and much, much more from the Swimming Wizard blog, delivered straight to your inbox.
Mike Cook, Mason Makos
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This one was a small twist on this set.
Several of our breaststroke swimmers had all-time best practice performances at the end of the 29 x 50s.
The next issue of “the wake-up swim” is coming soon. Sign up here.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
Swimmers could do fly or breast on this set. For fly on the Blue portions, they did 3 normal cycles/1 single arm cycle to maintain rhythm and body position through the 150. The goal on the blue parts was to hold the low cycle count as the distance increased.
Make sure you have signed up for my once-in-a-while e-mail to keep up with the best and most interesting workouts and much, much more from the Swimming Wizard blog, delivered straight to your inbox.
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
50s 5-4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4-5 = The Valley
It’s free, it’s useful, and can help with your coaching today: https://swimmingwizard.com/e-books/
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA
This set allowed us to keep the group together while some swimmers trained back and others trained breast. This was a small group at an early morning practice, so keeping the group together was helpful for keeping the energy up.
For the 50s, backstroke drills are in blue, breaststroke drills in green.
We went on the same intervals for both strokes — backstrokers did 150s and breaststrokers did 125s.
SCY
Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA