Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Tag: Freestyle
The Red Line Squeeze
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
This set was a follow-up to a previous post. Very similar, but I tweaked the set to make it a bit more challenging. I also added a fourth interval to better suit a few swimmers. Our milers did the whole set, others stopped at the dotted green line. Intervals were for SCM.
Aim: Distance Perfection
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
The idea here was to get some good technique work coupled with some aerobic free (SCM) work for our milers. The intervals for the 1,000 started off easy with a mandate to be working technical aspects of the stroke. Aim was to maintain that technique as 1,000 intervals tightened!
Freestyle Workout #1,230
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Rockin’ The Distance Pace
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
"Empty the Gas Tank" Freestyle Set with Coach Todd Kramer
Todd Kramer
Assistant Coach
Columbia Swim Club
Here is a set that we did at the Columbia Swim Club earlier this week. Our hours have been limited this week at our pool, so we had to swim our Senior 2, 3, and 4 groups together. Swimmers are 13-18, ranging from just below the Sectional level to OT qualifiers. This was done LCM. We just wanted to get a tough freestyle set in designed to push their limits, physically and mentally. ‘Empty the gas tank’ is just a phrase to remind them to not ‘save up’ for later in practice. We wanted them to push the fast parts of practice to their limits from the beginning of practice.
5×250 Free – add on fast 50 from back to front @ 3:20/3:30/3:40
5×250 Free – all fast @ 3:10/3:20/3:30
1×200 Free – Empty the gas tank @ 3:30
2×350 Free – #1 change gears each 50 #2 all fast @ 4:30/4:45/5:00
1×300 Free – Empty the gas tank
"Crack the Code" Aerobic Block
Clarke Nyman
Eagle Swim Team
Here’s a creative way to break up the monotony of 40×100 or 20×200 aerobic blocks.
**This set paces on 1:15 for 100’s. (1) is a spike to amp it up a bit. Dolphin kicks and walls are a top priority.
See Coach Nyman’s other posts here.
Freestyle Technique & Changing Gears With The Legs
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Our freestylers were about 90% successful with this challenge set
The Pain Train Is Pulling Into the Station
The Arrowhead 5000
Clarke Nyman
Eagle Swim Team
This is a great distance oriented set. Fastest p100 is 1:04. This can be edited to any Pace desired. Starts very make-able and turns into a real challenge, really fast. Great fun!! Will need a programmable clock or swimmers with great clock knowledge to run smoothly.
IMers and FreeBackers
Freestyle Challenge Set with Coach Gordy Westerberg
Coach Gordy Westerberg
Vipes of Albuquerque
2x through:
300 (Open turn at the 150 to hear split) @ 4:30
2 x 150 (Open turn at the 75 to hear split) faster than 1/2 of 300 @ 2:20
4 x 75 Faster than 1/2 of 150s @1:15
6 x 50 Get after it! @ 1:00
Moderate Freestyle Set
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Yes, It’s A Distance Set,
D Free with Race Pace
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Distance + Paddlehead
The Banana Set: Distance Day with Progressive 200s
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
This set was for our distance crew. Above the green squiggly line, swimmers had the option to pull, and the instructions were the same for each swim — to negative split by 5. Below the line, we look for each progressively larger set of 200s to also get faster. We crushed it! The last set of 5 was great. This set was very mentally tough but I was proud of our kids for persevering! After the set, they were so hungry they ate my banana that I brought for a post-practice snack, hence the name.
Mid-D Free and Quality Stroke
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
This SCM set was for our middle distance and stroke swimmers. The 300s allowed for a pretty steep descend, and the purpose of the 25s, 50s, and 75s was to break up the freestyle and allow for some decent quality stroke swimming. We got some pretty fast times on the last 300 of each round.
Freestyle tech set before the Big One
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
We used the following set as a pre-set before a set of fast 100s off the blocks. “Foot out” means swimmers bend one leg 90 degrees to hold the foot out of the water.
Quality Kick and Swim set
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Distance Freestyle Descend
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
Sometimes, the sets posted here are interesting and creative. This post is not one of those. Sometimes, you just need to do work. Today’s post is straight challenging, and is intended for milers only.
Big Day for Big D
Freestyle with a Hypoxic Front-load
No Days Off
10 x ?
Freestyle Pull Set with Varied Paddle Usage
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
One with Everything
Keep those S’Milers S’Miling
Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA








