Tag: IM

IM Set #806

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

SCY

We were able to get some excellent results on this IM set.  The intent is for the 400 IMs and 200 IMs to each descend 1-3.

4 x 75 Fly @ 1:10
   25 – 3 kicks on side/3 R arm strokes/3 kicks on opp side/3 L arm strokes
   25 – 4-kick drill
   25 – fly swim

1 x 400 IM (done as 4 x 100 IM) @ 5:20  5:40

4 x 75 Back @ 1:05
   50 – focused on connecting finish to entry
   25 – awesome UW kicks

1 x 400 IM (done as 2 x 200 IM) 5:20 5:40

4 x 75 Breast @ 1:15
   25 – 3 kicks/1 pull drill
   25 – FHFK (Fast Hands Flutter Kick Drill)
   25 -Swim

1 400 IM Fast, Broken :10 rest at each 100
       +                                                                   > @ 8:00
1 x 100 EZ Free

***ROUND TWO – CHANGING 400s to 200s****

4 x 75 Fly @ 1:10
   25 – 3 kicks on side/3 R arm strokes/3 kicks on opp side/3 L arm strokes
   25 – 4-kick drill
   25 – fly swim

1 x 200 IM (done as 2 x 100 IM) @ 2:40  2:50

4 x 75 Back @ 1:05
   50 – focused on connecting finish to entry
   25 – awesome UW kicks

1 x 200 IM @ 2:40  2:50

4 x 75 Breast @ 1:15
   25 – 3 kicks/1 pull drill
   25 – FHFK (Fast Hands Flutter Kick Drill)
   25 -Swim

1 200 IM Fast, Broken :10 rest at each 50
       +                                                                  
1 x 100 EZ Free

9 Different Ways to Train I.M.

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

We all know that I.M. is a great way to put some variety into your training. Here are some ways to put a little variety into your variety.

#1 – Reverse I.M. A commonly used version, simply swim the strokes in reverse order.
#2 – Free I.M. Good for masters swimmers who are fly-reluctant or for any time that you want to get good back, breast, and free training without the butterfly. Simply substitute freestyle in for the butterfly portions of the I.M.
#3 – Inside-out I.M. Swim the strokes in the order Back-Fly-Free-Breast
#4 – Fat I.M. – Do these for lengths that are 25% longer than your standard I.M.-125s, 250s, 500s, etc. Double up on one of the strokes (this is the Fat stroke). A 250 Fat I.M. (Back) would thus be 50 Fly/100 back/50 breast/50 free.
#5 – Lemon I.M.
#6 – Emily I.M.- For swimmers with knee injuries/pain or whose breaststroke is not a focus of your efforts for improvement. Swim backstroke double the normal distance and leave out breaststroke altogether. Yes, this is named after a swimmer.
#7 – Baltimore I.M.s
#8 – Skinny I.M. This is the opposite of Fat I.M.s Swim distances like 175s, 350s, etc. Cut the distance of one stroke in half.
#9 – Gator I.M. Alternate stroke and free. A 300 Gator I.M. would be 50 fly/50 free/50 back/50 free/50 breast/50 free.

Do you have any other interesting or creative ways of training I.M.?

This post was originally published to this blog in February 2010. 

Tennis Ball IM Technique & Sprint Set

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

The purpose of this set is promote kinesthetic awareness and a better “catch” in all strokes combined with a bit of speed.  We used tennis balls held in the palm of the hand to take away the ability to pull with the hand surface.  Swimmers enjoyed the effect of the tennis balls when they went back to an open hand.

24 x 50
#1-5 are with tennis balls, excellent technique
#6 – no tennis balls, SPRINT!

6 fly @:50
6 back @:50
6 breast@1:00
6 free @:50

Medley Madness

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

Recently, it was announced that for 2018 the TYR Pro Series would include a 200 IM where the stroke order would be announced right before the race.  That got me thinking about a name for all 24 possible stroke orders.  Here is what I came up with:

So I thought it would be fun to do a set with this concept.  Each round, I told the swimmers what the stroke order would be for the 200 IM about 10 seconds before they started.  It made for an interesting workout that many of them enjoyed.

Early-Season Set that Worked Well (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Brad Herndon
Head Coach
Greensboro Community YMCA


SET TWO (different day): This set was designed for EASY intervals where we as coaches would have time to give appropriate INDIVIDUAL feedback, as opposed to general group stuff that we have been emphasizing all week:
·        3 x (1 min additional rest between rounds, 50 min total)
o   25 Free @ :30
o   50 Fly @ 1:00
o   75 Free @ 1:15
o   100 Backstroke @ 1:45
o   125 Freestyle @ 2:00
o   150 Breaststroke @ 3:00
o   125 Freestyle @ 2:00
o   100 Backstroke @ 1:45
o   75 Free @ 1:15
o   50 Fly @ 1:00
o   25 Free @ :30
See other sets submitted by Coach Herndon

The Fly Back Grinder

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

1 x 200  done as 100 fly strong/100 back get your time @ 3:30
1 x 100 ez @ 2:00
1 x 300  done as 100 fly strong/200 back get your time @5:00
1 x 100 ez @ 2:00
1 x 400  done as 100 fly strong/300 back get your time @ 6:30
1 x 300 ez swim

add up your 100-200-300 backstroke times.  Now go:

600 backstroke for time — try to beat that total time!