Free Swimming Workouts, Sets, Ideas, and Dryland Exercises from Professional Coaches Around the World
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
Here’s a good set for working kick speed and endurance and some all out sprinting speed.
5x through:
1 x 3:00 Kick for Distance @ 4:00
100 ez drill @ 1:30
8 x 25 @ :30
Odd: Minimum cycle count
Even: Maximum speed with a great finish!
100 ez drill @ 1:30
Ryan Woodruff
Lynchburg YMCA
This workout is very similar to The Blind Goal Workout but has a single important difference: the athletes may see their respective coach-determined goals, but they do not get to hear their results. The coach may tell the group how many points they have achieved, but may not say who achieved them or what times the swimmers swam.
Follow the same format as in the Blind Goal Workout. It will be interesting to see how your group’s motivation ebbs and flows throughout the set. Steer them to being positive and supportive, then just watch what they can do!
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
It’s Alex Werden. Check him out… 7.4 seconds in the 25-yard butterfly.
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
#11 – Dolphin Sprint Cycles
20 x 25 back, fly, or free @ :30
4x:
#1 – 4+ dolphin kicks and sprint 1 cycle
#2 – 6+ dolphin kicks and sprint 2 cycles
#3 – 8+ dolphin kicks and sprint 3 cycles
#4 – 6+ dolphin kicks and sprint 4 cycles
#5 – 4+ dolphin kicks and sprint 5 cycles
Click below to see previous posts from this series:
#10 – The Race Pace Spectrum
#9 – Hypoxic Freestyle Speed
#8 – Backstroke Tempo & Kick
#7 – Individual Medley Speed
#6 – Improving Breaststroke Tempo
#5 – Dryland Strength and Aquatic Speed
#4 – Developing Devastating Underwater Kicks
#3 – Improving Breaststroke Distance Per Cycle
#2 – Race-pace Swimming for the 500
#1 – Improving Attention to Underwater Kicks
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
#10 – The Race Pace Spectrum
This set will get you swimming at race pace using varying energy systems. Time these carefully to make sure you are getting it right. Figure out these paces ahead of time so that you have precise information. P500=race pace for 500, P200=race pace for 200, etc. All 25s end with a turn (put your feet on the wall) to ensure accuracy.
20 x 25 all @ :30 except P50s, which are @ :40
#1 – faster than P1000
#2 – faster than P500
#3 – faster than P200
#4 – faster than P100
#5 – faster than P50
#6 – faster than P500
#7 – faster than P200
#8 – faster than P100
#9 – faster than P50
#10 – faster than P200
#11 – faster than P100
#12 – faster than P50
#13 – faster than P100
#14 – faster than P50
#15 – faster than P50
#16 – ez swim
#17-#20 – all out, whatever you have left in the tank!!!
P1000 and P500 should be pretty easy for the athlete to attain. P200 and P100 are very doable, though P100 will be increasingly difficult for the higher-level athlete. P50 should be a significant challenge for sure.
Click below to read any of the previous 9 posts in this series:
#9 – Hypoxic Freestyle Speed
#8 – Backstroke Tempo & Kick
#7 – Individual Medley Speed
#6 – Improving Breaststroke Tempo
#5 – Dryland Strength and Aquatic Speed
#4 – Developing Devastating Underwater Kicks
#3 – Improving Breaststroke Distance Per Cycle
#2 – Race-pace Swimming for the 500
#1 – Improving Attention to Underwater Kicks
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
#9 – Hypoxic Freestyle Speed
The ability to swim fast while using little oxygen is a vital skill for sprinters. This set aims to improve that ability. For a little variety, do it with paddles and/or a buoy and fins. For a bigger challenge, do all max speed swims at your Threshold Tempo with a Tempo Trainer.
20 x 25
2x:
#1 – ez with 3 breaths or fewer @:30
#2 – max speed with 3 breaths or fewer @:20
#3 – ez with 2 breaths or fewer @:30
#4 – max speed with 2 breaths or fewer @:20
#5 – ez with 1 breath or fewer @:30
#6 – max speed with 1 breath or fewer @:20
#7 – ez no breathing @ :30
#8 – max speed no breathing @ :30
#9 – max speed unlimited breath @ :30
#10 – max speed no breathing @1:00
Disclaimer: Use caution when performing hypoxic restricted breathing sets. Do not push yourself too far or you risk blacking out. Do not hyperventilate in preparation for a swim. Only perform this set under the direct supervision of a coach trained in rescue techniques.
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
#7 – Individual Medley Speed
20 x 25
#1-4 Descend butterfly @:30,:25,:20,:15
#5 Max speed backstroke @ :30
#6-9 Descend backstroke @:30,:25,:20,:15
#10 Max speed breaststroke @:30
#11-14 Descend breaststroke @:35,:30,:25,:20
#15 Max speed freestyle @:30
#16-19 Descend freestyle @:30,:25,:20,:15
#20 Max speed butterfly NO BREATH & RACE!!!
Try repeating this set with fins on and drop the intervals by 5 seconds. Yes, that means you have a 25 fly, back and free @:10. Do it!
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
If you know him, you are no doubt amused at how appropriate the title is.
SCY
This set can only be done at afternoon practice.
Warmup
20 minutes. Do whatever you want to prepare yourself to swim fast, just be READY TO GO at the end of the time.
4 x 15m sprints from a dive for time @ 2:00
Time to the head crossing the 15m mark
200 ez social swim
4 x 25 yard sprints from a dive @ 2:00
200 ez social swim
4 x 35 yeter (25 yards + turn & back to the near 15m mark) sprints @ 2:00
200 ez social swim
1 x 50 yard sprint for time
Loosen down until you feel REALLY, REALLY, GOOD.
Get out and go home.
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
Dryland Strength and Aquatic Speed
20 x 25
10 pushups, right into:
#1 – No breath sprint @ :20
#2 – Sprint @ :25, beat time from #1
#3 – Sprint @ :30, beat time from #2
#4 – EZ swim
Repeat for 5 sets of 4 with different dryland exercises with each set:
Before #5: 10 fast squats
Before #9: 5 pullups
Before #13: 10 switch lunges
Before #17: 20 pike-ups on a physio ball
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
Intervals are written for LCM
WARMUP
400 FREE
200 IM DRILL
6 X 100 FREE @ 1:30/1:45/2:00
SNORKELS, FINS & PADDLES
DESCEND 1-3, 4-6
MAIN SET
PURPOSE: INDUCE A LITTLE FATIGUE WITH THE THREE 50s AND THEN HOLD A STEADY PACE UNDER THAT FATIGUE. AN IMPORTANT SKILL FOR RACING AND A GREAT FITNESS BOOSTER! PULLING EQUIPMENT OPTIONAL THROUGHOUT THE SET. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN EVEN BIGGER CHALLENGE, SUBSTITUTE STROKE FOR FREE DURING THE 50s!
3 X 50 FREE FAST @ 1:00/1:10/1:20
3 X 100 STEADY & STRONG @ 1:40/1:55/2:10
1:00 REST
3 X 50 FREE FAST @ 1:00/1:10/1:20
3 X 200 STEADY & STRONG @ 3:20/3:50/4:20
1:00 REST
3 X 50 FREE FAST @ 1:00/1:10/1:20
3 X 300 STEADY & STRONG @ 5:00/5:45/6:30
1:00 REST
WARM- DOWN SET W/ FINS
6 X 100 @ :30 REST
SPRINT 15m, EZ FOR 85m
TOTAL 4,050m
“There’s no time to think about the starting or the end.
We’ll find out I’m told, my mother she told me so.
I just wanna fly.”
– Sugar Ray
600 fly – 50 drill/100 swim @ 9:00
6 x 25 fast fly @ :30
100 dolphin kick on back, arms at side @ 2:00
400 fly – 25 drill/75 swim @ 6:00
8 x 25 fast fly @ :25
100 dolphin kick on back, arms at side @ 2:00
200 fly swim @ 3:00
10 x 25 fast fly @ :20
100 dolphin kick on back @ 2:00
Arena Club Aquatics: Harford County, Maryland 3 X 100 Stroke/Free by 25 on 1:30 1 X 75 Free Breath every 5th (6 Fly kicks Under H2O) on 1:15 3 X 25 Stroke FAST on :40 1 X 50 easy on 1:15 3 X 100 Stroke/Free/Free/Stroke by 25 on 1:30 1 X 75 Free Breath every 5th (6 Fly kicks Under H2O) on 1:15 3 X 25 Stroke FAST on :40 1 X 50 easy on 1:15 2 X 200 Stroke/Free by 50 on 3:00 2 X 200 Stroke/Free/Free/Stroke by 50 on 3:00 150 Free Breath every 5th (4 Fly kicks Under H2O) on 2:15 3 X 50 Stroke FAST on 1:15 Total- 2100 |
Ryan Woodruff, North Carolina Aquatic Club
coachryan@ncacswim.org
Masters Workout
Warmup- All on :20 Rest
300 Smooth swim
3 X 100 build
3 X 50 First 15m fast kick
Main set – FAST FRIDAY – Race somebody!!!
3x:
Round 1 – Freestyle
Round 2 – No Freestyle
Round 3 – Butterfly – if you dare!
1x:
50 FAST @ :50
75 EZ @ 1:102x:
50 FAST @:50
50 EZ @:503x:
50 FAST @:50
25 EZ @ :30300 FREESTYLE PULL W/ PADDLES & BUOY
KICK SET
8 X 100 KICK W/ BOARD
TAKE 20 SECONDS REST AFTER #1 TO DETERMINE YOUR INTERVAL, THEN MAKE YOUR INTERVAL :05 FASTER FOR EACH SUCCESSIVE 100
Ryan Woodruff
Lynchburg YMCA
One of my favorite pieces of equipment is the Tempo Trainer. Below is a set to help you determine what I call your “Threshold Tempo.” Your Threshold Tempo is the fastest cycle rate that you are able to hold for more than 25 yards (and less than 50) while maintaining your stroke length and technique. Essentially, this is a measurement of your neuromuscular capacity for rapid movement. By finding your Threshold Tempo, we are then able to design sets to gradually increase this capacity (enabling a swimmer to swim at a faster cycle rate). In order to find your threshold, do a proper warm-up including some short sprints and then perform the following set with the Finis Tempo Trainer under your cap:
12 x 50 @ 1:00 speed up your tempo by .10 s/cycle after each pair of 50s
Start at the following tempos for each stroke (intended for senior swimmers):
Fly: Men 1.60 Women 1.45
Back: Men 1.50 Women 1.40
Breast: Men 2.00-1.70 Women 1.80-1.60 (varies highly by individual)
Free: Men 1.60 Women 1.50
If you fail to swim at least 25 yards of each 50 at the prescribed tempo, slow the tempo by .05 for the next two and then try again. Continue to make adjustments
For example, a female swimmer’s results from the set done butterfly might look like this
Repeat# – Tempo – Result
#1, #2 – 1.45 – Success
#3, #4 – 1.35 – Success
#5, #6 – 1.25 – Success
#7, #8 – 1.15 – Failure
#9, #10 – 1.20 – Failure
#11, #12 – 1.22 – Success
THRESHOLD TEMPO = 1.20
What we are trying to do here is push the neuromuscular border between success and failure to new faster levels. Thus, we will use the slowest failure tempo that we tried as your threshold tempo.
More sets using the Tempo Trainer another time.
Ryan Woodruff
ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com
Just a fun and challenging set that encourages the swimmers to support each other and swim fast.
4x (all with fins):
12 x 25
#1 – fast UW kick @:20
#2 – fast no-breath swim @ :25
#3 – easy swim @ :30
#4 – fast no-breath swim @ :25
#5 – fast UW kick @ :20
#6 – easy swim @ :30
1 x 50 all out (rotate stroke IM order by round)
1 x 100 easy swim
Time the 50 and have them remember times. Don’t give them the following part of the set until you get to this point. Get a partner.
One partner swims an all out 50 without fins while the other partner waits. For every full second that partner #1 swims slower than his time from the previous set, partner #2 must do a pullup (2 pull-ups for each second for guys). Then switch roles – partner #2 swims and partner #1 has to do pull-ups based on #2’s time.
Occasionally you will get a clown who swims slow thinking that he will really stick it to his teammate. Surprise him and the rest of the group with multiple rounds of this and he may start to realize that the more pull-ups his partner has to do, the slower his partner will swim.
The Swimming Wizard 