Here are five warm-ups, main sets, and cool downs to get you through the winter break. I’ve tried to include a lot of variety, but also several freestyle-based choices. Mix and match from day to day. Please send me an email if you have questions about how to modify sets or if you’d like to learn about group classes or one-on-one lessons to learn strokes you need work on.
If you don’t know a stroke you may either substitute one you do, or do only the kick.
You don’t need a clock for most of these sets, but adding a time element can hone your pacing skills.
Definitions:
Rest: 10-30sec rest after each distance. For example: 400swim/20sec rest/300pull/15sec rest/200IM/30sec rest…just don’t let the rest go on, and on, and on. You can’t swim while holding the walls.
IM – Individual Medley
IM order – Fly, Back, Breast, Free
Reverse IM order – Free, Breast, Back, Fly
Build – start slow and end fast
Pull – Upper body focus – use hand paddles to add upper body resistance, or use a buoy to take the kick out of the stroke and isolate the core and upper body
Fast – not a sprint or max effort, perhaps a pace you could hold for twice the distance specified
Dolphin Kick – Fly kick, both feet together – try to make it start from your chest with the legs finishing like a whip, like snapping a tight sheet
Choice – any stroke or combination of strokes, or drills
SKP – Swim, Kick, Pull
Math Sets – For example: 3x(4×50) – do what’s in the parentheses first(four 50s), and then do it again, and again(that’s the 3x)
Switching Sets – Moving from one stroke to the next in IM order, but for only two or three of the four strokes. There can be a focus such as turns, stroke drills, underwater kicking, etc.
Timed – use your watch or the pace clock
Min-max – minimum strokes/maximum effort. Everyone asks, “How is this possible???”. Generally, you stretch as far as you can and pull as hard as you can. Count strokes per length and take as few as possible.
Warm-up Sets (1000yd):
Note – these are easy to cut in half if you’re short of time or sleep
1) Free focus
500 Choice build (swim or pull)
10×50 Free as 25kick/25swim
2) IM focus
400 Reverse IM – 50kick/50swim of each stroke
300 Free pull (buoy or paddles)
200 Build non-free (fly, back, or breast only)
100 Easy choice
3) Breathing focus – breathe less, swim better – you can feel your entire stroke better when breathing is taken out, and if you catch a few waves in a row in your race you better be able to hold your breath and keep swimming!
400 Free – breathe every 3,5,7,5 by 25 (breathe every 3 strokes for 25yd, every 5 strokes for 25, and so on…and yes, 7 is possible)
300 Pull 75back/25breast, repeat
200 Fast free, breathing every 3 to 4 strokes (if you already breathe every three normally, go to four or five)
100 Easy choice
4) IM focus
250 Free/100 Back kick
200 Back/100 Dolphin kick
150 Breast/100 Free kick
100 Fly
5) Free focus
3×300 Free SKP (100swim/100kick/100pull)
1st 300 – Easy
2nd 300 – Build within each 100 (100swim slow to fast, 100kick slow to fast, …)
3rd 300 – 25fast/25slow throughout
100 Easy choice
Main Sets (1500yd):
Note: 1500yd main sets are good for up to Olympic and Half-IM distance triathlon training.
1) Pacing/distance focus – could be easy or hard, depending on need
Hold the same pace throughout, choice of one stroke only
500/400/300/200/100
2) Switching – may substitute stroke drills where desired
4x(3×50), 10sec rest after each 50
1st 50 – 25fly/25back
2nd 50 – 25back/25breast
3rd 50 – 25breast/25free
4×100 IM, 30sec rest after each 100
500 Free – steady pace
3) Pacing focus – threshold, similar to Sprint distance race pace
200 Free time trial at maximum sustainable effort, timed
1min rest
200 Easy free
4×25 Building slow to fast within each 25, 10sec rest each 25
Take half your 200 time trial and add 10sec – this is your 100 pace
10×100 at this pace, no more than 30sec rest
4) Kicking – may substitute stroke drills where desired as long as the kick remains strong and steady
8×75 – 25 fast dolphin kick, 25 very easy free, 25 fast back kick
200 Easy free
500 as 4×125, no rest – 100 free kick/25 easy free swim, focus on keeping legs straight/narrow and toes pointed
200 Easy free
5) Pacing focus – varied
2x(5×100) Free – 1st 100 easy, 2nd add one fast 25, 3rd include two fast 25s, 4th has three fast 25s, 5th is all fast (Hint: make the easy 25s very easy to start. Also, if done correctly, each 100 should be faster than the prior one.)
20×25 Min-max free leaving every minute
Cool Down Sets (500yd):
Note: a long cool down allows your heart rate and blood pressure to drop gradually
1) 10×50 Easy – 25back/25breast
2) 500 Free – build down from fast to slow, taking off a little effort each 50
3) 5×100 Easy choice
4) 20×25 Choice, easy form focus, 5sec rest at each wall
5) 100 Single-arm fly
100 Back pull
100 Easy breast
100 Free pull
100 Elementary back (both arms recover overhead)
