Thursday's Workout --It's Good To Rest--

It is always good, if you swim every day, to have a workout that stretches you out, but doesn't kill you. Rest is just as important as working hard. Now if you are only working out once or twice a week, you should be getting all the rest you need and a workout like this one shouldn't be in your plan.

WARM UP--100 swim

100 pull

100 kick

300 yrds

1 x 25

10 sec rest

1 x 50

10 sec. rest

1 x 100

15 sec. rest

1 x 125

15 sec. rest

1 x 150 Kick

30 sec. rest

1 x 200

100 min. rest after this 200 swim then do this set backwards. This is called a pyramid set, you work your way up to 200 then back down to 25.

1300 yrds

TOTAL YARDS: 2100 yards

Warm Down with a long easy 500 yrd swim. Today is more of a rest day. If you have not done the previous days workouts and you feel you need a harder workout pick a day you haven't done and do it. Those of you that are training for a longer swim and only have two days a week to work out should not do this workout, but should pick a harder one earlier in the week.

Wensday's Workouts--Watch The Pro--

Although I don't care too much for Micheal Phelps and his character, no one can discount his amazing ability to swim. Click on this link below and watch the pro swim. To start watch his streamline at the beginning, this is the bases for good swimming. Watch as his body rotates and moves, but how he keeps a steady streamlined body even when he breaths. For those of you that I keep saying "don't separate your head from your arm when you breath" watch his head positioning when he breaths even though he is breathing every stroke. Watch his elbows and hand positioning. Lastly watch as he reaches out and grabs the water. So my tip for the day is-- Watch how the pros do it and often something will click in your own swim.

Link to Video

Wednesday's Workout

WARM UP--200 swim

200 kick

200 pull

600 yrds

10 x 100 free, choice swim, free, ect... 1 min between 100s. (those training for a longer swim (like the 2 mile swim) I want you to do 5 of these on 1:30 stop rest 2 min. then do the last 5 on 1:30, this should give no more than 10 to 15 sec. rest if you do them right).

1000 yrds

10 x 50 free--first, fifth, and 10th 50s for time the rest at moderate pace, but stretching it out long and strong. 30 sec. rest between 50s.

500 yrds

10 x 25 all for time. These should be all out and try and better your time each one. Because I want you to push yourself on these I am going to give you 30 sec. rest between 25s. Don't cheat yourself.

250 yrds

Total yards 1st group: 2550 yrds

*Note--Those of you that have learned new strokes or know a different stroke should work on those strokes through out this workout. Alternate the 100s, 50s, and 25s stroke/freestyle. At this point in the workout most of you can warm down with a 400 yard long and easy swim. Those of you that need/want to keep going continue the workout.

3 x 500 your first 500 I want for time the next 500 I want to be broken (we have done this before remember) Broken is when you stop at the 100s for 5 sec. then continue. The last 500 will be broken at the 200 for 10sec. then the last 100 should be all out for time. The last 100 you need to get your time and post it so that I can see what it was. Once again, for those doing the Iron Man this is your main set so if you have to skip something else to fit this in--skip it.

1500 yrds

WARM DOWN 200 easy

200 yrds

TOTAL YARDS 2nd GROUP: 4250 yrds

TUESDAY'S WORKOUT --LEGS --

Legs are so important in swimming, but people rarely use them to their full potiential while swimming. The next time you are in the water just notice if you are dragging your legs as dead wieght or if they are helping you. If you are just dragging them along for the ride you will find that your body positioning in the water is, most likely, low in the water and your arms get fatigue fast. Your legs have the ability to make you feel like you are pulling rocks or feathers. The choice is up to you... rocks or feathers? If you use your legs properly in the water you will find yourself in the proper streamlined body position, breathing will be easier (I know many of you would like this to happen), and a long relaxed stroke is possible. Remember that just because I say you need to use your legs properly, does not mean that you should kick like a motor boat every time you swim. On the other hand, it is important to learn a kick that will keep you in proper streamline positioning, but not exhaust your legs after the first lap. The way we work on a better kick is to KICK. Pulling can also help you work on a good kick, believe it or not. When pulling-- your legs are buoyed up in the water and this allows you to feel the proper positioning in the water--then you should try and emulate this positioning in your swims by kicking properly. The last point that I will make about legs is that they are some of the bodies largest muscles and therefore use the most oxygen. Because your legs hold so much oxygen they can make or break your swimming, depending on how in shape they are. If your legs are not in shape you will find that you can't use those legs for very long before oxygen becomes very hard to come by.  You will just resort to not using your legs and therefore become low in the water.

TUESDAY'S WORK OUT

WARM UP 200 x swim

200 x kick

400 yrds

16 x 50--swim 4, kick 4, pull 4, swim 4. 30 Sec. rest between 50s

800 yrds

8 x 75-- pull 75, swim 75. Work on feeling that body positioning in the water during the pull and then copy that feeling in the swim. Adjust your kick to make the body positioning happen. 30 sec. rest between 75s.

600 yrds

24 x 25-- sprint kick 2 x 25s, moderate swim 25, sprint swim 25, then repeat this until all 24 are done. 30 rest on the kicks 15 sec. rest on all swims.

800 yrds

*Note: If you are doing the Iron man or you are training for a long swim keep going in the work out. The rest of you cool down with a 200 easy and get out here.

1st Group Total Yards: 2800 yrds

*Note: If you have an event this week sometime, adjust the workout so you are not doing so much kicking. In place of kick, do drill and stay long. It's ok to do the kick in the warm up but do minimal kicking throughout this workout.  We do not want to exhaust your legs before your event.

5 x 200 pull with paddles, if you can find some. I want you guys to work on staying long and finding a good solid kick that keeps you up in the water, but does not exhaust you. These need to be hard. I want you to leave on 3:30 MAKE THESE! Just cause I am not there does not mean i'm not watching. Mwahaha!

1000 yrds

200 easy warm down.

200 yrds

Good luck

4000 yrds

*Note: Those of you doing the iron man it is more important that you do the last set then some of the others. If you find that you are running out of time skip something and get to the 5 x 200s.

Monday's Wokout--STAY RELAXED--

I will often have swimmers ask me why their shoulders and neck get really tight when they do more than 100 yards. My answer is always the same--RELAX. Swimming is like any other endurance sport out there you must stay relaxed and have good form to swim efficiently for long distances. If you are a runner or a cyclist, just think about mile 6 of a long run or mile 30 in a long bike.  Do you shorten your stride or tighten your upper body on the bike? No! You try and stay relaxed and  lengthen your stride. There is nothing different in swimming. When things start to feel tight and your muscles begin to shorten your stroke, force yourself to stay long and relaxed. At first this will seem like it takes more energy, but in the end you will find that rhythm and you will save yourself a lot of energy which will be needed at the end of the race.  To practice staying long and not shortening up, make sure to breath every three strokes. Breathing every three strokes allows you time to focus on staying long with out the constant interruption of breathing every other stroke. Breathing every third stroke will help your stroke become more balanced and long, as breathing often shortens your stroke. You may also work on this by counting your strokes per 25 and trying each 25 to beat the last 25. By practicing staying long and RELAXED your practices/races will become less of a pain in the neck (I thought that was funny) and more productive. 

MONDAY'S WORKOUT

WARM UP    400 swim stay long and relaxed

400 yrds

16 x 25 count your stroke(keep track and try and beat your count each 25) 15 sec. rest

400 yrds

16 x 50 1st 4x25s breath every 3 strokes, 2nd 4x25 every 5 strokes, 3rd every 7 strokes, last 4x50s just swim normal, but work on staying long. 30 sec rest 

800 yrds

*Note* if you are doing a triathlon this week stop here and cool down with a long 200 yard warm down. 

4 x 200 breathing every third stroke throughout the full 200. Speed is not what we are working on here...I want you to make all 4 200s breathing every 3. Those of you more advanced I would like you to breath every 3 first 200, 5 second 200, and 7 third, last one every third but stay long and relaxed. This set is going to test what we have been working on STAYING RELAXED.  1 min. rest between 200s. 

800 yrds

1 x 500 swim keep this long and relaxed work on breathing every third stroke. Focus on good form and relaxing those shoulders, but keeping a good pace. 

500 yrds

WARM DOWN  with a long relaxed 200 swim. 

200 yrds

TOTAL YARDS: 3100 yrds

WATCH THOSE HANDS

Something as small as hand positioning can makes a big difference in the water. Make sure that your hands are entering the water properly. You can tell if your hand is entering the water properly by doing the finger tip drag drill. If you don't know what the finger tip drill is, it is when you drag, as the title implies, your finger tips on top of the water all the way past your head and into the next stroke. If you have a hard time keeping your finger tips in the water throughout the stroke than you may have poor hand positioning. Another way to tell is if your elbow is entering the water before your hand. Make sure that your fingers (in a cupped shape) enter the water before your elbow. If your elbow is entering the water before your hand then you will have a real lack of power throughout your stroke and a plateau in your speed is almost guaranteed at some point. Make sure that while stroking through the water that you are pulling the water with that cupped hand and not letting your hand just slide through the water. The hand is vital to improving your swim--if you are having trouble braking through to the next level of speed WATCH THOSE HANDS.  

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm up 200 swim 

                  100 kick

  100 pull

4oo yrds

5 x 100 pull (working on hand positioning in the water) 1 min. rest in between 100s

5 x 100 swim (pulling makes you focus on your power stroke through the water apply this concept to these 5 x 100s) 1 min rest 

 

1000 yrds

25 x 25 drill 5x25, swim 5x25, ect...rest 15 sec in between 25s ( Do the finger tip drag on your drills then during the swims focus on your hands)

625 yrds

If you are just starting out or don't have the time warm down with a 200 easy here. If you are a more advanced swimmer and need a longer harder workout continue with the work out. 

5 x 200 moderate swim, swim for time, ect... These should be hard! Work on your hands in these timed swims. 

1000 yrds

16 x 50 kick 4, pull 4, swim 4, Sprint swim for time 4

400 yrds

Cool down with a long easy 200 yards. 

TOTAL YARDS: 3,625 yards 

Good luck and have fun!

CONFIDENCE IS KEY!

Success in swimming is about being confident in your abilities. I know that many of you are saying, "well if you can't swim very well, it's kind of hard to be confident in your swim." If you are confident that you can preform the stroke, you will work to make it happen. On the other hand, if you have little confidence in your ability to swim and preform your stroke properly, then you will find yourself stopping in the middle of the pool frustrated and choking on water.  YOU MUST believe you can do it and then YOU MUST push through the times when you feel like your stroke sucks. Trust that over time, coaching, and practice you will become better and swimming will become easier. By having confidence you will enjoy practice more, it will be easier to listen to your coach, and you will find that you will improve much faster. Confidence is key!

Here is the days workout

                     200 swim

Warm up  200 kick

                     200 pull

600 yrds

12 x 75 -- freestyle 25, choice stroke 25,  sprint freestyle 25. Rest 30 sec. after each 75 adjust the rest to your ability, but keep it at about 75 %. 

          900 yrds

6 x 100 -- one free, one kick, one free, ect... 30 sec rest between 100s. 

          600 yrds

16 x 50 -- Drill the first 4 x 50s, Swim second 4 x 50s freestyle (working on the concepts the drill you chose is trying to reinforce), Third 4 x 50s freestyle moderate 25 sprint 25, last set of 50s sprint kick. 15 sec rest on all 50s except sprints 30 sec. rest on sprints. 

          800 yrds

    200 yard warm down

Total yards today 3100 yrds

   

   

Make sure during warm up and warm down you work on your stroke. Stay long and relaxed and focus on high elbows and a good glide. The 200 kick is with a kick board and pull is done with a pull buoy. Most of the time your local swim pool will have these available on deck ask the life guards and they will point you to them. 

Adjust the work out to your ability by shortening/lengthening the rest time, if 3100 yards is too much or you don't have time for that long of a swim cut everything in half ex: instead of 12x75 do 6x75 ect...