As a coach, I always appreciate seeing other coach’s workouts and sets. I was spoiled during the floswimming years, because every week I was at a new program trying to see how things worked and I usually got to see some pretty cool sets from the coaches I was visiting. Now that I’m coaching, I refer back to those videos and use a lot of the ideas when putting together my workout. But I also enjoy when coaches post workouts online without the video. Good coaches are always looking for new ways to keep training fresh, especially for the younger generation. I’d like to create an online Coach’s Log, where new sets are posted on a regular basis and coaches from all over the world can discuss the sets in the comment section. I’ll post my own today, but hopefully we can start getting some coaches to send in some sample sets.
I like working on 200 I.M. pace sets because it mixes up the 200 pace sets that we work on at least twice a week. The goal of my 200 pace sets is to make them feel like they would in a race and still be able to hold pace. I think this set does exactly that.
Dive: 50 Fly at 200 IM pace @ 1:30
Dive: 50 Fly @ :35
50 Back at 200 IM pace @ 1:30
Dive: 75 (25 fly-50 back) @ 1:00
50 Breast at 200 IM pace @ 1:30
Dive: 100 (25 fly-25 back-50 breast) @ 1:20
50 Free with everything you have left (just like the end of a 2IM)
We did it three times through, round 2 with small fins.
It was rough. Essentially there are only 4x50s at pace but the tight interval effort before that is supposed to simulate the portion of the 200 I.M. that would precede the 50 at pace that I was looking for. The intervals might have been a little too tight but as I reminded my swimmers, “Any time you get on the wall to rest before the 50 pace is more than you’d have in the race itself. Find a way to make it.” On the first time through only a handful of my swimmers were able to make the pace. They were better with the small fins, but still struggled to hit the pace. I added 5 seconds to the tight intervals on round # 3 and it was probably the most successful round but still only a handful were able to hit the pace. I guess that’s a successful challenge set, but I don’t like to put the kids in a position to fail very often. I think when I use this type of set again I may add more rest after the pace efforts.
What do you think coaches?
Love the set, looks like a challenge? What level of swimmers ddi you give it to?
I love the set! It shows creativity and motivates swimmers to engage in each set. As each round goes by, I may increase the send-off by 5 or 10 seconds to let bodies to accumulate more hydrogen ions in muscles. Thank you, Garrett!
It is a very good series, and everybody can get something out of it, I made it with my year group swimmers, but it is a bit much for them and swim it more than once
This is a great set and will be fun to modify to train for the King of Events, the 400 IM.
Check out ProSwimWorkouts — the sessions are in written form, include a summary of set focus and goals. Paul Yetter contributes helpful and challenging information. Other coaches are being added on a regular basis.
@Jakea – thanks for the shout! Yes, please come over to our website at http://www.proswimworkouts.com – we have new workouts daily.
@Garrett McCaffrey – we are always looking for new ways to bring workouts out to the swimming community. Please let us know if we could maybe try to work together on a few occasions.
Garrett – great idea to get this moving in a powerful forum like swimswam. I have a few year’s worth of workouts collected from coaches all over at swimmingwizard.blogspot.com. Smaller scale than swimswam, but most coaches will find at least a few ideas worth trying.
GREAT idea. I loved floswimming and miss the “interaction” between coaches. Hopefully you can set up the coaching log soon.
Garrett
Check out our YNS Sharks Facebook page for the ” Thursday am practice video”
I use it to. Get my other site coaches and swimmers excited about new ways to train !
Oh, by the way you can have a ride in the team van anytime!
John