Oh, The InZanity!

Although American Record holder and distance star Zane Grothe has been quietly building his sprint speed to prepare for a freeestyle sweep in 2020, his training remains firmly planted in distance workouts like the two below. These were done in the lead up to the Mesa Pro Swim Series, where Zane took gold in the 1500 and 800 and silver in the 400 and 200, performances which put him tied with Chase Kalisz for the Series’ points lead. With a week of sets like these from Coach Mike Westphal at Indiana it’s amazing he even finished the races.

Tuesday P.M. (LCM)
3 Rounds:
2 x 300 @ 3:45
4 x 100 @ 1:15
+ 1:00 rest
Zane’s times:
3:09, 3:07
1:01, 1:00, 1:00, 1:00
3:06, 3:05
:59, :59, 1:00, :59
3:05, 3:04,
1:00, :59, :59, :59

Wednesday PM (SCY)
4 Rounds:
8 x 25 @ :40 fast with 4 dolphin kicks
1000 @ 10:30 descend 1-4
Zane’s times:
9:35
9:19
9:04 (4:31, 4:33)
8:54 (4:27.6, 4:27.3)

We could very well see best times from Zane in Indy, and that could mean new records of one kind or another.

You can support Zane on his journey to Tokyo by following his Instagram and Facebook pages, and you can see more interesting content like this by following Fike Swim (Instagram | Facebook), a proud sponsor.

Good luck, SWIM DIFFERENT! And #traininzane

About Fike Swim

“We design products exclusively for the toughest sport in the world.  We unapologetically place swimmers on a pedestal.  The rigors they embrace on a daily basis can only be understood by another swimmer and they deserve a company focused 100% on helping them succeed.  Whether you’re just starting out or training for Tokyo, we stand behind you.”
-James Fike, Founder

Fike Swim Products was born when founder James Fike put a brick on top of a kickboard and transformed just another legs-only kick set into a total body workout felt into the next day. Since then it’s been our mission to create unique swim equipment with the single-minded goal of making you faster. We don’t sell toys. We create tools to help you reach your potential.

Swim Training news courtesy of Fike Swim, a SwimSwam Partner. 

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Ericka
5 years ago

I don’t know, it doesn’t seem as impressive after reading Anton Ipsten set? Also to me this looks like he is tapering already or doing speed, 25s dolphin kick? Does he actually go down to the sprinters sets?. Anyways he is crazy fast

JJJ
Reply to  Ericka
5 years ago

I would imagine that he incorporates a little bit of sprinting into most of his sets—most distance swimmers tend to. Notice how the sprints are right before the 1000s. It seems to me the goal of them is less to work speed and more to make that 1000 even more painful; simulating the feeling of a hard mile race right from the get go.
Just guess though, who knows maybe he is wanting to test the waters in the 100 a bit!

STRK
Reply to  Ericka
5 years ago

I’m sure the thought is to spike lactate with the 25s then uses the 1000s to work on the efficiency of his lactate buffering system

samuel huntington
5 years ago

zero percent chance he gets a freestyle sweep in 2020.

Swimmer A
5 years ago

I couldn’t imagine going those times. That is some seriously aggressive distance swimming.

Lanolin
5 years ago

Very impressive… But go read 4 Champions and 1 Gold medal and let me know what you think after

Eagleswim
Reply to  Lanolin
5 years ago

Why is that book $67 on amazon? Haha must be as good as you say! As long as we’re recommending swimming books gold in the water is also phenomenal

Springbrook
Reply to  Eagleswim
5 years ago

Indeed, Gold in the Water is phenomenal. Captures the rigors of swim training in a way that few (if any) books manage to do.

BBB
5 years ago

Wiat. Tuesday and Wednesday a week out? Or Tuesday and Wednesday the day before?

www.
Reply to  BBB
5 years ago

Zane said in an interview he did this the days leading up to the meet

Bayliss
5 years ago

I wonder what he predicts for himself for the best times? He seems really happy with the way his swimming is progressing. I am hoping he makes a statement this summer, something like 3:41/14:35 double gold at pan-pacs.

Am I crazy? I assure you, I have my “zanity.”

ArtVanDeLegh10
Reply to  Bayliss
5 years ago

Both those times seem a bit quick.

I wish I could find some of the sets I read Sun Yang was doing in his prime. I think one set was 100s @ 1:05 holding sub 1:00 LCM. Another was 30x200s-10 @ 2:30, 10 @ 2:20, 10 @ 2:10.

N P
Reply to  ArtVanDeLegh10
5 years ago

Stephen Holland (the bronze medalist at the Montreal games in the mile) did a LCM set of 15x100s @1:05 holding 1:00s and 59s back in 1976.

dude
Reply to  ArtVanDeLegh10
5 years ago

Heard Yang went 16×400 LCM, 4 @ 415, 4@ 410, 4@ 405, 4@ 4; heard this from a Japanese national coach who’s best distance swimmer tried to do it with Yang. Yang completed the set while the Japanese swimmer apparently had to tap out after the 2nd one on 405.

If true, which was around 2012 when he went 14:31, that’s pretty intense.

If Grothe breaks 343 and 1440 this summer, I will be impressed, but not surprised.

thezwimmer
Reply to  dude
5 years ago

Sub 3:43 seems more likely. He’s proven himself in short course mike but had yes to break 15:00 long course. I’d say around 14:50 would be a good time for him this summer

Dylab
Reply to  Bayliss
5 years ago

Yes you are

JJJ
5 years ago

Matching your 1500 pace on 100s and 300s is very different than matching mile pace on a 1000. 8:54 is an exceptional time for anyone in practice.

Swimmer A
Reply to  JJJ
5 years ago

Especially after going a 9:04 the round before.

Eagleswim
Reply to  JJJ
5 years ago

Not this again…

N P
Reply to  JJJ
5 years ago

You don’t have to train at absolute mile pace to benefit your mile. My coach says that as long as you’re within ten percent of your mile pace in an aerobic set and are using an efficient stroke, you are training for your mile.

Mike
Reply to  JJJ
5 years ago

Ultra long race pace training, all swimming must be done at mile pace.

Alex
Reply to  JJJ
5 years ago

And you sir are violating the rule of super compensation and overload based training to increase speed. You need to overload the aerobic system, while yes hitting some mile pace to keep muscular system fit, but the aerobic is most important.

No successful distance swimmer does usrpt or whatever the heck you’re talking about.

Mike
Reply to  Alex
5 years ago

Sarcasm

JJJ
Reply to  JJJ
5 years ago

You do not have to swim at your exact mile pace for long aerobic swims to get a benefit.
I’m a miler and have trained with some exceptional milers in the past (much better than myself although obviously no where near Zane’s level), and I can tell you almost none of them can hit mile pace for a swim much over a 500 in practice. Does this mean they should just stop training their aerobic system altogether because it isn’t at race pace? Of course not, that would be an absurd method of training.
Also, the principle of specificity is simply that training for a certain skill or strength develops that skill or strength. In the case of… Read more »

FIKE SWIM
5 years ago

We’ll try to get more of his speed work posted, KSWIMS.

Brock the Breastsroker
Reply to  FIKE SWIM
5 years ago

Thanks. Awesome stuff

Gorb
Reply to  FIKE SWIM
5 years ago

Speed work? Does he do speed work?

Coach John
Reply to  Gorb
5 years ago

american record speed-work