Today's workouts are geared toward changing muscle groups and gaining technique across strokes.
Wait, what does that mean?
There are many similarities across the strokes, and training with one often improves the other. In addition to improving technique, you'll also give yourself a break from freestyle and get an opportunity to change up your breathing cadence, cardio intensity, and turns!
Here are some examples of improving one stroke with another:
Breaststroke to Fly/Free: Your high elbow catch for all forward-facing strokes can be isolated more easily on breaststroke, allowing you to practice keeping your elbows in place while moving your forearms to start your stroke.
Fly to Free: Finishing your stroke on butterfly can be more difficult because you don't get the benefit of rotation. Making sure you tap your mid-thighs on your fly finish will help you finish your freestyle strokes.
Backstroke to Free: learning to rotate and having proper hand entry on backstroke can improve rotation, entry, and high-elbow catch on freestyle.
I've included several workouts below to cater folks goals, swimming abilities, and time constraints. If you have questions about a workout, or would like more specific to your needs or abilities, don't hesitate to email hello@swimwildwaters.com.
On-Deck Warm Up
Regardless of your abilities, you should always warm up before getting in the pool. A quick full body on-deck warm up I like to do is:
2-3 minutes of shoulders - keep arms at or above shoulders like you're directing a plane to land. Watch this video for a full routine
30 seconds of giant hip circles or full body twists to warm up hips and back
30 calf raises, either raising heels off the ground together, or alternating feet
Deep breaths - in through the mouth, out through the nose
Short Workout
WARM UP
400 SKIP (100 free swim, 100 IM kick, 100 IM swim, 100 free pull)
SET 1
4 x 50 IM order on rest :15 as 25 kick/25 drill
SET 2
12 x 50 on rest :10 as:
1-4 as 25 fly/25 free
5-8 as 25 back/25 free
9-12 as 25 breast/25 free
SET 3
3 x 100 IM on rest :15
Cool down: 100 easy
Total: 1600
Medium Workout
WARM UP
300 free
200 IM
200 free pull
100 drill
SET 1
8 x 50 IM order on rest :15 as 25 kick/25 drill
SET 2
16 x 50 on rest :10 as:
1-4 as 25 fly/25 back
5-8 as 25 back/25 breast
9-12 as 25 breast/25 free
13-16 as 25 free/25 fly
SET 3
4 x 200 IM as 25 drill/25 swim on rest :15
Cool down: 100 easy
Total: 2900
Long-ish Workout
WARM UP
1000 SKIPS (200 swim, 200 kick, 200 IM, 200 pull, 200 swim)
SET 1
16 x 50 on rest :10 as:
1-4 as 25 fly/25 back
5-8 as 25 back/25 breast
9-12 as 25 breast/25 free
13-16 as 25 free/25 fly
SET 2
6 x 200 IM on rest :15 as
1-3: 25 drill/25 swim
4-6: 25 kick/25 swim
SET 3
3 x 400 as 100 free/100 IM/100 free/100 IM
negative split! on rest :20
SET 4
8 x 100 IM on rest :10 as
descend 1-4, 5-8
100 easy cool down
Total: 5100
Loooong Workout
WARM UP
1000 SKIPS (200 swim, 200 kick, 200 IM, 200 pull, 200 swim)
SET 1
16 x 50 on rest :10 as:
1-4 as 25 fly/25 back
5-8 as 25 back/25 breast
9-12 as 25 breast/25 free
13-16 as 25 free/25 fly
SET 2
9 x 200 IM on rest :15 as
1-3: 25 drill/25 swim
4-6: 25 kick/25 swim
7-9: swim
SET 3
6 x 400 as 100 free/100 IM/100 free/100 IM
negative split! on rest :20
SET 4
8 x 100 IM on rest :10 as
descend 1-4, 5-8
SET 5
4 x 200 on rest :10 as (traveling stroke)
#1 first 50 non-free
#2 second 50 non-free
#3 third 50 non-free
#4 fourth 50 non-free
*all 4 non-stroke 50s should be the same stroke
200 Cool down
Total: 7800
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