The 5:15 – 6:45am MWF adult swim team that works out at the Sage YMCA in Crystal Lake, IL.
May 23, 2023 | distance, Spring 2023
These workouts are designed to build endurance and speed for swimming distances of 500 yards and greater.
This workout has some negative splits, sprints and fly in it. The purpose is to gain strength and power to your stroke.
Today’s special is a broken mile. This will be on a timed interval. Pace will be basic endurance.
Today’s workout mixes some kick/drill swim 75s with some negative split distances. The main set ends with a choose your own ending option.
Today we will re-test your 400 at the fastest pace you can hold. This new time will help re-set your intervals. Enjoy a long warm up which includes flip turn drills. Then the 400 for time will be the first thing in the main set.
We will keep working on our weak side during the warm-up. The main set has two rounds of 3 x 100 build + 1 x 300 @ threshold pace followed by 2 x 150 mixed swims.
During the warm-up, you will be asked to work on your weaker side during the drills. The main set contains some broken 500s and 300s with some fly and kicking mixed in.
The warm up challenges you to observe which side is weaker. The main set had a myriad of distances and the pace quickens as the distances shorten.
The warm up challenge is to see if you can keep the same stroke count using a 2-beat and 6-beat kick. This main set includes some 600s mixed swims and then some shorter distances at below threshold pace. The workout ends with a kick set.
New drill in the warm up in which you place a kickboard in between your thighs. As you finish your stroke, pat the board. The main set repeats twice with a nice variety of swimming and kicking.
Hey distance lovers – this one’s for you! Get ready for some 200s and an 800 at the end.
Hey distance lovers – this one’s for you! Get ready for some 200s and an 800 at the end.
This one’s a tough one. There is a mix of threshold (EN-2) and EN-3. The longer distances at EN-3 pace will be a challenge.
Negative split 200s is the main feature of today’s workout. To do this concentrate on accelerating the 3rd 50 of the 200 by adding a strong finish and kick to your stroke.
Broken 250s followed by a 500 make up most of the main set today. The last practice you crushed your 400 pace times, so today’s challenge is: Can you keep up that pace for a 500?
I want to call this warm-up the “Swim Back Kick.” Strokes are interspersed with kicking on your back. The main set has a chance to recover and build to threshold pace. Then a swim at threshold pace. The challenge is how far can you maintain your threshold pace.
The main set has four parts. The first is a basic endurance set that uses heart rate to determine your interval time. The second is a threshold endurance set with short rest intervals. The third is a a sprint set with long intervals. The fourth is a kick set.
Think of the main set as a broken 1000. Don’t take more than 10s rest and maintain your threshold + 4s pace per 100yds.
This a a chill workout. There is some distance which intervals are based on your heart rate, a couple of kick sprint and some pulling.
Transitioning into distance workouts, we are starting with some repeat 150s with 20s rest intervals. Drills on board today are one arm free and scooter.
Today’s main event is a 400 for time. This will be used to set your goal times for upcoming sets.
Welcome back! We are going back to distance training now that the majority of short course yard meets are over. The main set has 6 x 200 – swim the 3rd 50 fast. Rest should be no longer than 20s. Enjoy!
This workout features an 800 at threshold pace. This is the typical distance of the swim in a sprint triathlon. The set also includes a country club like IM where you will swim 25 Fly/25 Free/25 Fly/25 Free/ 25 Fly/25 Free, then move onto backstroke for the same.
Welcome back! We are going back to distance training now that the majority of short course yard meets are over. The main set has 6 x 200 – swim the 3rd 50 fast. Rest should be no longer than 20s. Enjoy!
This workout features an 800 at threshold pace. This is the typical distance of the swim in a sprint triathlon. The set also includes a country club like IM where you will swim 25 Fly/25 Free/25 Fly/25 Free/ 25 Fly/25 Free, then move onto backstroke for the same.
Today we will be swimming some shorter distances, starting at threshold pace and dropping the threshold overload. Set an interval for yourself that gives you 30s rest from your threshold overload pace. Drills emphasize a high catch and long pull.
If you like 500s, you will love this workout. There are 4 x 500, four different ways. Plus in this workout, the sprinting is done first so the 500s will be extra challenging.
The main set today is a set of 200s with decreasing rest. Pay attention to your head position. Tuck your chin and elongate your neck. Look toward your armpit when you breathe.
For today’s workout, you can add a stroke for variety. Warm up a stroke or two in the warm-up and then swim one of those strokes in your build-a-stroke by 25s. The threshold endurance set is 250s.
During the 100 repeats, focus on one thing per 100. Check your time. Determine which area of focus helps you swim faster. Now apply that to the set of 125s. You will have extra rest, but the set also requires you to be 2s faster than threshold pace per 100ys.
The warm-up for this workout review the various positions in the pull: extension, catch, power diamond and exit. Then main set includes a basic endurance, threshold endurance and lactate production sets.
The main set starts with a basic endurance set. Think of this like a pre-set. Next is the threshold overload set. Keep the clock going between distances. The last set is a threshold set which may be swum 175 IM with only 25 fly.
Taking a break from distance training, the main set today is a set of 4 x 75 repeats with descending intervals. In between 4 x 75, there is a recovery 4 x 50 in which you can kick or pull.
Taking a break from distance training, the main set today is a set of 4 x 75 repeats with descending intervals. In between 4 x 75, there is a recovery 4 x 50 in which you can kick or pull.
Today’s drill is the finish scull. Start in a prone position, face in the water. Next bend at your elbows, keeping them near your hips. Move your forearms backward and outwards. Recover under water. Keep your palms facing backwards as long as possible to finish your stroke.
Taking a break from the distance workouts today. Our drill is catch up with the stick and without. Keep the non-stroking arm high. Main set is four rounds of sprints. Keep the same stroke for each round. (One round is 4 x 50 + 4: 25 + 2 x 50 sprint + 2 x 50 recovery
Time to review your head position. Is your chin tucked? Hold the paddle on the top of your head with water pressure. See if you can turn your head to breathe without disruptine the paddle. Main set includes an endurance overload threshold set where you are expected to hold your threshold pace MINUS 2s/100yds.
Have you noticed the threshold endurance sets are getting longer and the basic endurance sets shorter? That’s the plan! Look for more threshold overload sets tomorrow.
This workout starts with the hardest set. The challenge is to go through the two rounds without extra rest – keeping the clock running. If you feel like your stroke is falling apart, take a one minute break in between rounds.
I am calling this workout “assisted swimming.” You will need fins, paddles, and a floatation belt to place around your hips. The goal is to feel “light” in the water.
Starting to add threshold overload sets to the workout. For these sets, your pace will be 2 seconds faster than threshold. The goal of these sets are to increase the muscle fibers, capillaries, myoglobin, hemoglobin, buffering capacity and rate of lactate removal. Whereas threshold set will have similar benefits, they will not increase buffering capacity and rate of lactate removal.
Longer repeats today – 500s, We will build a set of 3. For the last one, the goal is your new threshold time.
The purpose of today’s workout is to re-test threshold levels to make sure intervals are ret properly. You will take the average of your 300s and divide by 3. This will give you your new 100yd threshold pace.
This one’s a bit longer. The ratio of threshold to basic endurance yardage has shifted towards the threshold endurance side. Sprints at the end require a dive in start.
Today’s workout has a long warm-up designed to get you ready for a fast 200. We will be taking your heartrate immediately after your 220 and then a minute after that. The rest of the workout can be done at cruising speed. Your perceived pace is basic endurance, 3-4s per 100 yds slower than threshold pace.
This is a longer workout that starts with a short-rest basic endurance set. Next is a lactate production set and finally 1 x 400 + 1 x 800 threshold endurance set.
We are adding on some yards today. The balance of basic endurance and threshold is becoming more 50/50. A short sprint set is added at the end.
Our drill to day is a rotational drill which can be useful if you need a rest bit in an open water swim. The main set includes 200s and a descending ladder starting with 600.
Starting off with a set of 100s on a short interval rest, see if you can hold or drop that pace with a longer 400 at the end of the workout.
Don’t stress about your times today. You can check your 100 times out, but do the rest of the workout on perceived effort.
This workout starts with the threshold set. If you held the 150s on the last workout, make this 4 x 200 instead of 4 x 100 and 2 x 200. Slightly longer lactate production and basic endurance sets follow.
This workout contains a 1000 yard basic endurance set, a 600 yard threshold endurance set and a 600 yard lactate production set.
This workout marks that start of open water training for distance. Summer triathlons and open water swims are coming up. We will take the next 10 weeks to prepare.