Workouts for January 14-18, 2013

Here is the weekly pattern of workout posts for 2013 (comments are encouraged as this schedule is flexible):

• Mondays:  distance freestyle/pace
• Tuesdays:  IM
• Wednesdays:  mid-distance freestyle/pace
• Thursdays:  swim clinic
• Fridays:  sprint-based

***If you prefer a formatted version of these workouts see PDF at bottom of page***

Monday:  Distance Freestyle/Pace

Warm-up-
200 swim
200 pull
200 kick

Main Set-
2nd repeat faster than 1st repeat:

• 2 x 400 @ 6:40 or r=40
• 2 x 300 @ 5:00 or r=30
• 2 x 200 @ 3:20 or r=20
• 2 x 100 @ 1:40 or r=10

Drill Set-
12 x 25 @ r=5
-25 scull/25 glide stroke/25 pull

Cool-down-
100 swim

Total = 3000

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tuesday:  IM

Warm-up-
300 swim

Main Set-
4 x through (1 round each stroke, IM order):

• 2 x 25 kick @ 45 or r=10

• 2 x 50 [25 drill/25 swim] @ 1:15 or r=15

• 2 x 100 swim @ 2:15 or r=30
  • round 1:  25 fly/25 free/25 fly/25 free
  • round 2:  25 back/25 free/25 back/25 free
  • round 3:  25 breast/25 fr/25 breast/25 free
  • round 4:  100 IM

• 2 x 100 pull @ 1:45 or r=15
  • freestyle breathing 3/5 by 25’s

• extra 30 seconds rest between rounds

Cool-down-
100 swim

Total = 2500

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Wednesday:  Mid-Distance Freestyle/Pace

Warm-up-
300 swim

Warm-up Set-
8 x 25 scull with freestyle kick @ r=5

Main Set-
Swim as one continuous set:

• 1 x 300 pull @ 5:15 or r=45
  • moderate effort, breathe 3/5/3 by 100’s

• 2 x 150 swim @ 2:45 or r=30
  • negative split each 150

• 4 x 75 kick @ 2:00 or r=30
  • push 2nd 25 of each 75

• 6 x 50 swim @ 1:00 or r=15
  • descend times 1-3, 4-6

• 4 x 75 kick @ 2:00 or r=30
  • push 2nd 25 of each 75

• 2 x 150 swim @ 2:45 or r=30
  • negative split each 150

• 1 x 300 pull @ 5:15 or r=45
  • moderate effort, breathe 3/5/3 by 100’s

Drill Set-
8 x 25 choice of drills @ 45 or r=15

Cool-down-
200 swim

Total = 3000

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thursday:  Swim Clinic

Recently, I was asked, “what exactly is a Milt Nelms’ Axis Swim?”  Here was my response:

Good question! Milt Nelms is a swim coach currently living in Australia, last I heard. I coached with Milt in the early 1990′s when he collaborated with Bill Boomer (the Axis Theory of Swimming). You might say that Milt was an effective “translator” of the ideas espoused by Dr. Boomer. One of Boomer’s ideas was that freestyle and backstroke are swum on a vertical axis and that fly and breaststroke are swum on a horizontal axis. Milt developed this set during the time we coached together at Willamalane Swim Club in Springfield, OR. The purpose of the swim is to continuously switch from vertical axis to horizontal axis in one set. You might glean further information by watching “The Boomer Chronicles” a series of videos taped in 2000.

Putting this theory into practice:

When I’m teaching this concept to my swimmers I use the following analogy:  Pretend you have a javelin stuck straight down your core, jutting out from the center of the top of your head.  As you swim your body rotates around this long axis, or javelin, if you will.  Toes point to one end of the pool, javelin tip orients to opposite end.  The idea is to keep your entire body in a long, firm line, including your head, even as you roll your body to breathe.

With this image vivid in your mind:

Swim 4 x 25 freestyle @ r=10 (easy-moderate)
Swim 4 x 25 backstroke @ r=15 (easy-moderate)

The fastest long-axis swimmers keep with their bodies in a straight line, on the axis.  Also, there is neither movement along the horizontal axis nor any up/down movements; all parts are focused on straight forward movement along the line.

Common Stroke Flaws:

Hands that enter across the center line (i.e., crossing over the body’s center line upon entry) force the hips off the line in a counter balancing fashion.  Heads that return too deeply to the water after a breath cause movement off the line:  the body bounces back up in reaction to the head being forced down and off the line.

Drills to reinforce the long axis:

• 10-beat freestyle
• 10-beat backstroke
• 10-beat corkscrew
• single-arm freestyle
• single-arm backstroke
• rotational kicking

Drills
+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Friday:  Sprint-Based

Warm-up-
400 choice, 8 x 25 build @ r=10

Warm-up Set-
4 x 100 swim @ 2:00 or r=30
-push 4th 25
-push 3rd 25
-push 2nd 25
-push 1st and 4th 25’s

Pull Set-
400 pull:  breathe every 3rd stroke

Main Set-
4 x through:

• 4 x 50 swim @ 1:30 or r=45
  • maximum speed on 1st 12.5, easy 37.5
  • maximum speed on 1st 25, easy 25
  • maximum speed on 1st 37.5, easy 12.5
  • maximum speed on 50
• 1 x 100 easy @ 3:00

Total = 2600

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

January 14-18, 2013