Descending sets can provide both stamina and speed as you build your swimming fitness. This session is great for swimmers and triathletes preparing for longer, open water swims.
Each Saturday I will post a Swim Session, most weeks I will load three options up for you to do. Option A is for swimmers who are after a workout between 1,000 & 2,000 metres. Option B is for swimmers who are after a workout between 2,000 & 3,000m and Option C will be greater than 3,000m.
The inspiration for these sessions came from a former college swimmer and high school assistant coach, Margaret Cyphers. Click here to view the original article.
Option A
- 300m WU;
- 200m K;
- 100m IM;
- 100m Drill;
- 300m (every 3rd length FAST) 30sec RI;
- 200m (every 2nd length FAST) 30sec RI;
- 100m FAST;
- 4x 50m Kick;
- 100m Pull;
- 200m CD (1,800m)
Option B
- 300m WU;
- 200m K;
- 100m IM;
- 200m Drill;
- 400m (every 4th length FAST) 30sec RI;
- 300m (every 3rd length FAST) 30sec RI;
- 200m (every 2nd length FAST) 30sec RI;
- 100m FAST;
- 8x 50m Kick;
- 200m Pull;
- 200m CD (2,600m)
Option C
- 600m WU;
- 200m K;
- 100m IM;
- 200m Drill;
- 500m (every 5th length FAST) 30sec RI;
- 400m (every 4th length FAST) 30sec RI;
- 300m (every 3rd length FAST) 30sec RI;
- 200m (every 2nd length FAST) 30sec RI;
- 100m FAST;
- 8x 50m Kick;
- 200m Pull;
- 200m CD (3,400m)
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) covering 300m (Options A & B) or 600m (Option C). During the warm-up feel free to stop and stretch as needed. It doesn’t need to be a continuous swim.
Next up is 200m of Kicking. Use fins and avoid using a kickboard. Either use Kick On Front (as in the below video) or use Kick On Side (KOS).
Follow this set with a 100m Individual Medley (IM), this is made up of 25m of each of the competitive strokes starting with Butterfly, then Backstroke, Breaststroke, and then finishing with Freestyle.
Next up is either 100m of Drills (Option A) or 200m of drills (Options B & C). Once again wear fins and chose the drills you would like to do, here are some suggestions:
What you do next will vary depending on which Option you are doing but all three options have a set of descending reps. Option A starts with 300m, Option B starts with 400m and Option C starts with 500m.
If you are doing Option C, as you swim your 500m rep sprint every 5th length. At the end of the 500m take a 30-second Rest Interval (RI) and then move on with the 400m.
For Option B (and C after the 500m rep) the 400m includes sprints every 4th length. There is a 30-second Rest Interval (RI) at the end and then move on to the 300m rep.
For Option A (as well as Options B & C after their previous rep(s)) the 300m includes a sprint every 3rd length. Take a 30-second Rest Interval (RI) at the end and then move on to a 200m rep sprinting every 2nd length. At the end of that rep take a 30-second Rest Interval (RI) and then swim a FAST 100m.
Next up is a kick set. Option A has four, 50m reps to complete and Options B & C both have eight, 50m reps. These are done as either Kick On Front or Kick On Side (KOS) using fins.
The final set is 100m (Option A) or 200m (Options B & C) swum using a Pull Buoy.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 200m. Unlike the previous sets which have to be freestyle, the cooldown (like the warm-up) can be any stroke you wish to swim. You can also stop and rest after any length. I encourage you to stop and stretch during the cool-down.
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi Coaching.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.
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If you enjoyed this workout, here is a similar session I published 12 months ago.
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