Post some of your favorite swim workouts for the pool

[photosettle]

I get tired of trying to come up w/ workouts so I thought I might get some ideas from you people on the forum.  I'll start by posting a recent workout.

400 warm up

4x100 on 2:00 (go faster each 100 ~ think that is called decending)
4x100 on 1:45 (go faster each 100)
2x100 on 1:30 (1st one easy and the second one fast)  (probably should do 4 here but why should I really when no one is there to hold me accountable)

4 x 75 ~ 1st 25 moderate breathe every 5th stroke ~ 2nd 25 i pretend like i'm diving under waves as i make my way mostly under water to the other side.  The last 25 hard breathing every 7th stroke.

400 swim

100 easy

2200 yards if my math is right

[pdxmike]

Have you looked at the U.S. Masters Swimming website (usms.org)?  There are a lot of workout ideas in the "training" section. 

My favorite (but I don't do it more than once/year):

200+/- warmup
6000 IM (1500 fly, 1500 back, 1500 breast, 1500 free)--increase effort within each of the 4 strokes
warm down or just get out

best to do in 25-yard or 25-meter pools--lack of turns (i.e. chances to glide after the pushoff) in 50-meter pool would be tough

Also saw that you are incorporating descending into your 3 main sets--that's very smart

[Bocapaddle]

I am a big believer in descending intervals.  It keeps the boredom to a minimum.  I also like to IM sets to do a little cross training.  The other 12 x 100 workout I do is doing one 25 fast starting with the first 25 on the first 100.  The next 100 I do the 2nd 25 fast, the 3rd the 3rd 25, etc for three cycles.  Simple, but it mixes it up a little.

Have fun.

[Skate]

I have so many swim workouts. I swam and played water polo all threw high school and threw college.

Here is a good warm up.

Use a kick board and kick a 300. 100 free, 100 dolphin, 100 Brest. Do this 3 times.

Swim a 500 just with arms no kicking. 

Swim a slow 400 Im.

Swim a 50 get out do 15 push up get back in count to five do it all over 10x. Each 50 should be around 30 to 35 seconds. It is not that fast but after you start doing push ups you slow down a lot.

Or do the same thing but do up and downs instead of push ups.

Look up swim golf this is a great work out.



I will post some good distance work outs later.

[Skate]

Just seeing if any of the workouts have helped you out at all

[pdxmike]

Just seeing if any of the workouts have helped you out at all

I do a combination of formal workouts (when I'm swimming with my team) and just plain swimming with no set workouts when I swim on my own.  It's all helpful. 

The thing I think is important is variety.  You get more benefit from breaking up your swimming with different speeds, distances, strokes, etc. versus just swimming lap after lap of freestyle at the same pace.  The written workouts are good for getting you away from that.  When I swim on my own, I don't do any set workouts, but I do all strokes, some steady, some sprints, pulling, kicking, drills, lots of thinking about technique and trying different things. 

Skate, that is a killer workout with the 50s and pushups.  I went to a clinic with Michele Engelsmann--Australian Olympic 50-meter freestyler with family in Portland.  She did a lot of that, ever since she broke her back and had to entirely build her muscles back up from nothing after months in bed.  She focuses on one muscle group at a time, first out of the pool, then jumping in the pool and swimming.  When she swims after each dryland exercise, she focuses on incorporating the same muscles into her stroke.  She broke the Australian 50 meter free record doing that kind of training.

[Skate]

Ya that is a tough work out. I really do not swim like this any more. I wish I still did but I can not push my self to do it. I guess swimming for 20 years competitively kinds of burns you out.