Set of the Week - November 16, 2007

Set (#1) of the Week (from Glenn)

This set of decreasing intervals can turn out to be quite a challenge, and teaches the swimmers to "pre-plan" their effort level. A good way to manage the set is to swim each segment at a pace that is at LEAST as fast as the interval on the upcoming segment. In other words, when the interval is 1:20, you should be holding at least 1:15. When the interval is 1:15, you'll be swimming at least 1:10, etc.

8 x 100 on 1:20
6 x 100 on 1:15
4 x 100 on 1:10
2 x 100 on 1:05

This is actually a great warm-up set, which slowly gets the swimmers building into a faster effort, and by the end of the set, they're really ready to go with practice.

Set (#2) of the Week (from Barbara)

This is a short go-to set that has become a favorite of our Masters and age-group teams. We use it to finish a workout with a burst of speed that leaves swimmers feeling pumped. We call it a Scrimmage Set:

4 to 8 X 25 freestyle with fins on 1:00 sendoff (:45 sendoff is OK for advanced swimmers)
Each 25 is ALL OUT. Underwater dolphin to the 15-meter mark is OK.
Swim two abreast in each lane. If there is a second heat, they swim two abreast and push off 10 seconds behind first heat.

Using fins does several good things. It lets you achieve sprint speeds higher than you could achieve with bare feet, and this teaches you how to deal with fast turnover and with water coming at you with great force. It allows you to do a set with the entire team (good for team building)... plus, it is AMAZING to see what some of the swimmers in the slower lanes can do when they are put next to faster swimmers and asked to RACE... with fins. The fins create a more level playing field. As a coach, this set is really fun to watch.