Swimming Set of the Week - April 3, 2009

Are you tough enuf for the Harvard women's water-polo workout?

Last weekend I attended one of the largest Masters meets ever -- the New England Masters SCY Championships -- held at Harvard University in Boston.  On Sunday afternoon, we had to clear out of four of the warmup lanes so that the Harvard women's water-polo team could practice.  Wow.   These young women went non-stop, in formation, for more than an hour, doing sets and drills that made my legs ache just watching them.  I caught just a few of their drills and made up a set.   The women were taking about 10 seconds rest between 100s, and it looked like they did a couple of rounds.    All of this was before they brought out the water-polo balls and started doing drills with those.  Good luck.. and don't forget to do flip turns on ALL the turns.

1 X 100 heads-up freestyle
1 X 100 heads-up eggbeater kick with breaststroke arms
1 X 100 heads-up freestyle
1 X 100 "water-polo IM"  (25 fly with breaststroke kick + 25 backstroke with head out of the water + 25 eggbeater breast + 25 heads-up freestyle)  
1 X 100 kick on your stomach (choice of breast or flutter)
1 X 100 sculling on your side, feet going first.  Do a scissors kick with your legs while simultaneously sculling with the hands (hands are above the head)
1 X 100 heads-up eggbeater kick with breaststroke arms.  Every 5 yards or so do an aggressive REVERSE of directions, throwing yourself onto your back, then get back onto your stomach and resume eggbeater, etc.