Swimming Set of the Week - September 21, 2012

Calling all lane leaders!  Here's a set that Barbara gave to her masters swimmers on two consecutive days.  On day #2, the set was new to some swimmers, but not to those who had been there the previous day.  To avoid doing the set in the exact same way on day #2, lane leaders stepped up and quickly devised new ways to do the set.   Below are some of their suggestions.  How would YOU handle the set for your lane?

25 Fly
50 Back
75 Breast
100 Free
75 Fly
50 Back
25 Breast

25 Free
50 Fly
75 Back
100 Breast
75 Free
50 Fly
25 Back

25 Breast
50 Free
75 Fly
100 Back
75 Breast
50 Free
25 Fly

25 Back
50 Breast
75 Free
100 Fly
75 Back
50 Breast
25 Free

Option #1 (Barbara's original concept):  Everything is on a 30-second base per 25, i.e., 25s are on :30, 50s are on 1:00, 75s are on 1:30, 100s are on 2:00.  No extra rest breaks.  The space breaks after each 400-yard segment are meant to make the set easier to "conceptualize."  We did take an extra 15 seconds rest just before the final 25 Free, which we turned into a sprint to the finish.   Some swimmers wore fins; some did not.

Option #2 (AlphaFish concept):  Swim it as shown, but as 4 X 400 on roughly a 6:00 sendoff/turnaround.  

Option #3 (Beginner Lane concept):  Wear fins and do only the first 3 "columns."   Everything is on a 45-second base per 25.    Swim the butterfly lengths as 3 strokes of butterfly, then finish the length with freestyle.  

Option #4 (Breakdown Lane concept):  If you have a shoulder injury, this makes a good kick set, with everything on a 30-second base per 25.  Great kickers use no fins.  Lesser kickers wear fins and substitute dolphin kick for breaststroke kick.