Swimming Workout of the Week - August 22, 2014

What could be better than a FINIS Tempo Trainer for developing rhythm and flow?  TWO Tempo Trainers.

Here’s a 1600 yards/meters set that works best if you have TWO Tempo Trainers, but you can certainly swim it with one Tempo Trainer.  With one TT, you’ll need a bit more time to change the settings between segments.

MAIN SET:  1600
Four rounds of the following:
4 X 50 (25 free + 25 backstroke) on a sendoff/turnaround that gives approximately 15 seconds rest
4 X 50 (25 Karla drill + 25 any breaststroke drill, with the final 25 in each round swum as breaststroke) on a sendoff that gives 10 to 15 seconds rest

Round #1:  Start with a fairly relaxed cadence on the TT.  You will have one cadence for the FR/BK 50s and another cadence for the Karla/BR 50s.  As an example, Barbara (62-year-old masters swimmer), started with the TT @ 1:30 for FR/BK and with the TT @ 1:80 for Karla/BR.
Round #2:  Increase the cadence of the TT by :05 (e.g., Barbara went to 1:25 for FR/BK and 1:75 for Karla/BR)
Round #3:  Increase the cadence of the TT by another :05 (e.g., 1:20 and 1:70)
Round #4:  Increase the cadence of the TT by another :05 (e.g., 1:15 and 1:65)

NOTES:
Take 15-30 seconds extra rest between segments to change the settings on your Tempo Trainer(s).
Focus on FLOW and sticking to the BEEP even if you are swimming at a faster rate than normal.  By Round #4, you should not be in your comfort zone in terms of stroke rate!