A Summer Workout

No, this is not Summer Sanders’s workout routine. But if you apply it, you will improve your summer’s swimming.

About Workout 1

1. Easy hundreds warm-up, 10 to 20 seconds rest.

2. See drills for pool and open-water swimmers.

3, 5, 7. Easy kicking to loosen up the legs. These kicks are mainly social opportunities and to break up the swimming, so grab a partner to kick and socialize.

4, 6, 8. Three descending series, each becoming faster, the last being at race pace. With descending intervals on each set (1:20/100, 1:15/100, 1:10/100—advanced), this builds you into the workout leading to that last set at race pace.

Workout 2

(for those doing—or considering—an open-water swim in the summer)

10. A straight 25-minute swim for distance. Start slowly, then increase your pace, finishing off with your fastest at the end.

11. Besides building muscular strength and endurance, these short swims are to practice and acquire the skills of navigation, water entry and exit, and drafting. Land-start each time with 2 minutes rest after each swim.

Workout Theory

This workout has one goal: to increase the distance swum over a set period time. Essentially this means increasing your speed over an established distance, leaving you time to increase the distance of the workout within its time frame.

Example

Within a one-hour workout, you may accomplish 2,400 yards in July, 2,700 by August, and 3,000 by September. The advanced swimmer or triathlete should be able to cover 4,500 yards. Although the total 49 minutes of open-water swimming remains the same in workout 2, the distance you cover should be greater as you round into shape.

One-Arm Drill

The one-arm drill helps teach good body roll for breathing. With the nonbreathing arm extended out front in a stationary position (the arm-in-front position), swim with the breathing arm only (see Figure A.10). Alternate the extended arm each length of the pool. Drill also with the arm extended back (arm-behind position), the palm touching the thigh. With the right arm extended back, you would be swimming with the left arm only while breathing to the right. Alternate sides each length.

Open-Water Drill

For open-water swimmers. The look-and-breathe swimming style is incorporated with your breathing cycle. Lift the head forward and out of the water by pressing down deeper with the breathing side’s arm, then turn to the side to breathe. This press occurs after arm entry into the water and continues throughout the beginning of the catch phase of the stroke, with the goal being to lift the eyes out of the water (see Figure A. 11). When pool practicing, swim one length taking two looks eight strokes apart, then swim the alternate length taking three looks in succession. Successive looks provide you with a good fix on your position.

Technique Tips

All swimmers, distance or sprint specialists, should key on good form. Proper breathing rhythm can help this. Distance swimmers need to have a consistent rhythmic breathing pattern. Choose any one of the following three: (1) every right side or left side; (2) bilateral/alternate breathing, i.e., breathing to the right on the first stroke cycle, no breath on the second stroke cycle, and breathe to the left on the third stroke cycle, thus giving two breaths every three stroke cycles; (3) two right sides, two left sides: take two breaths to the right, one stroke cycle without a breath, then two breaths to the left.

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TIDBIT FACTS

How much speed do great distance swimmers really have?

Mark Spitz, known mainly as a sprinter, missed the 1,500-meter world record by four tenths of a second.

Rick DeMont, a former distance swimmer and world record holder, switched to the 100-meter freestyle and became one of the world’s top sprinters.

At the Olympics, Australia’s Shane Gould, a middle-distance swimmer, won both the 200- and 400-meter freestyle. She showed her versatility by taking second in the 800 meters and third in the 100-meter sprint.

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