An Early Season Workout

Just as the leaves begin to fall and nature takes on a different style and appearance, Masters and fitness swimmers may also be going through a seasonal transition from summer to fall. Long course season has ended, perhaps with a regional or national championship meet. Those fortunate to have trained in fifty-meter pools are returning to twenty-five-yard courses. The kids are back in school, and adjustments are made in daily schedules. With your hectic schedule, you may have decided to take a short break from training before diving into your short course season.

The fall is a great time to “start over.” Establish your goals for the coming months, get back to the basics of technique and training, and build an aerobic base to carry you through the winter and spring competitions. With these thoughts in mind, the following workouts should send you on your way to a successful season of swimming.

About This Workout

1. Warm-up. Do some light stretching before entering the pool. Swimmers often develop sore muscles when returning to the water after prolonged layoffs. Keep yourself loose and limber with a few arm swings, tricep stretches, toe touches, and thigh extensions.

After stretching, spend about 5 minutes becoming accustomed to the water with a moderate effort warm-up swim.

2. Variety set. An important aspect of swimming is training the mind as well as the body! This “variety set” is an extension of your warm-up and keeps you thinking as well.
    The set may be also called double rotation. Rotate through the strokes in IM order: 25 yards of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. Simultaneously, rotate a length swim, a length kick, and a length pull. The result is
    1. fly swim
    2. back kick
    3. breast pull
    4. free swim
    5. fly kick
    6. back pull
    7. breast swim
    8. free kick
    9. fly pull
  10. back swim
  11. breast kick
  12. free pull
    By the twelfth twenty-five, you will have swum, kicked, and pulled 25 yards of each of the four strokes. Tricky, but effective.
    If you wish to use a kick board and a pull buoy, place your board at the opposite end of the pool before you start the set. The equipment will be in the proper place as you swim, kick, and pull through the set.

3. Push-off drill. Virtually every length begins with a push off, so why not start the season with a technique drill designed to maximize your distance on push offs? Keep in mind that in a short course pool, a good push off can account for 20 to 25 percent of the distance covered on each length—all without taking a stroke! See the following section for complete details on how to do the push-off drill.

4. Conditioning set. This main set is designed to improve your aerobic capacity. Commonly known as a ladder set, its distances increase through the first half of the set, then decrease during the second half. The rest between swims is relatively short, and the effort should be in the moderate to high range.
    For example, the advanced swimmer will begin with a one hundred and increase 100 yards each swim until having completed a 400. Then, the “ladder” is descended by beginning with a four hundred and finishing with a one hundred. The total of the advanced set is 2,000 yards.
    The rest interval between swims is 10 seconds per 100 yards swum. So, rest 10 seconds after a 100, 20 after a 200, 30 after a 300, and so on.
    For an added challenge, attempt to swim faster on the second half of the set.

5. “Know the Clock.” In order to measure your progress throughout the season, it is imperative to use the pace clock in a number of ways. Some Masters and fitness swimmers have better math skills than others, but, with a little practice, all can become more effective with the numbers. Those who “know the clock” are able to create additional possibilities for more challenging sets. In contrast, swimmers who only know what the “top” means are a bit limited.
    This set requires a bit of mathematical skill. The beginner, for example, will swim 12 × 25 on rotating intervals of 40, 35, and 30 seconds. To further explain, the first 25 yards is on an interval of 40 seconds (swim time plus rest). The next 25 is on 35, and the third is on 30.
    On the pace clock, the swimmer will begin the set on the “top,” the next twenty-five will begin with the clock on :40, the following on the :15, and the next on the :45. After the third twenty-five, continue to rotate throughout the intervals of 40, 35, and 30 seconds until the set is completed.

6. Cool-down. Swim easy for 2 to 3 minutes at a moderate to easy pace.

Push-off Drill

How does the push-off drill work? Do one underwater push off, gliding until coming to a complete stop. Mark the spot by removing your goggles and placing them securely on the lane rope where you came to a stop. Return to the wall and try again. The key is to try to increase your distance on each succeeding push off. Leave approximately every 45 seconds. Some helpful hints about push offs:

1. Place one hand on the wall and the other at your side. Face sideways, perpendicular to the wall. This is the proper push-off position.

2. Allow the hand that is on the wall to move forward just above your ear. Your arm should be bent at about a ninety-degree angle. Take a deep breath as your hand moves forward.

3. Submerge your entire body as both feet are placed on the wall.

4. As you submerge and push off the wall, move your underneath arm forward to join your upper arm in a stretched and streamlined position.

5. Use great leg force for the push off and place your entire body in a streamlined, straight position (see Figure A.1A). Avoid lifting your head to look forward.