By now you probably have made your swimming resolutions and fitness goals for the new year. If not, there’s still time. Here are some possible resolutions: to learn a new stroke, work on your weaknesses (you improve the most here), work out with a group (it’s good for motivation and camaraderie), try entering your first Masters swim meet or open water swim.
Choose a resolution and stick with it!
About This Workout
1. Easy warm-up.
2-5. Drills and swims in all the strokes. Do the first drill (2) in your worst stroke, the next (3) in your second worst, and so on. For all four sets, advanced and intermediate swimmers should do the first 50 yards as a drill and the remaining yardage swimming; fitness/lap swimmers should do 25 drill, 25 swim.
6. Year’s goal achievement set. This is tough, but try your best to make it through the long individual medley thinking about all the stroke tips on which you’ve worked. The butterfly probably will be hardest. It may take every ounce of energy and courage you possess, but you’ll be very proud of your accomplishment. Get your time at the end of the IM. Subtract 1 minute. That will be your goal time for the long freestyle swim. Two-minute rest between the two swims.
7. Fin kick. Kick an easy 300 yards freestyle or backstroke with Zoomers.
8. Quality swim with Zoomers. Zoomers are great for swimming as well as kicking. They will help you maintain a high body position for these last four fifties. Swim these at 90 percent, accentuating a strong six-beat kick and a long arm reach for each stroke cycle.
9. Warm-down. Easy 200-yard swim.
DRILLS REFRESHER
Freestyle: long glide freestyle. Stretch at the front and the back end of your stroke and try to take the least number of strokes you can to do a length of the pool. Overglide.
Breaststroke: Do two kicks to every pull cycle, making sure that your index fingers are together and arms fully extended before starting the next kick. Glidel.
Butterfly: Concentrate on a shoulder-width entry with your thumbs turned down and palms facing outward. Do not enter or extend within the shoulder line.
Backstroke: Switch sides drill: Kick on your side. See stroke drill and Figures A.5A and B.
Stroke Drill
See Figures A.5A-C. The swimmer is entirely on his side facing right. Show how much your shoulders should roll when you are swimming, from facing the right wall to facing the left wall! Start the drill kicking on your right side with the right arm extended and the left arm at your side pointing backward. The left shoulder will be protruding out of the water near your chin. Your head position is looking straight up. It does not move.
After 12 kicks switch to the other side. Avoid the temptation to throw your head about. Again, it never moves in this drill, just as it never moves in backstroke! This pattern, switching sides every 12 kicks, is kept up the whole length of the pool. This is the best drill for learning the shoulder roll.
A top backstroker rolls his shoulder up against his chin with a circular shoulder shrug. At the same time, the other shoulder is extended down, pulling deep in the water. Why? Because this position gives the body, the shoulder, and the arm greater leverage in the entire underwater stroke, thus attaining more power (Figure A.5C). Break the habit of leaving your shoulders flat on the surface and making your aching arms do all the work. A great swimmer, like a great quarterback or pitcher, will roll the shoulder, getting his entire body into a more advantageous position.
All swimmers—competitive and fitness swimmers alike—should warm up carefully before starting to swim breaststroke intensely or vigorously. Because the breaststroke kick is an explosive and powerful movement, it puts much stress on the knee, groin, and lower back. These areas are very susceptible to injury. Start off your breaststroke with narrow, low-intensity kicks; gradually build up to wider, more powerful kicks.
Workout Theory
This workout was designed with many drills to keep you thinking about and practicing proper technique. The correlation between improving technique and enhancing performance is very high in swimming—perhaps more than in any other sport. You have to get into the habit of thinking about your technique with every stroke. Work hard, but remember to use good form!
TIDBIT FACTS
Health magazine reports 91 million Americans make New Year’s resolutions and 71 million fail them by the end of the first week in January. I hope these suggestions will help you stay with your swimming resolutions.
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