Fun 50s Workout for Swimmers

Underwater view of swimmers in pool

 

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This swim workout will be fun for some swimmers if you consider hard work fun. One of the goals of the workout is to mix up the efforts quite a bit. Some of the swims are at a swimmer's best effort, and some are easy, and some are in-between. Do your best to go fast when it is time to go fast and to go easy when it is time to go easy. Have fun with the workout!

Warm-up

  • 2 x 200 (:15 Swim and drill mix—Do drills for technique practice for one length, then swim for one length, then repeat.
  • 8 x 50 (:15 Kick—Alternate one 50 easy effort and one 50 moderate effort.
  • 4 x 100 (:15 Pull—Alternate one 50 easy effort and one 50 moderate effort.
  • Take a minute or two of extra rest, sip some water or sports drink, and get ready for the main set.

Main Set

  • 4 x 50 (:20 Swim—Faster effort on each, start at about 90% effort, increase to the 4th swim at 100% effort.
  • 2 x 25 (:30 Swim—Very Fast.
  • 1 x 50 (:30 Swim—Very easy.
  • 4 x 50 (:20 Swim—Alternate one 50 very fast, one 50 very easy.
  • 2 x 25 (:30 Swim—Very Fast.
  • 1 x 50 (:30 Swim—Very easy.
  • 4 x 50 (:20 Swim—First 50 as fast as you can go, then go each subsequent 50 slightly easier, but never easy!
  • 2 x 25 (:30 Swim—Very Fast.
  • 1 x 50 (:30 Swim—Very easy.
  • 4 x 50 (:20 Swim—Alternate effort by 25s; swim the first 25 at maximum effort, swim the second 25 at minimum effort.
  • 2 x 25 (:30 Swim—Very Fast.
  • 1 x 50 (:30 Swim—Very easy.
  • 4 x 50 (:20 Swim—Alternate effort by 25s; swim the first 25 at a moderate effort, swim the second 25 at maximum effort.
  • 2 x 25 (:30 Swim—Very Fast.
  • 1 x 50 (:30 Swim—Very easy.
  • 4 x 50 (1:00 Swim—Best possible effort on each swim.
  • 1 x 100 Swim—Very easy cool-down.
  • TOTAL DISTANCE = 3,000

Theory

This workout is designed to take between 75 minutes and 90 minutes. If that is too much time or distance, then cut things out, but do not always cut out the same thing every workout. And never skip the loosen at the end of the workout. Use that as one last bit of technique work before you leave the swimming pool at the end of the workout.

After the description of the set, there is a number in a half-parentheses, like this: (:30—that is how much rest you get after each swim. For example, 6 x 100 (:30 means you are to swim a 100 (yards or meters), rest 30-seconds, then repeat five more times.

There is nothing special about these swim practice sessions other than what you bring to them. Lots of freedom here. You control how hard or fast you swim and what swim strokes you want to use while swimming the workouts. Normally the amount of rest per swim will limit your top-end speed on a workout, but that does not mean go as fast as you can all of the time. A few guidelines:

  • The more rest you get, the faster the swim.
  • The early parts of a workout should always be easy to moderate and very deliberate.
  • Concentrate on using your best swimming technique.
  • Stop the workout if you are too tired and go for it again in the future. You will only improve by recovering from the workouts you do, not by pushing yourself when you are already exhausted.
  • Have fun!
  • Change up your strokes from time to time, try new things, and don't get caught in a rut.

Each workout has:

  1. A warm-up
  2. Stroke drills or swimming technique work
  3. Kicking
  4. Pulling
  5. A main set
  6. A cool-down