Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Legs

Warmup

300 loosen

12 X 50 alt. K/S, S/K

Main Set

1 X 25 Kick BLAST @ :30

4 X 100 Kick @ 1:30-50 

5 X 25 @ 45 strong, emphasize leaving wall, underwater kicking and connecting kick to stroke

1 X 50 Kick BLAST @ 45

4 X 75 Kick @ 1:15-45

4 X 25 @ 45 same as above

1 X 75 Kick BLAST @ 1:15

4 X 50 Kick @ 45/50

3 X 25 @ 45 same as above

1 X 100 Kick BLAST

4 X 25 @ 45 same as above

Notes: rotating through a progression that starts with a single BLAST kick to spike the HR up to above 30, then you settle into some strong, consistent kicks, followed by some 25's where you will get some rest so that you can execute a good wall, underwater kicking, and connecting the kick to the arms.

Feel free to kick w/ no board or kick your stroke

Practice - 1/2/14

Practice from 1/2/14 (standout practice of the week)

 

It's been a little while since I have posted some things on this blog, I have been accumulating some more thoughts and this blog will be a little busier starting now.

To start, we just got back from an excellent training trip in which we were able to train, bond, and get away from the Michigan snow. Here is the workout that stands out from the rest. The reason it stood out from the rest is that it was fast, enthusiastic, and swum with a purpose. On top of that it was at the end of the week. Believe it or not, we were one of the only teams, if not the only team that did not do doubles the entire week. I told the team that just because we are in Florida and on break does not mean we can throw smart training principles out the window. There still needs to be space between sessions and efforts to allow the body to adapt. Starting to get into another post I'll expand upon later, here is the workout:

We had two groups, the short FR/IM/Stroke (Group A) and the long FR/IM groups (group B):

We alternated groups as follows:

Group A did 3 rounds of {1 X 50 @ 60 + 1 X 75} @ 4 minutes

Group B did 1 round of {1 X 50 @ 60 + 1 X 100 @ 2:00 + 150}

Group B started and and then would have the 12 minutes to recover while Group A swam their broken 125's.

The pattern was B - A - B - A - B - A - B

The B group did 4 total broken 300's while the A group did 3 rounds of 3 broken 300's, the entire set lasted an hour.

I started with a 50 with both groups because I wanted them to start very fast and agressive. Earlier in the year, I would start with 25's, but we are to the point we can reach top speeds consistently in our 50's. Their instructions on the 2nd (and 3rd for group B) swim were to start each swim the same as the first 50 and then extend the speed. Try to piece together a few more stroke cycles or 25's each swim. 

Ultimately, we want to swim at our top speeds longer.

We had some very impressive swims, and accumulated a lot of fast lengths, hopefully this gives you some idea's for your team.

Practice from Monday, 10/6/14

Monday Practice - Great Day!

I apologize for not updated this blog lately.  I have been accumulating some good thoughts and idea's through the summer and the early part of the season and I promise to start writing them down on a frequent basis.

To Start, we had a great day of practice culminating with our afternoon workout.  The reason it worked so well was that we were able to put ourselves in the right parameters, swim at the the proper speeds, and with great enthusiasm.  Keep in mind all sets look very similar on paper, in order for them to be successful, it has to get the right results and that is up to the coach to figure out on a day to day basis.

We did some dynamic stretching, dryland, and then jumped in the water to finish off our warmup, then, we did the following main sets.  We had set times and efforts that the team needed to execute and this set allowed us to do this very effectively.  When you see FAST, there is a goal time/pace that we are shooting for.

Short FR/Stroke/IM

12 X 75 @ 1:30

Odd – Fast, see pattern, Even – EZ

#1-2 = from dive 3 X 25 @ 20

#3-4 = from dive, 1 X 25 @ 30 + 1 X 50

#5-6 = from dive, 1 X 75

23 X 50 Kick

1 Fast  @ 60 – 1 EZ swim @ 60

2 Fast @ 55 – 1 EZ

3 Fast @ 50 – 1 EZ

4 Fast @ 45 – 1 EZ

3 Fast @ 50– 1 EZ

2 Fast @ 55– 1 EZ

1 Fast @ 60– 1 EZ

12 X 100 @ 1:45

Odd – Fast, Even – EZ

*May use fins & pads

12 X 25 @ 30 Warmdown

Middle 4 under :15

Long FR/IM

2 X 200 Fast @ 2:20-40

1 X 200 EZ

2 X 200 Kick FAST @ 3:30

1 X 200 EZ

8 X 200 @ 3:00

Odd – Fast, Even EZ

2 X 200 Kick FAST @ 3:30

1 X 200 EZ

 2 X 200 Fast @ 2:20-40

*IM do 1^st & last 200’s IM or Main Stroke, but do the same, do the Kick’s IM 1^st 100 w/o board, last 100 w/ board, middle 200’s are FRIM

12 X 25 @ 30 Warmdown

Middle 4 under :15

The Need for Joy

The Need for Joy!

In today's world we do a very good job of making ourselves busy, and even better, trying to be busier and act busier than those you live and work with.  I am as guilty as charged, when we great others and hear, "how are you?" the standard answer is a grumble and some sort of "very busy" response.  We pride ourselves on our business so much that we have a hard time finding joy, as it is easier to complain about buying busy.

I am reading a book by John Ortberg, entitled The Life You've Alway's Wanted and came across this paragraph:

"We all live with the illusion that joy will come someday when conditions change. We go to school and think we will be happy when we graduate. We are single and are convinced we will be happy when we get married. We get married and decide we will be happy someday when we have children. We have children and decide we will be happy when they grow up and leave the next - then they do, and we think we were happier when they were still at home." 

Well, how do we start? very simple, find joy today, with the people you are with, with the work you get to do, with the things you get to learn, and the world you live in.  I have some things I am going to challenge myself to get better at and hopefully enjoy each day more.  

From the prophet Nehemiah, "The JOY of the Lord is your Strength."

For more on this, I recommend John Ortberg's book, The Life You've Alway's Wanted.

Wednesday Workout - High Velocity

High Velocity

This Past Wednesday, we had a great workout I thought I'd share.


The Goal: High Velocity, not just trying hard, but true high end velocity and tempo's.

The Process:  In order to do this, it takes time, because you are not going to be able repeat high velocity efforts with any success if you don't have enough time to recover between.  When we are training with the entire team, I have found that I can successfully get about 40-50 high velocity efforts in about 60 minutes.  This week we just have 6 training for NCAA's and we were able to get 60 efforts in just over an hour without sacrificing the quality of each swim.  This is on the high end and we will reduce these from here on out.

Tools:  I use power racks and have always been a big fan of these (it is important not to have too much weight as it could affect tempo's). I use a whistle a lot.  We do 10 second sprints which are 25's for most of them, but I have found they swim differently when they are trying to get as far as they can before the whistle blows vs. just to the wall.  A good swimmer will start picking up if they are a half stroke ahead or behind and more small details than just swimming to the wall.  In other workouts, we use weights to vertical kick, the wall, anything we can think of.

How to do it:  The swimmers have to be all in.  It's all or nothing in these kinds of workouts:

The Main Set:

5 rounds of 12 minutes where each round consists of 4 minutes on the power rack, 4 X 25 @ 1:00 (sprint to :10 second whistle), and 4 minutes of a kick/swim/equipment progression.

5 rounds (60 minutes):

Power racks: first 2 round 8 @ 30 (2^nd round add weight), last 3 rounds 4 @ 60 add weight each round unless coach stops you.

4 sprints from dive @ 60

*start on whistle, sprint to whistle

3^rd part changes with each round:

Round 1 – 4 X 50 Kick @ 60 all out 1^st :10

Round 2 – 4 X 50 Kick w/ fins @ 60 all out 1^st :10

Round 3 – Kick against the wall all out for :05 + turn + sprint 1^st 2 stroke cycles (4 FR/BK)

Round 4 – 4 X 50 sprint 1^st :10 w/ fins & pads

Round 5 – 4 X 12 ½ sprint from mid pool, leave on whistle

Let me know if you have any questions, would love to talk.

How to Win the Close Races

This past weekend was our Championship meet and we saw close races all weekend long, it was a great.  I don't like when I hear how the last 25 always comes down to who "wants it more."  You can't tell me that 2 swimmers of equal talent and ability turn together at the last 25 and one wants it more or less than the other, simply not true.

Here is the trick to winning close races, I believe it is a combination of 2 things:

1.  It comes back to the team.  If you invest in the team, you will have more invested in the swim, you will have more to fight for, it will be more than just a time.  It is not who wants it more, but who has more reasons to get to the wall first.  During the season, never under estimate the importance of getting to know your teammates and making those deep connections.  They will pay off.

2.  Execution! It's not who wanted it more, it's who executed the last 25 the best.  Who stayed the most streamlined, who timed the finish the best, who's hips were higher, who had the better breakout or pullout?  That is where it is won and lost.  That does not come from who swam the furthest, but who swam the best.  Get your team to value the importance of learning the details of successful swimming.  A lot of people can swim far, it takes execution and paying attention to the details to swim fast.

Monday Workout 1-21

Monday Afternoon at Calvin College

Yesterday, we had another great effort by our team.  There are more complicated ways of describing the energy systems being used, but I told the team I wanted an hour of fast/ez swimming, two ends of the spectrum, and nothing in between.  I have gone away from traditional lactate sets like the 6 X 100's on 8-10 minutes or 4 X 200 as I have noticed that although the team gives it there all, the last 3 rounds are not very "fast."  They hurt a lot, and people throw up from time to time, but the actual speeds are not close to what we are trying to do in meets.  My goal is to set up the workout so that we can accumulate as much meaningful fast swims as possible where the speed, tempo, and enthusiasm mimic a meet situation.  It is also important to note that you need to give your athletes adaquate time between these type of workouts so the body and mind can respond properly, we will do this type of set twice a week.

To start, we did 10 minutes of dynamic stretching with poles and mats, 10 minutes of boxing with a partner (this could be the best thing we do), and 10 minutes of Med balls both light (10 lbs. and heavy 40 lbs.)  We do some power cleans with a throws that work really well.

About a 1000 yards to warmup after that, nothing fancy:

Main Set:

6 rounds:

4 X 25 @ 20 (1st 25 from dive)

100 EZ @ 2 minutes or there abouts

2 X 50 @ 45 

100 EZ @ 2 minutes or there abouts

1 X 100 @ 1:30 FR with fins & paddles

100 EZ @ 2:30ish

Notes:

* I had my strokes/IM's do the 1st 25 and both 50's stroke as it made sense in their event lineup.

* The 25's were extremely fast, almost everyone was under race pace speeds, this is the 100 that the team said hurt the most as well.

* The 50's were all P200 or better except for a few that were really cooking.

* The 100's swum very well also, most of the team was right near dual meet times.

* 1800 yards of very fast swimming