Timing and catch are part of what separate the average swimmer with the superstars. Of course, there’s talent and hard work, too, but talent means nothing without hard work. Talent, hard work, and the right mindset. Well, there are a lot things that go into making a superstar. The likelihood of me ever being a superstar swimmer . . . Well, those days have pretty much sailed. And they may never have been. (Shrug) I’ve always been a strong swimmer, and I love it, which is why I keep doing it.
However, that doesn’t mean that I can’t improve my own metrics. That’s why I work on stroke technique. It’s amazing how basic drills can help your stroke technique and ultimately improve your times. That’s where I was today. Since I swam with SCAQ on Monday, I decided to focus on backstroke a bit today. It helped. My last 25 sprints were :18, which is better than I’ve done for a few months.
Tomorrow is sprint day, so be prepared.
55-minute swim workout, stroke technique
500 warmup (~7:15 min)
Warmup set (600 yds, 12 min)
4 x 50 on 1:00
25 back drill/25 back
4 x 50 on 1:00
25 catch-up free drill/25 free
4 x 50 on 1:00
Odds: 25 back drill/25 back
Evens: 25 catch-up free drill/25 free
Main set (1500 yds, 26 min)
Set 1 (500 yds, 7:55 min)
5 x 100 on 1:35
1: all free
2-4: replace one 25 of free with back until the entire 100 is back
50 easy
Set 2 (400 yds, 8 min)
4 x 50 on 1:00
Odds: 25 back drill/25 back
Evens: sprint back
4 x 50 on 1:00
Odds: 25 catch-up free drill/25 free
Evens: sprint free
50 easy
Set 3 (400 yds, 7 min)
4 x 25 back drill on :30
100 sprint back on 1:30
4 x 25 free catch-up drill on :30
100 sprint free on 1:30
50 easy
Bonus set (100 yds, 2 min)
4 x sprint back on :30
200 warm down
Total yards: 2850
