Category Archives for Aerobic

Masters Monday 20  NOV  2017 MASTERS FITNESS B COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: RunT Dur: Total
W/U 3 x 100m  as:
1 x 100m BC, 1 x 100m FC, 1 x 100m IM 2:30 300 300 8 8
Long strong counts per length. Think long push and glide in tight streamline on every turn.
MAIN 6 x 75 @ 400m FC pace over 75m = 80% Effort (?)

Check targets and monitor pace through set.

2:00 450 750 12 20
Recovery 200m Reverse IM Emphasis on Distance achieved Per Stroke taken (DPS) 5:00 200 950 5 25
6 x 100m IM (working on U/W skills) as:
2 x 100m as 50m Fly followed by 50m BC 2:45 200 1150 5:30 31
2 x 100m as 50m BC followed by 50m BR 2:45 200 1350 5:30 37
2 x 100m as 50m BR followed by 50m FC 2:45 200 1550 5:30 42
Recovery 200m FC as:
x2 (1 x 25m FC kick on side, 50m breathe every 5th, 25m FC any high elbow drill such as ‘Zip it Up/Fingers Trailing’). 5:00 200 1750 5 47
8 x 25 CH Sprint 1:00 200 1950 8 55
S/D 200m CH Easy, long, smooth, silent swimming 5:00 200 2150 5 60+

As a fitness group they prefer a choice CH of strokes, less FLY and IM and potentially longer rest. They worked their way through this but were short by some 200m so only 4 x 25 sprints and the Swim Down was compromised to 100m. Next time aim to keep the total distance below 2000m.

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Masters Monday 20  NOV  2017 COMPETITIVE A1 COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: RunT Dur: Total
W/U 3 x 200m  as: 600 600 12/15 12
1 x 200m BC, 1 x 200m FC, 1 x 200m IM
Long strong counts per length. Think long push and glide in tight streamline on every turn.
MAIN 12 x 75 @ 400m FC pace over 75m = 80% Effort (?)

Check targets and monitor pace through set.

1:30 900 1500 18 30
Recovery 200m Reverse IM Emphasis on Distance achieved Per Stroke taken (DPS) 4:00 200 1700 4 34
6 x 100m IM (working on U/W skills) as:
2 x 100m as 50m Fly followed by 50m BC 2:00 200 1900 4 38
2 x 100m as 50m BC followed by 50m BR 2:15 200 2100 4:30 43
2 x 100m as 50m BR followed by 50m FC 2:00 200 2300 4 47
Recovery 200m FC as:
1 x 25m FC kick on side, 50m breathe every 5th, 25m FC any high elbow drill such as ‘Zip it Up/Fingers Trailing’. 4:00 200 2500 4 51
4 x 25 CH Sprint 0:30 100 2600 2 53
S/D 200m CH Easy, long, smooth, silent swimming 4:00 200 2800 4 57+

 

The Monday Evening Masters session at the Dolphin has 6 lanes and 5 standard/levels of swimmer: A1, A2 competitive, who swim in adjacent lanes each covering respectively 2800m and 2200m approx: in an hour; B Fitness who have two lanes and cover around 1900m, and C1 Competitive and C2 Fitness who cover around 1800m. Historically I have produced three sessions, all a variation on the sessions first devised for A1. This A1 session is often adapted from a 90 minute session put together for the Junior National Squad. In this instance they would have done 24 x 75m FC at 400m Pace on a shorter turn-around time (TRT) and 12 x 100m IM. Recovery was over 300m rather than 400m. There was also a skills set over 8m on underwater Dolphin Kick and Fly Kick On Back with fins. This I drop for Masters as a) only one or perhaps two swimmers have fins and b) they hate UDLK enough to skip it anyway.

 

This is the Coach Copy. Poolside is in a larger font, of 18pt, sometimes 24pt and leaves out the last three columns that show the cumulative distance covered, duration and running total time covered. As the swimmers do the set I keep an eye on the time it has taken them and the splits. For A1 this above set delivered to the minute. The variations on this for A2, B and C1 and C2 turned out to be too adequate for A2, stretching it for B, not enough for C1 (though they simply dropped parts of it anyway) and about right, though a more demanding set than they are used to for C2. The distinction between Competitive and Fitness is in their heads, as it is the ‘Competitive’ session that delivers the fitness, whereas too many ‘fitness’ sessions simply get the swimmers wet – like going for a walk, rather than a run.

 

Masters THURS 16 NOV  2017 MASTERS B (FITNESS) COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity Effort TRT/Rest Dist: RunT Dur: Total
W/U 1 x 100m FC 50% 2:30 100 100 2:30 2:30
1 x 100m FC as 1 x 50m FC kick, 1 x 50m FC swim

1 x 100m BC as 1 x 50m BC kick, 1 x 50m BC swim

 60% 2:45

2:45

 200 300 5:30 8
MAIN 2 x 150m FC 70% 3:30 300 600 7 15
2 x 100m FC 80% 2:30 200 800 5 20
4 x 50m FC 90% 1:15 200 900 5 25
4 x 25m FC 100% 45 100 1000 3 28
1 x 200m CH Easy   50% 5:00 200 1200 5 33
2 x 150m CH not FC 70% 3:45 300 1500 8 41
2 x 100m CH not FC 80% 2:45 200 1700 5:30 47
4 x 50m CH not FC 90% 1:15 200 1900 5 50
4 x 25m CH not FC 100% 45 100 2000 3 53
S/D 1 x 200m CH Easy   50% 4:00 200m 2200m 6 59+

 

FC and CH TRT given the same. Swimmers increased these, as I have here. This would make the swim impossible to complete in 60 minutes. They stayed in the water for 65 mins. Having given them 8 minutes to complete an easy warm up this took 12 minutes as late swimmers arrived. The swim was exactly 4 minutes late all the way through.

 

Masters Mon 13 NOV 2017 Fitness C COACH

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: CM DUR TOT
W/U 1 x 200m continual swim as:
1 x 100m FC as 50m Swim, 50m Kick 100 100 3 4
1 x 100m BC as 50m Swim, 50m Kick 100 200 4 7
MAIN
4 x 75m FC 80% Effort 2:00 300 500 8 15
4 x 50m FC  90% Effort 1:30 200 700 6 21
2 x 25m FC  Sprint 1:15 50 750 3 24
1 x 50m FC Breathe every 5th stroke

1 x 50m BC Slomo arm recover

15” rest 100 850 3 27
4 x 75m CH not FC 80% Effort 2:00 300 1150 8 35
4 x 50m CH not FC 90% Effort 1:30 200 1350 6 41
2 x 25m CH not FC Sprint 1:15 50 1400 3 44
S/D 1 x 200m CH Easy   4:00 200m 1600 9 55+
TOT 1600m

 

I gave this to YT3 on Mondays too.

 

Masters Mon 13 NOV 2017 Fitness B COACH

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: CM DUR TOT
W/U 1 x 300m continual swim as:
1 x 150m FC as 100m Swim, 50m Kick 150 150 4 4
1 x 150m BC as 100m Swim, 50m Kick 150 300 5 9
MAIN
4 x 75m FC 80% Effort 1:45 300 600 8 17
4 x 50m FC  90% Effort 1:15 200 800 5 22
2 x 25m FC  Sprint 60 100 900 3 25
1 x 100m FC Breathe every 5th stroke

1 x 100m BC Slomo arm recover

15” rest 200 1100 6 31
4 x 75m CH not FC 80% Effort 1:45 300 1400 8 39
4 x 50m CH not FC 90% Effort 1:10 200 1600 5 44
4 x 25m CH not FC Sprint 60 100 1700 4 48
S/D 1 x 300m CH Easy   4:00 200m 1900 9 57+
TOT 1900m

 

This ran like clockwork. They do appreciate the difference between 80 & 90% effort. By taking splits I can hurry them along if they don’t appear to be working hard enough.

 

Masters Monday 6 NOV  2017 C (Competitive/Fitness ) COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: RunT Dur: Total
W/U 2 x 100m FC  As 50m Kick, 50m Swim 30”  Rest 200 200 5 6
2 x 100m BC  As 50m Kick, 50m Swim 30”  Rest 200 400 5 10
MAIN 4 x 100m  FC       Working at 80% 1:00 Rest 400 800 16 26
1 x 100m  FC      Easy 50% Effort / Perfect Technique 30”  Rest 100 900 4 30
4  x 100m CH     Working at 80% 1:00 Rest 400 1300 16 46
1 x 100m  CH      Easy 50% Effort / Perfect Technique 30”  Rest 100 1400 4 50
4 X 25M CH Sprint. Pure Speed. Longer Rest. 1:00 100 1500 4 54
S/D 1 x 150m FC  As 50m Kick,  50m Drill, 50m Swim 150 1650 3 57+
TOT: 1650m 1 hour

 

Some of the swimmers are competing ages 75+ and 80+ Recovery times need to be greater. More CH as they know the strokes they wish to develop, and if recovering from injury (sports related or not) they need to feel they can pick a stroke or drill they can do within the general parameters of the set. Sprint work is still necessary – after all, they are competitive and in their age group are setting new national and world records!

 

The ‘C’ group can also be divided, not so much by lane, but by the swimmers themselves into either fitness or competitive swimmers. The choice I am making with a mixed lane is to cater for the competitive swimmer, the ‘fitness’ swimmer carrying on with fins, with breaks, sometimes joining late or leaving early as suits their needs.

Masters Monday 6 NOV  2017 A (COMPETITIVE) COACH COPY

This was written to include some ‘Pure Speed’ and ‘Overload’ work for Masters Competitive A Swimmers. The target splits, ambitiously, is what these swimmers can produce on regular 50m swims. With six lanes to manage it wasn’t feasible to call out splits – though this is what would have been required to keep them moving at the required effort.

Phase Activity Target Splits on each 50m TRT/Rest Dist: RunT Dur: Total
W/U 1 x 200m FC  As 50m Kick, 50m Swim 30”  Rest 200 200 5 5
1 x 200m BC  As 50m Kick, 50m Swim 30”  Rest 200 400 5 10
MAIN 2 x 100m FC    Working at 80% + So longer rest after each 100m 35”/40”/45” 3:00 200 600 6 16
1 x 200m   FC        Easy 50% effort 30”  Rest 200 800 3 19
2  x 100m BC  Working at 80% + So longer rest after each 100m 45”/50”/55” 3:15 200 1000 7 26
1 x 200m    BC       Easy 50% effort 30”  Rest 200 1200 3 29
2 x 100m BR    Working at 80% + So longer rest after each 100m 50”/55”/60” 3:30 200 1400 6 35
1 x 200m     BR     Easy 50% effort 30”  Rest 200 1600 3 38
16 x 25m        I M Order. Pure Speed. Fast as possible.

                      Each 25m on 1 minute.

                      Work Hard to justify the longer rest.

1:00 400 2000 16 54
S/D 1 x 200m CH Easy   4:00 200m 2200m 6 60+

Monday evening Dolphin divides firstly into 3: ‘Competitive’, ‘Fitness A’ and ‘Fitness B’.

In actual fact there are 3 competitive lanes, each with different demands/needs, which might divide approximately between age groups 30/40s, 40/50s and 60/70s (80s) with a consequent impact on rest, turnaround times and distances.

When ‘mileage’ has been the drive these differ roughly between 3000m, 2500m and 2000m or less in an hour covered.  

This set was designed specifically around injecting some race pace work, in this instance expecting greater effort and including a longer rest. It was achieved by the A Competitive Lane, with the second Competitive Lane some 300m behind and needing to break the 16 x 25 into 8 x 25m in order to include a swim down.

The pattern of this set, with reduced distances, longer turnaround times and rest and in turn 8 x 25 and then 4 x 25 ‘Pure Speed’ were used for the Fitness B, Fitness C and Competitive C lanes.

To break this down to the needs of individual swimmers is quite impossible, but in most cases they know their strengths and needs and make choices about the stroke they wish to work on. The difficulty is if one swimmer in the lane chooses to ignore the rest or turn around. Rare.

Masters Monday 6 NOV  2017 B (FITNESS) COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: RunT Dur: Total
W/U 2 x 100m FC  As 50m Kick, 50m Swim 15”  Rest 200 200 5 5
2 x 100m BC  As 50m Kick, 50m Swim 15”  Rest 200 400 5 10
MAIN 2 x 100m FC    Working at 80% + So longer rest after each 100m 3:15 200 600 7 17
1 x 100m  FC      Easy 50% effort 30”  Rest 100 700 4 21
2  x 100m BC  Working at 80% + So longer rest after each 100m 3:30 200 900 7 28
1 x 100m    BC       Easy 50% effort 30”  Rest 100 1000 4 32
2 x 100m BR    Working at 80% + So longer rest after each 100m 3:45 200 1200 8 40
1 x 100m     CH     Easy 50% effort 30”  Rest 100 1300 4 44
8 X 25M CH Sprint. Pure Speed. Longer Rest. 1:00 200 1400 8 52
S/D 1 x 200m FC  As 50m Drill, 50m Swim 30”  Rest 200 1600 6 60+
1 x 200m BC  As 50m Drill, 50m Swim 30”  Rest 200 1800m 1 hour

 

Unusually for me this set ran to 52/54 minutes so the distances could have been increased somewhere. The easiest thing might be to increase the Warm Up and Swim Down by 100m in both cases. Or to push the repeats over 100m on each of FC, BC and BR to 3 x 100m.

Changed to the following to deliver in a month’s time: 4 December.

Masters Monday 4 DEC 2017 B (FITNESS) COACH COPY

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: RunT Dur: Total
W/U 2 x 100m FC  As 50m Kick, 50m Swim 15”  Rest 200 200 4 4
2 x 100m BC  As 50m Kick, 50m Swim 15”  Rest 200 400 4 8
MAIN 3 x 100m FC    Working at 80% + So longer rest after each 100m 3:15 300 700 10 18
1 x 100m  FC      Easy 50% effort 30”  Rest 100 800 3 21
3  x 100m BC  Working at 80% + So longer rest after each 100m 3:30 300 1100 11 32
1 x 100m    BC       Easy 50% effort 30”  Rest 100 1200 3 35
3 x 100m BR    Working at 80% + So longer rest after each 100m 3:45 300 1500 12 47
1 x 100m     CH     Easy 50% effort 30”  Rest 100 1600 3 50
4 X 25M IM Order Sprint. Pure Speed. Longer Rest. 1:00 100 1700 4 54
S/D 1 x 200m FC  As 50m Drill, 50m Swim 30”  Rest 200 1900 6 60+
1 x 200m BC  As 50m Drill, 50m Swim 30”  Rest 200 2100m 1 hour

 

Adjusted from 6 Nov 2017 Fitness B Coach Copy. Repeats of 100s x 3, rather than 2. More realistic duration given for 100s in warm up and as an easy swim, reduced 8 x 25m sprints to 4 x 25 IM Order.

Masters Thursday 2 NOV  2017 B (FITNESS) COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: RunT Dur: Total
W/U 1 x 100m FC Alt 50s Zip Up Drill 100 100 3 3
1 x 100m BC Atl 50s SloMo Drill 100 200 3 6
1 x 100m BR  Alt 50s Extended Glide Drill 100 300 3 9
MAIN 4 x 100m FC  Strong and firm, Reducing Stroke Count. 30” Rest 400 700 10 19
1 x 150m Easy 30” Rest 150 850 4 23
4 x 100m BC  Strong and firm, Reducing Stroke Count. 30” Rest 400 1250 13 36
1 x 150m Easy 30” Rest 150 1400 4 40
4 x 100m BR Strong and firm, Reducing Stroke Count. 30” Rest 400 1800 14 54
S/D 1 x 200 CH Easy   200 2000m 4 60+
Total 2000m 1 hour

 

On balance, the swimmers followed this to the minute, though two further breaks of 2 minutes crept between the final 150m easy and the 4 x 100m BR and the Swim Down. To enforce the ‘reducing stroke count’ I should monitor this and ask how they got on and if they achieved it.

Masters Thursday 2 NOV  2017 C (FITNESS) COACH COPY

The club divides firstly between Competitive and Fitness swimmers. These divisions split further, depending on the experience and training level of the swimmer, partly of course by age which ranges from 30-80 years old. Each of Competitive and Fitness can be split into A, B and C in which A can swim 2800-3000m in an hour, B 2200-2500m and C 1700m-1900m. Though I don’t coach them there are fitness swimmers that could be defined as D and E (E being as far as I got and probably managing 1000m an hour).

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: RunT Dur: Total
W/U 1 x 100m FC Alt 50s Zip Up Drill 100 100 3 3
1 x 100m BC Atl 50s SloMo Drill 100 200 3 6
MAIN 4 x 100m FC  Strong and firm, Reducing Stroke Count. 30” Rest 400 600 12 18
1 x 100m Easy 30” Rest 100 700 3 21
4 x 100m BC  Strong and firm, Reducing Stroke Count. 30” Rest 400 1100 14 35
1 x 100m Easy 30” Rest 100 1200 3 38
4 x 100m BR Strong and firm, Reducing Stroke Count. 30” Rest 400 1600 12 54
S/D 1 x 200 CH Easy  or 300m if time 200 1800m 5/8 55+
Total 1900m 1 hour

This group, in one lande, Sswam 1800m to the very minute with a full 2 minutes additional rest before starting the  4 x 100m BR. Instead of adding the rest to the time they swam the hundreds could give them a target turn around. Pace of Main 10/20% up on Warm Up. Take Warm Up as 50% effort, then Main Easy 60% and ‘Strong and Firm’ 80%. 90% is pushing closer to ‘Pure Speed’. 

At these gentler paces I ought to be picking up on technique and providing tips for improvement.