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Masters Monday 15 Jan 2018 MASTERS COMPETITIVE A2 COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 2 x 200m  as:

1 x 200m FC as 1 x 50m Kick,  1 x 150m Swim (rest after 200m)

15” after each 200m 400 8 8
MAIN 4 x 75m @ FC 80% Effort 1:30 300

/700

 6 14
4 x 75m @ BC 80% Effort 1:45 300

/1000

 7 21
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m FC ‘Zip it Up’ Drill

1 x 100m BC ‘Slomo’ Drill

 2:15 200

/1200

 5 26
4 x 75m @ BR 80% Effort 2:00 300

/1500

 8 34
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m BR ‘3 kicks, 1 Pull’ 3K1P

1 x 100m FC ‘Catch Up’ Drill

 2:30 200

/1700

 5 39
8 x 25 CH Sprint 1:00 200

/1900

 8 47
S/D 200m + (‘til end) CH Easy, long, smooth, silent swimming 4:00 200

/2100

 8 55+

 

This is a diluted version of the A1 plan for the same evening session. Distance covered is reduced to 2100m from 2700m. The Warm Up and Swim Down are reduced from 600m to 400m and 300m to 200m respectively.

 

Potentially increase the length of S/D given this age group and the need and benefits of a longer swim down.

 

TRT for the 4 x 75ms was increase by 15 seconds for each stroke.

 

Splits only available for the FC 1:15 so unsure how or whether to adjust the rest/

 

They were 3 minutes slower out of the warm up and gained more time on the BR 4 x 75m

 

By the last 15 minutes with the 8 x 25m CH sprints they were 6 minutes off schedule.

 

These were swum in 0:23 for FC.

 

However, there was enough margin to do a swim down in the 7 minutes remaining.

 

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Masters Monday 15 Jan 2018 MASTERS COMPETITIVE A1 COACH & POOLSIDE COPY

From this session plan for A1 Competitive three other sessions plans are worked up to cover a six lane Pool: A2 (Competitive), B Fitness and C Fitness. These are printed off in 24pt for the poolside, excluding Distance, Duration and Total.

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 3 x 200m  as:

1 x 200m FC as 1 x 50m Kick,  1 x 150m Swim (rest after 200m)

15” after each 200m 600 12 12
MAIN 4 x 75 @ FC 80% Effort 1:15 300

/900

 5 17
REST 1 18
4 x 75m @ BC 80% Effort 1:30 300

/1200

 6 24
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m FC ‘Zip it Up’ Drill

1 x 100m BC ‘Slomo’ Drill

 2:15 200

/1400

 5 29
4 x 75m @ BR 80% Effort 1:45 300

/1700

 7 36
REST 1 37
4 x 75m @ FLY ‘Single Arm Drill’ 70% Effort 1:45 300

/2000

 7 44
2 x 100m as:

1 x 100m BR ‘3 kicks, 1 Pull’ 3K1P

1 x 100m FC ‘Catch Up’ Drill

 2:30 200

/2200

 5 49
8 x 25 CH Sprint 0:30 200

/2400

 4 53
S/D 300m + (‘til end) CH Easy, long, smooth, silent swimming 4:00 300

/2700

 6 59+

For the A1 Competitive swimmers the splits were:

4 x 75m FC 1:07/1:08 giving them 7/8 seconds rest. Increase the TRT next time to 1:20 ?

4 x 75m BC 1:12/1:10 giving them 18/20 second rest. More than enough. So reduce?

4 x 75m BR 1:19/1:22 giving them 23/26 seconds rest. Reduce this or about enough?

4 x 75m Fly ‘Single Arm’ 1:22 giving them 23 seconds rest.

In both cases the 2 x 200m was rolled into a 400m without a rest. Necessary as they were getting behind on this session after 25 mins.

For a 2600m swim this came in at exactly 60 mins.

They did a 200m, not a 300m Swim Down.

 

 

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 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 Mon 30 OCT 2017 A (BASIC AEROBIC POST COMP) COACH & POOLSIDE COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 400m loosen FC 30” rest after 400m 400 8 10
MAIN 4 x 100m FC as 50m Pull/50m Kick 15” rest after each 100m 400 10 21
2 x 200m CH as 100m Pull, 50m Kick, 50m Stroke 30” rest after 200m 400 10 28
4 x 100m CH negative split 44/43

43/44

 2:00 400 8 35
8 x 50m CH Drills

FC: Zip Up; BC: Hesitation; BR: 2K1P; Fly: Single Arm.

10” rest after each 50m 400 8 44
16 x 25m CH Race Pace, turn at end and finish ‘Feet On Wall’ Lane Clear or 5” rest after each 25m 400 8 52
2 x 200m CH Steady Swim 30” rest after 200m 400 8 60+
Totals 2800m 1 hour

 

The lead swimmer ignored the rest periods and barely managed the negative split. I should actively monitor the rest given, push for a specific effort or turn around time and make sure they take the appropriate test, otherwise it turns into a 1 hour plod at a Basic Aerobic pace.

Pace/Effort required should be indicated in the Main Set.

The splits were barely attempted. If I am taking splits I should call them out and expect, in this example, say 45/40, or 40/35. This would be easier if I increased the number of repetitions. Next week they’ll get 8 x 100m negative split for FC and CH.

The Race Pace 16 x 25m required greater pace and therefore longer rest. The lead swimmer, who others followed, cut the barely adequate 15” rest to 5” possibly in a desire to complete the 2800m distance. Better that I create more flexibility for the Swim Down and give a floating end of swim target of +/- 200m  Similarly the ‘feet on wall’ is there for a reason – to counter the swimmers who always drift into the wall at the finish. To be repeated and policed!

Masters Monday 16 OCT 2017 A (COMPETITIVE) COACH COPY

Too ambitious and doesn’t cater for the hesitant starts as the competitive swimmers join the late. This can delay the warm up by 5 minutes. Another 5 minutes can be lost in catch-up chatter 🙂 Once underway they swim like clockwork and can often, but not always, make up lost time. The (brackets) indicate where times have been adjusted. 2/3rd of the way through a set was cut and the swimmers given an ‘either or’ option over 8 x 25m CH with dive sprints or 4 x 100m CH. The ‘official’ Swim Down was also reduced, but the 4 x 100s meant they were there already.

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
Increasing feel for the water and design to help you master stroke rate
W/U 1 x 400m FC/BC Mix up as you wish Continual swim 400m 8 8
MAIN 8 x 50m FC

Work on underwater DLK. Fast Break Outs. High Stroke Rate

1:00 400m 8 16
4 x 100m

FC Arms or BC Arms Only. Aim for distance per stroke.

02:00 400m 8 24
1 x 400m Super Slow Swimming – Controlled, feel how far you can travel 01:00 rest at end of 400m 400m 8 32 (40)
8 x 50m FC (or CH and adjust TRT)

Set a target for the number of underwater DLK you will do and stick with it!

Fast Break Outs. High Stroke Rate. Tight Streamlines mandatory. Keep your core braced.

1:00 400m 8 40
EITHER 4 x 100m CH 01:45

02:00

 400m 8 48 (56)
OR 8 x 25m CH (dive from deep end if prefered)

Work on underwater DLK. Fast Break Outs. High Stroke Rate

0:20 200m 4 52
1 x 400m Super Slow Swimming – Controlled, feel how far you can travel 400m (100) 8 60
Totals 3000m (2700m)  1 hour

 

Masters Thursday 12 OCT 2017 A (COMPETITIVE) COACH COPY

 

Phase Activity TRT/Rest Dist: Dur: Total
W/U 1 x 100m FC

1 x 50m FC Kick

1 x 100m BC

1 x 50m BC Kick

Continual swim 300 8 8
MAIN 5 x 50m as

1 x 50m BC

1 x 50m as 25m BC 25m BR

1 x 50m BR

1 x 50m as 25m BR/FC

1 x 50m FC

 0:50/0:55

1:00

 250 5 13
24 x 25m  Pace Set
Set yourself a demanding time to achieve. Try to achieve this every time.

If you miss the time take 25m out and go on the next one.

Next time we do this try to get closer to 24/24

 0:30 600 14 27
8 x 150m as 50m BC 50m BR 50m FC

Odds modest/hard -20 BBM or 80%

Evens Easy – 60/70%

 2:30 1200 23 50
S/D Depending on time remaining)

5 (or 3) x  100 as CH

Reducing pace on each from 90% to 80% to 70% to 60% to 50% effort

 2:00 400 8 60
Totals 2750m 1 hour