Training Session: Pre Race Swim
Over to Swim Smooth Head Coach Paul Newsome for this week's training session feature:
Here's a great little set that I do with my squad in the week leading up to a major triathlon or swimming race, preferably 4 - 5 days beforehand. It's great preparation for your race:
Warm-up: 4 to 600m easy freestyle focusing on easy exhalation into the water and simply being relaxed
Drills: 2 x 200m. Break each 200m down as 2 x (50m drill + 50m freestyle) and take 15s rest after each 200m. Do this set with fins if possible. Perform the 6/1/6 drill from our DVD Boxset on the first set and Torpedo Kick as the second drill - simply thinking about stretching out long in the water.
Main: 1 x 300m + 2 x 150m + 3 x 100m + 4 x 75m + 6 x 50m. Take 15s rest between each. Perform the 300m at 1500m race pace; take the 2 x 150m steady; then the 3 x 100m at 1500m race pace; the 4 x 75m at steady pace and practice a deep water start on these (i.e. no push-off, just treading water like at the start of a triathlon)...surge hard for the first 10m and then steady for the remaining 65m. Finally, alternate one easy and one fast on the 50m intervals at the end and simply think about holding good form whilst swimming fast.
Cool-down: 1 to 200m choice.
You should find the time goes very quickly with this session. It's perfect for tuning into your pacing strategy for the upcoming event. Give it a try before your next big race, I think you'll like it.
Cheers,
Paul
Here's a great little set that I do with my squad in the week leading up to a major triathlon or swimming race, preferably 4 - 5 days beforehand. It's great preparation for your race:
Warm-up: 4 to 600m easy freestyle focusing on easy exhalation into the water and simply being relaxed
Drills: 2 x 200m. Break each 200m down as 2 x (50m drill + 50m freestyle) and take 15s rest after each 200m. Do this set with fins if possible. Perform the 6/1/6 drill from our DVD Boxset on the first set and Torpedo Kick as the second drill - simply thinking about stretching out long in the water.
Main: 1 x 300m + 2 x 150m + 3 x 100m + 4 x 75m + 6 x 50m. Take 15s rest between each. Perform the 300m at 1500m race pace; take the 2 x 150m steady; then the 3 x 100m at 1500m race pace; the 4 x 75m at steady pace and practice a deep water start on these (i.e. no push-off, just treading water like at the start of a triathlon)...surge hard for the first 10m and then steady for the remaining 65m. Finally, alternate one easy and one fast on the 50m intervals at the end and simply think about holding good form whilst swimming fast.
Cool-down: 1 to 200m choice.
You should find the time goes very quickly with this session. It's perfect for tuning into your pacing strategy for the upcoming event. Give it a try before your next big race, I think you'll like it.
Cheers,
Paul