Tall Pauls Favorite Workouts and/or Sets

[Paul Smith]

Getting to travel as much as we do we get to "taste" a lot of workouts from clubs all over the country...plus on occasion I come up with something to toss at the workouts I coach.

For those lucky enough to swim with me Saturday (I'm coaching) here's the main set:

SCY
800 negative split (get 400 split) @1:00 rest
6 x 100's @ 1:20
400IM
100 kick for time

400 negative split (faster than 2nd 400 of the 800, get 200 split) 1:00 rest
5 x 100's @ 1:15
200IM
100 kick for time (different stroke)

200 negative split (faster than 2nd 200 of 400)
4 x 100's @ 1:10
100IM
100 kick for time (different than first two)

[Paul Smith]

Wednesday's speed day (I coached)

after warm up of about 1200yds

SCY
4 x 25's variable: #1 easy to fast, #2 fast to easy, #3 all easy #4 all fast
50 choice for time from a dive
300 hypoxic pull-recovery

4 x 50's descend to 75-80% @ 1:00
100 choice for time from a dive
300 hypoxic pull-recovery

4 x 25's no breathers @ :30
200 choice for time from a dive
50 easy

Broken 200 for time (:10 at the 50)
50 easy

Broken 100 for time (:10 at the 25)
50 easy

50 for time from a dive

[ehoch]

Come on Paul - you can't post workouts like this without giving your times.

100 all-out kick ? (you also have to give the kicking rules you used - board, how many arm pulls, etc.)

Broken 200s ?

You are much further along in your training than I am -- I am just 2 weeks back into it -- my arms feel like bricks from lifting...

[Paul Smith]

Come on Paul - you can't post workouts like this without giving your times.

100 all-out kick ? (you also have to give the kicking rules you used - board, how many arm pulls, etc.)

Broken 200s ?

You are much further along in your training than I am -- I am just 2 weeks back into it -- my arms feel like bricks from lifting...

Hoch, I edited the two wrokouts to clarify...these first two are workouts I wrote and "administered"....I will share some of my own workouts as well a little later.

[quicksilver]

Paul,

Can I ask how old the swimmers are that you're coaching?
That first workout looks pretty daunting (for masters).

Thanks.

[Paul Smith]

Paul,

Can I ask how old the swimmers are that you're coaching?
That first workout looks pretty daunting (for masters).

Thanks.

I'll run 3 "groups" with intervals getting progressively easier from that set...which is the hardest. In that "A" group we will have about 4 out of 8 lanes and 3-4 swimmers per lane raning in age from mid 20's to late 50's. there are some bad ass triathletes in this group as well as some ex-college swimmers.

[ddunbar]

Looked like the makings of a Demont (demented) Series we used to get a couple of times a year. It was always a bear to swim.

1000 get the 800 time
800 get the 600 time
600 catch the 400 time and beat the 600 split
400 catch the 200 time and beat the 400 split
200 catch the 100 and beat the 200 split
100 beat the 100 split

I remember the first time I got through it as a Masters Swimmer, many years & pounds ago. Not in enough shape to attempt it now.

[stillwater]

Saturday's workout looks neato.

It would keep my dog brain from wandering. I would worry about that last set of 6X 100s. I know that they would bite me.

I will suggest it to my coach.

[kristilynn]

Thanks for the workout Paul. It looks like a good one. I'm off to the pool to try it out! I might add :05 to the 100 interval though -- we'll see...

[pwb]

For those lucky enough to swim with me Saturday (I'm coaching) here's the main set:

800 negative split (get 400 split) @1:00 rest
6 x 100's @ 1:20
400IM
100 kick for time

400 negative split (faster than 2nd 400 of the 800, get 200 split) 1:00 rest
5 x 100's @ 1:15
200IM
100 kick for time (different stroke)

200 negative split (faster than 2nd 200 of 400)
4 x 100's @ 1:10
100IM
100 kick for time (different than first two)

"Lucky enough?" How about "deranged enough?" Though I think I moaned through this workout, it was truly gut-busting. I look forward to a few days to recover before some speed work on Wednesday. Thanks, Paul, as we were certainly never bored (nor ever felt like we got to rest)

[Paul Smith]

"Lucky enough?" How about "deranged enough?" Though I think I moaned through this workout, it was truly gut-busting. I look forward to a few days to recover before some speed work on Wednesday. Thanks, Paul, as we were certainly never bored (nor ever felt like we got to rest)

Patrick you are swimming VERY well these days, nice workout today! Unlike most of the others at practice you hammered everything and didn't cherry pick...and didn't fall apart till the last couple of 100's in that final round...but the 1:00 100IM at the end after almost 4000 hard yards was impressive!

[Animal]

We will try this workouts one this week and the other the next week. 100s on th 1:10 at 5400 feet will be a real effort for us 45+ year old, but I think I can make at least 2 of them.

Thanks for the workouts.

[The Fortress]

Really happy to wake up and see this thread!! Thanks for posting.

[quicksilver]

The swimmer feedback is entertaining too.
There's no mercy in Paul's fast lane.

[Paul Smith]

The swimmer feedback is entertaining too.
There's no mercy in Paul's fast lane.

And the world has a funny way of "paying us back"!

When we are in town over a weekend we always try and make the Sunday workout at Brophy (formally Phoenix Swim Club) coached by Mark Rankin...its long (2 hours) and always has some speed element attached to it. Today....after a fairy heavy weight workout (dead lifts) we went in knowing it would hurt...but not knowing it shared some of the same stuff I had inflicted on the Sun Devil group Saturday morning!

SCY
10:00-10:30 is "open swim" (I chose to "visualize" vs. take extra credit yards)

Warm up set 2x the following
150 @ 2:30 (no breathing out of turns)
100IM @ 1:45
6 x 25's kick @ :35
50 scull

Main set
6 x 100's @ 1:25
200IM or stroke recovery @ 4:00
5 x 100's @ 1:20
200IM or stroke recovery @ 4:00
4 x 100's @ 1:15
200IM or stroke recovery @ 4:00
3 x 100's @ 1:10
200IM or stroke recovery @ 4:00
2 x 100's @ 1:05

300 easy kick w/board

6 x 25's kick @ 1:00 (25 fast/25 easy)

4 x 25's fast @ :15 w/fins & paddles

I am now drinking a beer, eating some soup and watching the Cardinals get their asses kicked by the Jets..

[anita]

Your distance workouts are perfect for what I'm looking for. I will have to adjust the intervals and warm ups (I need a looooong warm up), but otherwise these are great.

Thanks!

[poolraat]

Hey Paul,
This looks like a good workout, but I'll need to adjust the interval a bit to fit my speed. What is the target time for the 100's so I can figure out how much rest I should allow?
Thanks

Warm up set 2x the following
150 @ 2:30 (no breathing out of turns)
100IM @ 1:45
6 x 25's kick @ :35
50 scull

Main set
6 x 100's @ 1:25
200IM or stroke recovery @ 4:00
5 x 100's @ 1:20
200IM or stroke recovery @ 4:00
4 x 100's @ 1:15
200IM or stroke recovery @ 4:00
3 x 100's @ 1:10
200IM or stroke recovery
2 x 100's @ 1:05

300 easy kick w/board

6 x 25's kick @ 1:00 (25 fast/25 easy)

4 x 25's fast @ :15 w/fins & paddles

[Paul Smith]

Hey Paul,
This looks like a good workout, but I'll need to adjust the interval a bit to fit my speed. What is the target time for the 100's so I can figure out how much rest I should allow?
Thanks

Hey Floyd,
I'll give more details in the future on the interval options...this workout had 3 different "groups" with this being the fastest send off's. The key here (for me) was to attack right away on the first 6 x 100's and then hold on...200 strategy for the most part.

As for the target times you can certainly adjust intervals based on what your primary distance is your wanting to work on...in this case with my focus on the 200 I first wanted to average under 1:00 for all 20 and that gave me less and less rest as the set progressed with only 8 seconds on the last two. If your more a 500/1000/1650 guy you may consider settling into a pace that right off would allow 5-7 seconds and hold that for the first 10 and then try and swim 1-2 seconds faster on the second 10.

[aztimm]

Getting to travel as much as we do we get to "taste" a lot of workouts from clubs all over the country...plus on occasion I come up with something to toss at the workouts I coach.

For those lucky enough to swim with me Saturday (I'm coaching) here's the main set:

800 negative split (get 400 split) @1:00 rest
6 x 100's @ 1:20
400IM
100 kick for time

400 negative split (faster than 2nd 400 of the 800, get 200 split) 1:00 rest
5 x 100's @ 1:15
200IM
100 kick for time (different stroke)

200 negative split (faster than 2nd 200 of 400)
4 x 100's @ 1:10
100IM
100 kick for time (different than first two)

Wow, I actually considered swimming on Saturday, but had a ton of house chores to do, then did a major weights set. How did you adjust the time (I'm hoping you did adjust) for people my speed?

I was out of town much of last week (for work in Vegas) and only got in 2 swims. I guess I can say that I'm trying to do more of the quality not quantity...

Actually, I didn't even see this thread here until I did a 'New Post' search...I'll have to keep my eyes out on this and watch out for you coaching.

[Paul Smith]

Wow, I actually considered swimming on Saturday, but had a ton of house chores to do, then did a major weights set. How did you adjust the time (I'm hoping you did adjust) for people my speed?

I was out of town much of last week (for work in Vegas) and only got in 2 swims. I guess I can say that I'm trying to do more of the quality not quantity...

Actually, I didn't even see this thread here until I did a 'New Post' search...I'll have to keep my eyes out on this and watch out for you coaching.

Timm, the Saturday workout I coached for sun Devil was at Cactus...I was there mornings all week while Laura was at the convention. The workout you referenced was the Brophy workout form Sunday which I swam and didn't coach at.

Today's workout (just Laura and I at ASU):
SCY
600 swim (mix of swim/drill/kick)
6 x 50's @ 1:00 build

Speed Circuit (first day so pretty mellow, will increase the number of stations and reps as we get stronger):

4 x 25's power rack @ 1:00
4 x 25's bungee @ 1:00
4 x 25's underwater kick @ 1:00

Will do this once a week for two weeks then go to twice a week and increase the number of reps, add a round with fins & paddles, will do some kick only and sculling using both the rack and bungee.