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In the Pool you Fool:
Try some interval training in the pool. Too many people just get in the water and swim laps, or train in first gear. Don't get me wrong lsd in the pool is great on recovery days and each session should begin with a moderate pace warm up and end easy cool down, but you should include a structured interval set as the main portion of your workout. If you haven't been a competitive swimmer at some point and your technique/cardio isn't that strong, no worries. Just get in.
Simple Workouts:
Sprint Work: 25-100yards
*Start out with a short distance, 25 or 50 yard sprints on a regular interval. You really need to hit the throttle, these would be the equivilent of a 40-100m on a track, so all out.
-20x25 freestyle on 30-60 sec {20 total laps}
-10x50 freestyle on 1-2min (if 2 laps all out is a bit much do the first lap hard - 2nd lap easy) {20 total laps}
*The gold standard in swimming is the 100 freestyle (4 laps), comparable to the 400m in track. This is still a sprint, but more of the pukey kind.
-Like DeepCover has said, get your initial time for the 100 free (4laps), so you can crush it later.
-50 free w/ 10sec rest, then 50 free w/ 30s rest x 8. {24 total laps}
-5x100 rest interval 90-120sec (no lollygagging - these should be hard, hence all the rest).{20 total laps}
Middle distance work: 200-400yards
*I always loved/hated the 200 freestyle because it painfully sits on the border between spint and middle distance work, the way 800 would in track. A good way to start doing middle distances effectively is to break them up into digestible portions.
-Pyramid sets: 50, 100, 150, 200, 150, 100, 50; all on 20-30 seconds rest. {30 laps}
-Think Tabatas: 25yards/10sec rest x 8 = 200 yards. After 8 laps rest 90-120sec and start again. {8 laps x 2-4}
-Or 4x50 on 10 sec rest; after 8 laps rest 90-120sec. Repeat 2-4 times. {8 laps x 2-4}
-Or 3x100 on 10 sec rest; after 12 laps rest 90-120sec. Repeat 2-4 times. {12 laps x 2-4}
These are just a few suggestions to shake things up and keep training fun and focused. Set up your swimming workout as you would aconditioning session at the track Break longer distances up into smaller chuncks with short rest periods. Make up your own sets using work/rest intervals to work the desired energy pathways.
Don't be the guy who puts his goggles on, head down, and swims for 30 minutes at a snails pace. Why? To go fast. Be a shark, not a flounder. If you always train slow, when you hit the gas, your stroke and technique will completely fall apart. Sprinting in the pool once every 1-3weeks, even if your out of your element, is just as good as at the track. What the track can do for your lower body the pool can do for your upper body. I like to hit the pool on a deloading week, or when my back, hips, and shoulders have had enought of the regular 3day PL split w/ one day a week running sprints. Plus you'll want to eat everything in your fridge when your done.
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. Gotta love swimming for conditioning.
