Thursday, February 10, 2011

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Wednesday Workout

3 x 200 swim (freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke)
3 x 200 kick (freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke)

6 x 100 pull (using kickboard as a pull buoy)
6 x 100 kick (easy, medium, fast, repeat)
6 x 100 swim (easy, medium, fast, repeat)

10 x 50 kick (sprint off first 15 yards)
10 x 50 kick (2 turn 50s, begin in middle of the pool, concentrate on fast turns)
10 x 50 kick (sprint last 15 yards)

400 easy

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Wednesday Workout

This Wednesday Workout is a freestyle pyramid.

300 warm up

300 kick

20 x 25 (5 x 25 catch up drill, 5 x 25 fists drill, 5 x 25 zipper drill, 5 x 25 3/3/3 drill)

15 x 50 (25 easy, 25 fast)

10 x 100 (fast)

5 x 200 (negative split)

10 x 100 (medium)

15 x 50 (25 fast, 25 easy)

20 x 25 (kick)

300 cool down

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Wednesday Workout

200 warm up

4 x 100 flutter kick with board
4 x 50 flutter kick on back in streamline position

4 x 100 freestyle

4 x 50 (first half of length sprint, easy length and a half)
4 x 50 (fast flipturns)
4 x 50 (easy length and a half, half length sprint)

200 cool down

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Wednesday Workout

Firmly established as the trickiest stroke for swimmers to conquer, butterfly is commonly saved to learn last. A short axis stroke like breaststroke, butterfly relies on a teeter totter motion between hips and shoulders - the shoulders come up, the hips go down and vice versa. Often one of the biggest issues for young swimmers learning butterfly is their lack of upper body strength to "pull" their bodies out of the water for each stroke and breath. Butterfly, if done right, does not rely as much on upper body strength as it does on core strength. The teeter totter rocking is powered by the core, a core that helps to shoot the shoulders out of the water so that each stroke and breath requires arm strength primarily for the underwater pull (not the recovery).

In case you weren't sure, this Wednesday Workout is a fly day!

500 free warm up

10 x 75 (25 dolphin kick on back, 25 breaststroke, 25 dolphin kick on back)

200 breaststroke easy

10 x 50 fly drill (1 pull, 5 kicks, 1 pull, 4 kicks, 1 pull, 3 kicks, 1 pull, 2 kicks, 1 pull, 2 kicks...until you reach the wall and repeat)

200 breaststroke easy

10 x 25 breaststroke pull (using the pull buoy, allow your legs a slight dolphin kick)
2 x 25 fly sprint (take the least amount of breaths possible)
5 x 25 breaststroke pull and dolphin kick
2 x 25 fly sprint (take the least amount of breaths possible)

300 cool down


* Dolphin kick on the back is an excellent core workout. To really challenge yourself, try kicking in a streamline position on your back.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Wednesday Workout

Today's workout concentrates on the IM (individual medley). The IM includes each racing stroke: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle (in that order). There are 100 yard, 200 yard and 400 yard IM's. Today we will focus on building up to a 200 IM.

500 warm up

100 flutter kick (fast)
100 freestyle (50 fast, 50 easy)

100 breaststroke kick (fast)
100 breaststroke (50 fast, 50 easy)

100 backstroke kick (fast)
100 backstroke (50 fast, 50 easy)

100 dolphin kick (fast)
100 butterfly (50 fast, 50 easy)

200 IM (50 fly, 50 back, 50 breast, 50 free)

If you're not tired yet, repeat!

Cool Down:

200 easy kick (choice)
300 easy swim (choice)

Thursday, January 6, 2011

What is Swimmer's Ear? And How Does One Avoid It?

Swimmer's ear (Otitis externa) is an inflammation of the ear canal and outer ear. This infection is often treated with prescription eardrops. The predominant, and typically only, symptom of swimmer's ear is pain in the ear. Swimmer's ear differs from other ear aches in that the pain worsens when the outer ear is touched or pulled gently.

To help prevent swimmer's ear:

- Wear earplugs while swimming

- Dry your ears after swimming with a towel or hair dryer

- Use alcohol-based eardrops to clear water from your ears

- Don't use cotton swabs, which can scratch the ear canal and provide an infection site

- Don't swim in polluted water

- To avoid aggravating swimmer's ear, temporarily avoid washing hair or swimming

*Source: Wikepedia

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Wednesday Workout

Welcome to 2011 and to Wednesday Workouts! Every Wednesday Physique Swimming will help you to achieve your fitness goals by posting a swimming workout. This week we're starting with a workout of medium difficulty. In all Physique Swimming workouts, please stress technique over speed.

100 free

6x25 flutter kick on front
6x25 flutter kick on back
6x25 flutter kick on side (alternate right/left)
6x25 sprint flutter kick with kickboard

100 easy

6x75 (25 catchup drill, 25 free, 25 catchup drill)

300 easy