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 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 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)

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 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

Feel the Water, Scull the Water

Two weeks ago I introduced sculling to my Swim Yoga class. It was frustrating to many of my students because it was their initial attempt at sculling. When first sculling, you may feel like you're not moving and, unfortunately, that is EXACTLY why you need to scull. Sculling helps you to feel the water, to build sensory awareness.

A good sculling drill to start with is the kickboard sculling drill, as it allows you plenty of oxygen and doesn't distract you with the additional element of kicking. In this drill, you will sit on the kickboard and try to keep your upper arms motionless on the surface of the water while your lower arms (from the elbow to the fingertips) windshield wiper in and out. Keep in mind that this drill requires core strength. Sit up tall and tighten your abs. This drill can be as hard or as easy as you make it - challenge yourself by keeping your muscles taut.

Workout of the Week

300 freestyle warm up

10x50 flutter kick on side
10x25 flutter kick on back (sprint)

10x50 dolphin kick on front
10x25 dolphin kick on back (sprint)

100 freestyle easy

9x100 freestyle (slow, medium, fast, slow, medium, fast, slow, medium, fast)

100 breaststroke easy

9x100 IM (slow, medium, fast, slow, medium, fast, slow, medium, fast)

200 breaststroke easy

200 freestyle easy