Training Plan 100 Sprint
Develop a stronger, reliably faster 100 sprint.
Instructions
Overview
This course is designed to take you into a stronger, faster 100 sprint following a very systematic approach to build your neural and muscular power.
It is suitable for Level 2 swimmers who have developed reliable control over their movements – particularly in spine alignment, and in the technical precision of the entry, extension, and catch because these will be stressed under the more intense loading of sprint strokes. Good technique in these areas will permit stronger performance, and poor technique in these areas will encourage injury.
It is suitable for Level 2 swimmers who have developed fitness to swim 1000 continuous with consistent stroke length (SPL in the pool). This basic metabolic and neural fitness is required for the more intense physical work that will be required in sprint training. The main sets do not require thousands of meters (or yards) as in distance training, but it will require absolute concentration and precise control for about 1000 for each main set of work.
Phases
The course is divided into three phases:
Preparation Phase
In this phase you will gather information about your technical needs, your current sprint ability, and make decisions about your next personal record (PR) goal and your regular practice schedule.
Conditioning Phase
In this phase you will get your performance systems ready for the main speed work of the third phase – you will test your body with each assignment, find your weakest areas of neural and muscular strength and then develop those areas until they are capable of taking you into the range of metrics you will need to achieve your PR.
Speed Adaptation Phase
In this phase you will do the systematic work to provoke adaptation in your body for progressively faster 100 sprint times.
Schedule
The course may take you 3 to 6 months – it is dependent on your own starting point, your weak areas, and your PR goals.
The Preparation Phase may take just one or two weeks for you to gather information and make informed decisions before starting the next phase.
The Conditioning Phase may take one to three months, depending on your current condition, your weaknesses, and goals.
The Speed Adaptation Phase may take one to three months depending on your speed goals.
Your progress through each phase will depend on your dedication to achieve the qualities in each assignment. There will be things in your schedule and in the environment that you cannot control. But you can control your attention. You can take honest, accurate measurement of the assignment standards. You can faithfully follow the steps provided by the course. You can provide your body with the rest and nutrition it needs, then the rest is up to your body to grow its performance at the rate it will grow – this cannot be rushed. Be patient and persistent.
However, if you are generally regular in your practices, you should experience regular increases in ability for several cycles.
Instructions
There are two main areas of instruction:
- how to execute the practice set, and
- how to make decisions in the middle of the set and about the next practice you will conduct.
Each practice set has particular objectives in terms of accomplishing certain qualities and quantities. You will work towards those objectives. But your performance will depend on your strength of attention (something you control directly), and upon rate of development in your brain and muscles (something you do not control directly) – so during the practice you will need to observe and assess your performance, listen to your body, and make decisions about whether to go forward, pause, step back, or stop the practice in the interest of supporting that development in the healthiest way.
Honoring the Copyright
Phase 1: Preparation
Phase 1 Objectives
This phase may not take you so long, but please take the time to gather these important observations and measurements so that you are in position to make wise decisions about your practices in the following phases.
First, you will need to identify the main technical points of your stroke that need correction or strengthening so that you ‘plug the power leaks’ in your movement patterns, preventing a waste of your power, and protecting your joints from injury as you increase the loading.
Next, you will test your current sprinting ability, so you have some baseline measurements to work with.
Then, in discussion with your coach, you can estimate a suitable new 100 sprint personal record (PR) goal to work towards in this first time through the training plan. This will include setting appropriate ranges for SPL and Tempo that you will use.
And lastly, you will need to decide upon a pattern for each cycle – 7-day or 9-day, which allows you frequent repetitions of the work to get the adaptive results and enough rest to avoid cumulative fatigue.
Assignment 2.1 - Stroke Improvement Projects
For your first assignment you need to identify the areas of your body position and stroke that may be vulnerable to failure under the increased intensity of sprint training.
You are aiming for two to four skill projects that you will work on during the Preparation and Conditioning phases, and monitor carefully during the Speed Adaptation Phase.
These are the main areas you should pay close attention to…
Spine Alignment
The head must be in neutral position (weightless head), and resist the strong urge to tilt up and look forward, even just a little bit. Aim with the crown like the tip of a torpedo – I call this the Torpedo Head. A tilt of the head can add 4 or 5% more drag and cause your spine to bend slightly like a banana and this also increases drag and reduces power transfer through the upper torso.
Maintain Tippy Toes core engagement, from ribs through the thighs.
What About Your Kick?
In regards to your spine and core, resist bending the thighs and knees to produce the kick. This will break the core for most people and will induce more drag and negate a great portion of the force you try to generate from that kick. You may consider learning Coach Mat’s version of a very Compact 2-Beat Kick.
Think about this: Sun Yang used a 2BK to swim the first 1400 of his 1500 meter world record, at an average speed of 58 second per 100m. I suggest we have a lot of speed left to squeeze out of an integrated 2BK before we try to fall back on an expensive flutter kick.
Rotation Angle And Recovery
Sprinting will require much faster tempo. Your torso is massive and it takes time to rotate. The higher the angle of your rotation, the further you must rotate, the more precious time this will take. Learn to generate rotational force in a much smaller arc, at a much lower rotation angle. You don’t need as much angle as you think.
To aid with this, make sure you swing your recovery arm wider rather than higher. The elbow still stays high but it swings wide. The scapula (shoulder blade) slides outward, away from the spine. This will reduce the likelihood of developing muscle knots in the upper back and under the shoulder blades. If you pull the arm closer to the spine this encourages over-rotation.
Entry And Extension
As fatigue sets in the natural tendency is to get sloppy with the entry shape and to shorten the extension. The land-mammal wants to emphasize the catch/pull. But you need to emphasize the need to send-force-forward when you feel your power wane. The reason for maintaining a strong catch is to support the drive forward so you cannot afford to let go of precision in your entry and length in your extension.
Arm Switch Timing
As tempo increases there will be two things you must resist:
a) The lead arm’s urge to catch and pull on the water before the other arm is ready to enter.
That faster tempo and diminishing power will urge you to cut corners somewhere – speed up the recovery to make up time and cut off the very back of the catch phase (just before the exit) to shorten the distance. Keep a patience lead arm – have it continue to reach for a grip a bit farther ahead until the recovery arm is in position for the switch.
b) The momentum of the faster recovery swing will push the entry farther in front than is ideal.
Not only will this mess up the timing of the arm switch, it will expend much of the momentum in parting air molecules when you want it to part water molecules. Get that arm into the water and cutting a path ahead sooner than later.
Protect the arm switch timing and the full extension and front of the catch at all costs – this is the most valuable force-transfer moment of the whole stroke. The first way to do this is to adjust the speed of the recovery swing and guard the ideal entry point.
Catch Shape And Pathway
To protect your shoulder joint, it is imperative that you set the catch with a high elbow, a (moderately) vertical forearm, and internal rotation of the forearm – gather water inward, under the shoulder of that same side. Press the ‘ball of water’ directly toward your toes along that side of your body.
Errors to guard against:
- an elbow pointed downward
- a straight arm pull (moving the arm downward like a clock-arm)
- an elbow bent downward (a collapsed arm, with almost doggy-paddle like pull)
- at the start of the catch, pushing water outward with the hand, wider than the shoulder
The elbow – all the way through recovery, entry, and extension up to the moment you set the catch – should remain pointed outward and upward, ready to let the forearm and hand curve inward. Then the set of the catch should apply pressure to the water in only the opposite direction in which you intend your body to travel. Pressing on water in any other direction is a waste of energy and a risk to your shoulder. The position of the elbow dictates most of the shape you need to have in your catch.
For more guidance on how to shape the catch and how to guide the pathway, see the 101 Focal Points page.
Assignment 2.2 - Stroke Tuning Practice
Here is a practice set pattern you may use throughout your time in the TP 100 for working on your chosen stroke projects. This practice is intended to be low physical intensity with high quality concentration.
Objective
To study, test, and improve chosen skills in your stroke.
Success Is…
When you are searching for weakness, you want to encounter failure. By gradually increasing the complexity of the task (e.g. increasing tempo, increasing intensity, increasing distance, etc) you may expose a problem in the part of the stroke you are examining.
When you are working on a particular weakness, you want to choose an activity that is just challenging enough to require your best concentration to avoid failure – where you do fail and notice consequence immediately when concentration wavers. This is how you stay in that sweet spot of challenge, where best improvement will happen.
Instructions
Choose 2 to 3 skill projects.
Choose up to 3 focal points for each skill project.
For each skill project:
- Drill (your choice) for 2 minutes
- 3 rounds of
- 50 fist swim (if appropriate) or slow-motion strokes
- 50 normal hand
- 50 brisk tempo
Or a variation…
- Drill for 2 minutes
- 3x 50 fist or slow-motion strokes
- 3x 50 normal hand
- 3x 50 brisk tempo
Assignment 2.3 - First Test Swim
At the beginning you need to gather some measurements on your current capability in a 100 sprint.
Instructions
Warm up at least 15 minutes before starting the test swims.
2 rounds of:
- 100 sprint, all out
- Active rest for 5 minutes
- 100 sprint, hold consistent SPL
- Active rest for 5 minutes
For the first 100 sprint, you will swim as hard as you can go for 100 with no consideration for SPL or tempo or pacing.
For the active rest you need to keep moving in order to flush waste products from the muscles while allowing your heart rate to come down a little, but stay high enough to be ready for next sprint.
For the second 100 sprint, you will carefully choose a SPL N which you can hold consistent for all 4 lengths (actually, you may use N-1 for the first length since it is common to have a longer push-off and more energetic strokes on the first length). You will go as hard as you can go, but you are to attempt to distribute your energy evenly over the 4 lengths by controlling your SPL.
Measurements
It is critical that you take certain measurements.
Measure:
- Total time
- Time of each split
- Stroke count (SPL) for each length
- Glide distance (until your first underwater stroke)
You may be able to do this all by yourself if you are practiced with using a simple swim watch. Or you may have a friend take time and count strokes. Or you may set up a video camera that can capture the entire length, then you may go back over the video to count strokes and take split time.
During the second sprint swim it is important that you count strokes in your head. Do not rely on a swim watch because you need to know your SPL while you are swimming, not later. This will be the general rule for the entire training plan.
Study: Taking Measurements
The effectiveness of this training plan depends on getting feedback immediately in each swim. A sophisticated swim watch that gives you data on your stroke count after you finish the swim will not suffice – you need to count strokes in your head on every length because this is the primary way you will monitor your pace and quality while swimming, giving you a chance to make in-swim corrections, and pinpoint weak spots.
For more encouragement on stroke counting you may read Why Count Strokes?
In order for stroke counting to be meaningful, you need to monitor your push-off and glide distance (to your first stroke) because this affects your stroke count. Keep your glide distance consistent from length to length.
You will need a way to measure the time of your repeats and splits. If the pool has a pace clock on the wall or deck, you may use that. You may use a simple waterproof wrist watch that has a chronometer on it. Or you may put a kitchen timer in a waterproof pouch and place it on the deck at the head of your lane.
For more on timing you may read How To Measure Time Splits.
Assignment 2.4 - Set Your PR Goal
Once you have conducted your first test swims you have some idea of your current capability.
By taking the time splits, the push-off distance, and the stroke count for each length of your test swim you can calculate your stroke tempo for each length and then get an idea of what SPL x Tempo combination you used for each length.
You may notice a big difference between the metrics from your ‘all out’ 100 sprint and your ‘SPL controlled’ 100 sprint. Discuss the data and interpretation with your coach.
With reference to your past performance, in looking at the Green Zone chart for SPL, and in discussion with your coach you may choose an appropriate new goal for your 100 sprint time, and estimate the suitable SPL range and Tempo range you should develop in order to reach that goal.
Choose:
- A new 100 goal time
- the 25 split time (time for 100 / 4)
- the SPL you should use to achieve that 25 split time
- the Tempo you should use to achieve that 25 split time
These numbers will guide your practice design in the next phase.
But keep in mind that these numbers will likely need to be adjusted as your body gets conditioned in the next phase and you get better insight on your strengths and weaknesses.
Assignment 2.5 - Set Up A Practice Schedule
In order to get the training response intended by this kind of sprint training you must practice frequently enough. And you must get enough rest as well. The best training progress will be found with a balance between these two: quality work and quality rest.
We can recommend two practice cycles. These should be modified to suit your individual circumstances, but notice the spacing and frequency of the practices and rest. You need several consecutive practices – 3 in a cycle – where you can stimulate the performance system in the same way. Too much time away between will reduce the effect. Bunching up work days with too little rest will also reduce the positive effect. So, go ahead and rearrange the practices but provide frequency and rest in well-spaced amounts.
You may switch between the two – perhaps the 9-day cycle will be more suitable to your work during the Conditioning Phase when you have different kinds of practices to fit into each cycle, and the 7-day cycle will be more suitable when you have just two kinds of practice.
The ‘intensive’ sessions refer to those where you are doing the actual sprint assignments up to some failure point, really taxing your muscles and neural system. The ‘moderate’ sessions refer to those where you would not do as much sprinting, but be focused more on tuning up certain aspects of the stroke and doing some sprinting to test those adjustments. You may still do well to stimulate those systems a bit with some sprint work, like little test runs, but you do not want to deplete those systems during that moderate session, because the next day you’ll be going hard again.
7-Day Cycle
A 7-day cycle will provide about 4 cycles per month, and allow for a few extra days of rest and make-up sessions when your schedule is disrupted.
Here is a suggested 7-day schedule:
- Day 1 – recovery practice
- Day 2 – intense practice
- Day 3 – rest day (light conditioning is possible)
- Day 4 – intense practice
- Day 5 – moderate practice
- Day 6 – intense practice
- Day 7 – rest day (light conditioning is possible)
9-Day Cycle
A 9-day cycle will provide about 3 cycles per month, and allow for a few extra days of rest and make-up sessions when your schedule is disrupted.
Here is a suggested 9-day schedule:
- Day 1 – recovery practice
- Day 2 – intense practice
- Day 3 – rest day (light conditioning is possible)
- Day 4 – moderate practice
- Day 5 – intense practice
- Day 6 – rest day (light conditioning is possible)
- Day 7 – intense practice
- Day 8 – rest day
- Day 9 – test swim day
Study: Practice Outline
This training course has a very narrow, specialized focus: developing your 100 sprint capabilities. The sets assigned will be intended only for this purpose.
The practice pattern will not change so much over the course of this training plan. The key feature of these practices are the repetition of exacting tasks, so that very precise measurements of cause-and-effect can be taken from practice to practice, week to week, to see where progress is being made and to clearly expose weaknesses that need to be worked on.
Typical Practice Plan
- Warm Up – at least 15 minutes
- Supplemental Set (optional)
- Main Set – up to 1200
- Cool Down – at least 10 minutes
The basic practice may fill about an hour.
Warm Up and Cool Down
You need to set your own Warm Up and Cool Down routines.
For Warm Up it is recommended that the first 400 to 600 is spent swimming as gently as possible to give the whole body time to lengthen and align. Then the next 300 to 500 is spent with a mixture of intensity – low-medium-high- including brisk swimming to get the body ready for faster movements.
You may read more in Choosing Warm Up And Cool Down.
Supplemental Sets
You may have time, energy and interest in adding another set to your practice. Some supplemental sets will be recommended during the course. You may want to work on different strokes or do some distance-oriented work to add variety to your practices. That is OK.
When working on pool skills that are necessary for the 100 sprint project, you should do that set before the main set. When working on other strokes or muscles for different purposes you should do that set after the main set in order to reserve your best strength and attention for the main sprint work. This other supplemental work might help with your cool down as well.
Study: Rest Weeks
After 3 or 4 weeks of regular, intense training you may notice some fatigue setting in – especially if you have other demands on your energy and attention outside of swimming.
You need to also plan in a period of rest, somewhere between 3 to 7 days long, every 4 to 6 weeks.
To learn more you may read Include A Rest Week.
Assignment 2.6 - Consistent Pace Progression
Once you are able to sustain consistent SPL over the training distance it is time to add a tempo constraint and work through the process again.
Sustaining steady pace under the stress of sprinting – restrained at the beginning in order to have enough to keep going strong at the end is critical for achieving reliably better times.
This practice will test will strengthen your neural endurance even further, preparing you for the next phase.
Instructions
Choose SPL N which you were successful with in the Consistent SPL Progression set.
Work at Stage 1 until you can do all repeats successfully, then move on to the next stage.
Your SPL-controlled swim test in the Preparation Phase may give you some idea of what fast threshold tempo (TF) you may use for this practice set. This tempo should be at the edge of what you can use for 200 continuous swim while still maintaining your best precision at your current skill level.
Stage 1
- Up to 40x 25
- Hold constant SPL N
- Use tempo TF
Use as many practices as you need to reach 40 repeats with 3 or less failures.
Stage 2
- Up to 20x 50
- Hold constant SPL N
- Use tempo TF
Use as many practices as you need to reach 20 repeats with 3 or less failures on any length.
Stage 3
- Up to 10x 100
- Hold constant SPL N
- Use tempo TF
Use as many practices as you need to reach 10 repeats with 3 or less failures on any length.
Assignment 2.7 - Test Swims
This is your next level of test swims. Your measurements here will give you insight about your current strengths and weaknesses.
You may conduct these test swims about two times per month.
There will be three 100 sprints with a rest interval between them. This will test how well you can recover after a full effort which is also an indicator of your fitness level. A great result is when you can maintain at or near your best for all three 100s. Your fitness level will influence how quickly you progress during the next phase.
Instructions
Warm up for at least 15 minutes before conducting the test swims.
1 round of:
- 100 sprint
- 5 to 8 minutes of active rest
- 100 sprint
- 5 to 8 minutes of active rest
- 100 sprint
Measurements
For each sprint measure:
- Total time
- Time of each split (each length)
- Stroke count (SPL) for each length
- Glide distance (until your first underwater stroke)
Phase 2: Conditioning
Phase 2 Objectives
In this phase you are identifying the weakest areas of your performance system – in terms of SPL and Tempo and neural endurance – in order to bring your abilities into range for the main work of sprint training.
To succeed in reaching a better sprint PR you need:
- to be able to achieve suitable SPL range for your goal
- to be able to handle a tempo range that is suitable for your goal
- to be able to sustain SPL over the distance that the Phase 3 training sets require
- to be able to hold consistent (beginning) pace over these distances
In other words, your neural fitness and your metabolic + muscular fitness need to be brought into proportion to each other to safely handle the main sprint training.
Stroke length x Tempo + Strength Over Distance = Performance
These assignments will test and strengthen each of these variables, to help you get ready for the main sprint training work in Phase 3. It is possible that you are already capable in one or more of these areas – perhaps all of them. Yet it is more likely that you have a weakness in one or more of them. In this phase, once you test to find out where those are, you will need to plan your practices so that emphasis is placed on improving those weaknesses.
To do this, it could take a one to 3 months, depending on your goal and what weaknesses need strengthening to reach it.
The good news is that just by strengthening these weak areas you will likely experience faster 100 sprints, even before you move on to Phase 3. This is normal Level 2 training. But, we encourage you to not stop here – the real potential of the training plan is experienced in Phase 3. This is what you need to study and practice because it will give you great insights into how performance works and how you can keep improving it.
Study: Adaptation Decisions
This adaptation response should guide your work in the assignments in Phase 2.
Read about how to work through a technically challenging set in Making Adaptation Decisions.
Study: Rest In The Main Set
It is very important to the training effect that rest between repeats is just enough and not too much.
For most main sets in this training plan (not including your Warm Up and Cool Down and Skills Practice), aim for 15 to 20 seconds of rest between repeats. At most, allow no more than 25.
Read about how to follow assigned rest in Strict Rest In Main Sets.
Assignment 2.1 - Pool Skills Set
As one of your supplemental practice sets, on any day, you may take just a section of the sprint course and practice one pool skill in that section.
To swim fast in a pool there is more to the performance than just taking long, powerful strokes. You have a start, you have turns, you have push-off and break-outs, and you have to finish with a touch at the end. Each of these sections have skills you should practice and improve. In a short-course pool (25 meters or yards) the turns and push-offs are actually the fastest part of the race! Poor or inconsistent technique will cost you time. Good and consistent technique will save you more time than stroking will.
Pool Skills
- Start – in water, push-off from the wall
- Start – on block, with dive in *
- Glide – with body dolphin or flutter kick
- Glide – with no kick
- Break-Out
- First Breath
- Flip (tumble) Turn **
- Open Turn
- Finish – reaching for the wall
* If you are interested in doing a block start, if your pool permits, and if the water is deeper than 2m in front of those blocks (for the safety of your spine), you may consider practicing block starts. For those who intend to race in masters meet then it is recommended that you practice block starts as much as possible. If you have never done block starts before seek out some instruction from an experienced coach or swimmer at your local pool.
** Flip turns are preferable for racing in the pool, especially for short sprint races. They are faster and the swimmer can afford to hold their breath. But open turns are quit OK and you should not be reluctant to use this kind of turn if it fits your body and comfort better. When done with speed they can be nearly as fast as a flip turn, and you get that extra breath right at the wall as you turn your body. Just choose a turn type, be consistent in using it, and work on improving it.
Instructions
Repeat the action at least 15 times, maybe as many as 20, in quick succession so that you have sufficient repetition, feedback and quick corrective response to that feedback.
You may just start and finish 10 meters from the wall, build up speed as you approach the wall, turn and finish at the same point you started. This will allow you to repeat more quickly.
If you use short distances, start back far enough that you can build up speed with a few strokes. Coming to the wall at full speed is critical for making an effective turn. The slower you go the harder it is to make a flip or to hardness power for the push-off.
Assignment 2.2 - Reach Suitable SPL Range
For this first assignment, if you are not capable of working there already, you need to gradually work into more suitable stroke length.
This is not something accomplished in a single practice, but something that may take a series of practices, and a couple cycles to improve, giving your body time to stretch and adapt.
By now you should have an idea of what your current SPL range is, what your ideal SPL range should be and whether you should aim for that, or aim for a small step of SPL improvement in that direction for now. You may aim for an improvement of 1 or 2 strokes in this first time through the training plan. You might be surprised by gaining more, but start with a small goal.
If your SPL range is already suitable for your sprint PR goal, then you may do this practice set to test and confirm your current comfortable N, and use it to keep stretching your stroke length when you feel it needs some tuning.
Instructions
Swim 2 rounds of:
- 150 whole stroke at SPL N
- 100 at N then 50 at N-1
- 50 at N then 100 at N-1
- 150 at N-1
- No rest during repeat (as you switch SPL gear)
- passive rest 20 seconds between repeats and rounds
- total distance 1200
Choose N as your currently comfortable SPL you can hold at a moderate effort, for 200 meters continuous.
Repeat this practice set over several practices until N-1 starts to feel comfortable, even preferable. Then make N-1 your new starting SPL, and use N-1 and N-2 as your new stroke gears for this set.
Assignment 2.3 - Reach Suitable Tempo Range
Your sprint PR may require you to work with tempos much faster than you are used to. This practice set is intended to help you gradually get your wires and muscles ready to work with precision at faster tempos.
If you are already comfortable with the tempo range required for your sprint PR ( which means you can sustain precision for longer distances at these tempos) then you may use this practice to test and confirm.
If the tempo range required by your sprint PR is within about 0.15 seconds of your current comfortable range then you may only need to work through this set 3 to 6 times to feel more comfortable with those faster tempos.
If the tempo range required by your sprint PR is more than 0.20 seconds faster then you may need to work with this practice set several cycles to start to feel precision at those faster tempos.
Instructions
Swim up to 9 rounds of:
- 2x 50 or 3x 50 (choose more if time and fitness permit)
- Passive rest 15 seconds (or less) between repeats and rounds
- Set Tempo Trainer to your fastest comfortable tempo – this is your ‘starting tempo’ (TS)
- Each round increase (speed up) tempo by either delta D= -0.04 or D = -0.03 (choose the smaller D if your starting tempo TS is smaller than 1.20).
The tempos descend and ascend like this:
- R1: TS
- R2: TS – 1xD
- R3: TS – 2xD
- R4: TS – 3xD
- R5: TS – 4xD
- R6: TS – 3xD
- R7: TS – 2xD
- R8: TS – 1xD
- R9: TS
Count strokes on each length. Compare to starting round. Resist adding strokes as tempo speeds up. Attempt to reduce strokes as tempo slows down again.
Aim to finish at same starting tempo with fewer strokes than when you started.
Aim to reach TS – 4xD with fewer strokes than the last time you did this practice.
When the fastest tempo feels more comfortable, then you may lower (speed up) the starting tempo TS by -0.04 or -0.03.
Progress Is…
The sign of adapting to faster tempos is when you feel more capable of holding precision at the fastest tempos of the set. Externally, you will notice that you are able to use fewer strokes at the fastest tempo, and use fewer strokes when you return to the starting tempo. Then you start using a lower (faster) starting tempo TS.
Study: Power Burst Sets
As part of your conditioning to handle more powerful strokes required in sprinting you may add this supplemental set to your moderate practice days, not on your hardest pace practice days.
Instructions
After your turn you will burst off the wall with just 10 most powerful and precise strokes – your best quality – and then switch into easy swim most (active rest) for the rest of the repeat. These ten strokes will take you about 2/3 of the way down the lane, then just turn off the power and swim gently. This 100% effort should last just 10 seconds. It is important that you do not sprint longer than this, even if you feel eager to try more, so that you do not build up waste in the muscles. This set it meant to stimulate muscle fiber recruitment without stressing the body with waste products and fatigue.
Start with 50 gentle swim, then as you do your turn prime the body to push off the wall at full strength and take those 10 powerful strokes.
In Phase 2
- Swim 6x 200 continuously. On the very first length burst out with 10 of your most 100% powerful strokes and then finish the rest of the 200 with gentle swimming to recovery fully.
- No passive rest between repeats
Work with 6 rounds for three to six practices until you sense your stroke technique is at your best and there is NO instability or sore spots in your shoulders or arms.
In Phase 3
- Swim 6x 150 continuously. On the very first length burst out with 10 of your most 100% powerful strokes and then finish the rest of the 150 with gentle swimming to recover fully.
- Swim 8x 150 with the same instructions.
Work with 6 rounds for three to six practices until you sense your stroke technique is at your best and there is NO instability or sore spots in your shoulders or arms. Then you may move up to 8 rounds.
Assignment 2.4 - Consistent SPL Progression
Once you have your SPL within the chosen range for your sprint PR project you need to test and build its resilience over the whole training distance.
Sustaining SPL under the stress of sprinting is the first key ingredient in building and protecting speed.
This practice will begin to test your concentration endurance as well as strengthen your neural endurance.
Instructions
Choose SPL N according to the requirements of your sprint PR goal.
Work at Stage 1 until you can do all repeats successfully, then move on to the next stage.
Stage 1
- Up to 40x 25
- Hold constant SPL N
- No tempo constraint
Use as many practices as you need to reach 40 repeats with 3 or less failures.
Stage 2
- Up to 20x 50
- Hold constant SPL N
- No tempo constraint
Use as many practices as you need to reach 20 repeats with 3 or less failures on any length.
Stage 3
- Up to 10x 100
- Hold constant SPL N
- No tempo constraint
Use as many practices as you need to reach 10 repeats with 3 or less failures on any length.
Assignment 2.5 - Faster Tempo Adaptation
In Assignment 2.2 you were just reaching down into a faster tempo range. In this set you will take more time to adapt to progressively faster tempos. This is the more powerful set.
You may use this set repeatedly, over several practices. Each time you reach then fastest tempo at the end of the set and it feels fairly comfortable to hold your best precision you may speed up the starting tempo TS of the next practice. Keep working through the set, increasing starting tempos, until you are working in your target tempo range toward the end of the set.
Instructions
Swim up to 7 rounds of:
- 3x 50 or 4x 50 (choose more if time and fitness permit)
- Passive rest 20 seconds (or less) between repeats and rounds
- Set Tempo Trainer to your fastest comfortable tempo – this is your ‘starting tempo’ (TS)
- Each round increase (speed up) tempo by delta D= -0.04, or D = -0.03, or D= -0.02.
If your starting tempo is slower than 1.20 consider using delta D= -0.04. If your starting tempo is between 0.95 and 1.20 consider using D= -0.03. If your starting tempo is faster than 0.95 consider using D= -0.02. You will soon learn how a bigger D makes for more difficult adaptation at each step, and can choose which increment is best for your situation.
The tempos descend like this:
- R1: TS
- R2: TS – 1xD
- R3: TS – 2xD
- R4: TS – 3xD
- R5: TS – 2xD
- R6: TS – 3xD
- R7: TS – 4xD
Monitor stroke count but do not constrain it.
Because this set does not require you to constrain your SPL (which would force you into a certain pace) you may lower the effort per stroke (allow the SPL to go up slightly) and focus instead on achieving a smooth rhythm at each new tempo: “tempo + precision = rhythm”
Study: Working With Neural Failure
This is perhaps the most important topic of this whole training plan. You will need to study and apply this concept starting in Assignment 2.5 and use it continually in Phase 3.
Read about how to carefully measure and evaluate failure and progress in Working With Neural Failure.
Phase 3: Speed Adaptation
Phase 3 Objectives
This is the phase where the main work will happen, and when done well, it should yield consistent improvement from cycle to cycle.
It should be pointed out right away that the there are only two main sets in this phase – you will work through one until you reach a certain measurable point of adaptation, then work through the second one until you reach an adaptation point. Your progress is measurable in each practice. You will conduct a test swim to get a measurement on a full 100 distance, and then you may go back into the same practice cycles again, but with a slightly higher standard for the next time through. You may keep working through this phase a few times until you are satisfied with your PR or until you uncover another obstacle that systematic pool training alone cannot address.
These main practice sets will be repeated over and over again many times. They are not meant to be exciting, they are meant to be effective at producing the adaptive training response in your brain and in your muscles. For this you need a lot of extremely targeted repetition. The interest of practice lies in your sustained attention upon little stroke details and in the measurement of small but significant improvements from practice to practice. You will know exactly what is succeeding or failing at exactly what moment in each set, and you will have decisions to make in how to respond to those.
Study: Measuring Progress By Failure
In the Phase 3 assignments progress is measured by the number of consecutive repeats you can do before hitting a hard failure.
The first time you reach a hard failure, note the number of consecutive repeats that you have done successfully as your progress marker in this set. Compare that number to previous trials to see what kind of progress you are making.
If you hit another hard failure immediately, or after you hit your third total hard failure then you will stop the set.
You may take an extra rest after a hard failure (for the duration of the next repeat) and then resume the set.
Using Feedback
Paying attention to the changes in SPL and Time in each repeat is critical. As you finish the repeat and look at the clock you must immediately consider what is causing one of those variables to change? That is the role of your concentration and mind in this work. A change in SPL may be a ‘soft failure’ and is your first indicator that something is failing. It may likely be because your concentration is faltering. This is improvable. Set an intention to fix it on the next repeat and get going (no extra rest allowed).
Eventually, time will go up – because your SPL is going up, or you are slowing in tempo, or both – because of neural fatigue and you cannot maintain precision in these two ways even with your best concentration. This is the indicator of neural failure. You might be able to increase power to compensate for loss in control over SPL but this will have you start working a different neural pattern and in a different metabolic state, which you do not intend to use for your 100 sprint performance.
Refer back to the article in this course in Phase 2 called Working With Neural Failure. That will show you how you are to respond to these soft and hard failures.
Study: Instructions For Each Cycle
Each assignment should be repeated 3 times per cycle (choose just one assignment per cycle) with no more than 2 days gap between the times you conduct this practice. The repetition and frequency will provide a better training effect.
For 100 sprint development you should aim to spend 3x as practices working with 25s (Assignment 3.1) as you do with 50s (Assignment 3.2). You may mix it up, one cycle with Assignment 3.1 and another cycle with Assignment 3.2, but keep this ratio in mind.
For example, a series of Phase 3 cycles may be arranged like this:
- Cycle 1: Assignment 3.1
- Cycle 2: Assignment 3.1
- Cycle 3: Assignment 3.1
- Cycle 4: Assignment 3.2
- Cycle 5: Assignment 3.1
- Cycle 6: Assignment 3.2
From practice to practice you are expecting to see that you can do a few more consecutive repeats without hard failure. In Assignment 3.1, once you reach about 28 repeats without hard failure then it is time to either increase the pace challenge or keep the same pace challenge and move to Assignment 3.2.
When you’ve reached about 18 repeats in Assignment 3.2 then you may increase your pace challenge and go back to Assignment 3.1 and work through the process again.
If you are following your practice schedule faithfully, but no longer experiencing improvement (not increasing the number of consecutive repeats) by the end of the cycle, then look at your environmental conditions, your daily habits, and any other outside factor that might be affecting your progress. Discuss this with your coach.
Study: Using Focal Points in Phase 3
By the time you begin Phase 3 you should have spent much time working on technical weaknesses in your stroke. At this point you will select 2 or 3 focal points that will be your main technical emphasis in these assignments.
These focal points should address features of your stroke that will make direct contributions to maintaining or improving your time. These may be areas that are prone to falling apart under the stress of high intensity strokes and neural fatigue – the better your concentration on these points, the better your times, and vice versa.
When a critical point of your stroke falters or improves, it should result in a change in your SPL, and possibly a change in your time. Stroke counting with a sensitivity to +/- 1/2 stroke will be a vital part of your feedback system.
As you swim every length you should have a focal point directing your attention to protecting or improving one quality of your technical control.
Assignment 3.1 - Pace By 25s
From your work in Phase 2 or from your latest PR in the test swim (or official race) you should have a PR time goal for 100, and you should have a specific SPL x Tempo combination that feels most appropriate to compose the pace required for that time goal.
Calculating Your 25 Pace
If you are training in a 25 (m or y) pool then divide your 100 time goal by four to get your pace for each 25 length.
For example, if your target pace for 100 is going to be 1 minute 44 seconds, then convert to seconds (60 + 44 = 104) and divide by 4 (104 / 4 = 26). Your target split time for each 25 length is 26 seconds.
Instructions For The Set
You will swim up to 32 repeats.
- 32x 25 whole stroke
- 15-20 seconds passive rest between each repeat
You will count strokes and note any variations in SPL as fine as +/- 1/2 stroke.
You may use a Tempo Trainer to guide you on maintaining precise tempo. *
You will record the time of each 25 and note when any variations as fine as +/- 1/2 second.**
Aim to get the same time as you target or slightly better on each repeat. Remember that you are training at 100 sprint PR pace, not 25 sprint PR pace.
Notes
On your first time through this set, if you reach 30 repeats without a hard failure then the pace you have chosen is too easy. If you reach a hard failure at less than 12 repeats then the pace you have chosen is too hard. If you reach your first failure at about 16 repeats then this is an indicator that the pace may be an appropriate challenge for you right now.
It is likely that your body will need time to settle into the activity. For the first 6 repeats or so your SPL and times may not be on target. Do not count hard failures in the first 8 repeats – after this point you should be entering into the level of performance you expect. But if you keep hitting hard failure after this point you may need to consider some underlying factors that are affecting your performance this day.
* You may use a Tempo Trainer and set it to the tempo you have calculated to work with your target SPL that corresponds to the pace you want for each 25. If your push-off and glide are the same each time, your SPL is the same, and you are able to hold the tempo each time, then your pace should be exactly the same on each repeat. The time will change when any of these variables change.
** For example, let’s say you are expecting to hit 26 seconds for each repeat. To measure in 1/2 second gradations, when you look at the digital clock or the seconds hand of the conventional clock, when you see that it just switched from 25 to 26 seconds you may regard this as ’26-‘. If you looked and it was squarely on 26 then this would be ’26’. And if you looked at it was just switching from 26 to 27 then this would be ’26+’.
Assignment 3.2 - Pace By 50s
It is important that you first progress through the challenge of Assignment 3.1 to build up your neural strength at that shorter distance. Once you are able to do about 28 consecutive 25s before a hard failure then you may be ready to increase the challenge by increasing the distance of each repeat.
Most of the instructions for the 25s apply to this set as well.
Calculating Your 50 Pace
If you are training in a 25 (m or y) pool then divide your 100 time goal by two to get your pace for each 50 (2 lengths of the pool or 1 lap).
For example, if your target pace for 100 is going to be 1 minute 44 seconds, then convert to seconds (60 + 44 = 104) and divide by 4 (104 / 4 = 26). Your target split time for each 25 length is 26 seconds.
But now keep in mind that the quality and speed of your turn affect this time. If your turn is slower then you may need to add 1 second to the expected 50 pace. If your turn is fast you may keep your expected 50 pace. You should also work on making faster, more powerful turns and push-offs to gain some easily acquired speed.
Instructions For The Set
You will swim up to 20 repeats.
- 20x 50 whole stroke
- 15-20 seconds passive rest between each repeat
You will count strokes and note any variations in SPL as fine as +/- 1/2 stroke. *
You may use a Tempo Trainer to guide you on maintaining precise tempo.
You will record the time of each 25 and note when any variations as fine as +/- 1/2 second.
Aim to have an even time split on each length. This means you may need to be slightly restrained on the first length in order to have a bit more to give on the second length. This will be critical discipline that will enable you to swim with nearly even splits on length #3 and #4 in the whole 100 sprint. The goal is to delay fatigue and evenly distribute your energy across the 4 lengths of the sprint.
Notes
On your first time through this set, if you reach 20 repeats without a hard failure then the pace you have chosen is too easy. If you reach a hard failure at less than 8 repeats then the pace you have chosen is too hard, or you may need to do more cycles of Assignment 3.1. If you reach your first failure at about 10 repeats then this is an indicator that the pace may be an appropriate challenge for you right now.
It is likely that your body will need time to settle into the activity. For the first 5 repeats or so your SPL and times may not be on target. Do not count hard failures in the first 5 repeats – after this point you should be entering into the level of performance you expect. But if you keep hitting hard failure after this point you may need to consider some underlying factors that are affecting your performance this day.
* Keep in mind that it is normal to use 1 less stroke on the first length than the second length. So, your stroke count will likely show this. After the rest your energy is replenished and the first push-off will be more powerful and the glide a bit further than the second one. However, we encourage you to work on slight restraint in the first length so you can give more on the second length.
Assignment 3.3 - Test Swims
This is the same test swims as you did in Phase 2.
You may conduct these test swims after you have completed Assignment 3.2.
There will be three 100 sprints with a rest interval between them. This will test how well you can recover after a full effort which is also an indicator of your fitness level. A great result is when you can maintain at or near your best for all three 100s.
Instructions
Warm up for at least 15 minutes before conducting the test swims.
1 round of:
- 100 sprint
- 5 to 8 minutes of active recovery
- 100 sprint
- 5 to 8 minutes of active recovery
- 100 sprint
Measurements
For each sprint measure:
- Total time
- Time of each split (each length)
- Stroke count (SPL) for each length
- Glide distance (until your first underwater stroke)
Notes
Active recovery is much better at refreshing you than passive rest is. Active recovery is some type of work, swimming or dry-land which keeps your whole body moving, keeps respiration and body fluids circulating and allows your muscles to flush waste. It can be activity that works you up to anaerobic threshold.