Can everyone here at least push/glide to the flags (5m)? If not you need to work on that.
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I avoid doing that otherwise your session is 20% shorter than you think.
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Our coach sometimes makes us do a drill where we have to miss the turn…I always flip at the flags 
Or you could look at it as you are teaching your body what it feels like at it’s most efficient in the water, then try to replicate it as best as possible whilst swimming
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That sounds like an excuse to be shit 
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Wasn’t discounting this, more that our Strava might show we’ve done 5K but it’s more like 4k
** that’s weekly distance for me 
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I don’t need no excuses
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win win 
25s are good for Strava brags, I hadn’t swum much and was knocking out an average of well under 1:20 / 100 for about 1500m set, I had a comment about how fast i was swimming, front pack tri, no I’m doing 25’s at uncomfortable pace mate but you dont see the rest I took to get there
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Basically what I call my “take home sprints”
Herb is Associate Head Coach at ASU, probably the best swim school in the NCAA alongside Cal, and works alongside Bob Bowman. He’s one of my favourite coaches to follow, and like any good coach, only too willing to share ideas. Kyle Sockwell did a great interview with him on the tubes if you are interested
ETA note that’s yards not metres also!
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so apart from the sprint set above, similar to what I use for swimmers and triathletes, here is an example of a lactate tolerance set I have used (we don’t set them very often for swimmers except top squad approaching major champs, certainly not much use in triathlon)
the swimmers here would have pb’s around 24-27s for 50free ,
3 rounds:
- 2×25 fast @:30
- 2×25 fast @:45
- 2×25 fast @:60
- 2×25 fast @:45
- 2×25 fast @:30
- 100 easy @3:00
The idea is on the way up, more rest, top speed but the blood is filling with lactate, then on way down hold that top speed forcing the body to use the lactate to fuel. long long rest, not enough to fully recover though, then go again. this will build back end speed in a 100
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Had a crack at one of @hammer 's specials just now. The one that goes (4 x 100 off 1m30, 1 min rest) repeated until failure. It’s brutal - there’s a special place in Hell for that session.
Back in the Spring somehow managed to get to the 11th 100m.
Today… 800 warm up and then failed after the 2nd 100m 
1m21, 1m29, didn’t even start the 3rd I was blowing so hard.
Excuse: right shoulder still recovering from bike crash 6 weeks ago, its a lot better, but the hard swimming is when it twinges. But that doesn’t really explain woeful effort today
edit: what probably does explain it is that took the summer completely off from swimming back in UK, and since return in September have been mainly just getting in, swimming 1500m steady in about 25 minutes, and then getting out again. Four or five times per week, but nothing else. And then fell off bike and couldn’t even do that for a month. That harder stuff really matters I reckon.
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I meant to ask if you’d repeated!
I did it the week after you iirc, and got to #12 although 11 and 12 were dubious, and I possibly had a slightly easier relative send-off time.
But I repeated again about 6 weeks ago after few months of good training and showed progress. 50m pool instead of 25m but went off same send-off and got 16 done, just #15 a possible fail.
I did quite a lot of rest after 8 though, about 3-4 minutes with 100m easy inside, and I think I was a little generous after 12 with an extra 15-30s
ETA: I’m definitely going off weaker send-off times though, as I know I could do a few 400s off the send off. But then no chance I could go off 5s quicker
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Go on - depress us all . What’s your send off time for 100m in that session? 1m15?? Faster?
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Yeah 4x100 on 1:15. Think I was going 1:10-12 for the first 8, then 1:12-13 for 4, then #15 I swam a 1:14-15 and probably pushed off late.
Other day I swam 4:55 for a last 400 of descend 1-10 on 5:45 so I’m happy. Swim is best it’s been as a triafleet
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I recon the pace to hold is around vo2 max, so 400 pace for most reasonable to high level swimmers. Maybe a 6min 400 swimmer would probably go off 1.35 holding 1.25 though. I guess its try it and see as with most things. As said before its about hurting, more #sciencefacts its building lactate gradually and teaching the body to use it (but obviously not as extreme as the LT set i put above which is designed to raise levels quickly and flood the blood with it)
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After the comments above I bit the bullet and put a bit more effort in tonight at the pool. Arms were aching at the end of the set.
After a bit of a warmup I did 5 * 50 * 2 followed by 10*25, all were on 60s per 50, on the 25’s I had about 5 seconds rest at the far end. (I did use the pull buoy for some in typical triaflete style)
Was definitely losing form towards the end of each one, my right arm\catch completely loses the plot.
Might have a few more goes in the coming weeks to give me a bit of impetus. And then do a 400 TT
I hate you all for starting it though
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I’ve been playing with chat gpt. I asked it to create a 4 week mesocycle to improve technique and aerobic conditioning in front crawl for a triathlete. I asked for 3 sessions a week of about 2000m. After some extra prompting, adding some sprints etc here is my 4 week block. Its actually not too shabby
Give it a go , report back
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Week 1
Day 1:
- Warm-Up (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m drill (RPE 4)
- 200m pull with buoy
- Build Set (RPE 5-6):
- 4 x 100m, increasing intensity each 25m
- Main Set (RPE 6-7):
- 3 x 200m with 20 seconds rest between each
- 4 x 25m sprints with 1-minute rest between each
- 4 x 50m easy swim
- Cool Down (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m kick (RPE 4)
Day 2:
- Warm-Up (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m drill (RPE 4)
- 200m pull with buoy
- Build Set (RPE 5-6):
- 8 x 50m, increasing intensity each 25m
- Main Set (RPE 6-7):
- 6 x 100m with 15 seconds rest between each
- 4 x 25m sprints with 1-minute rest between each
- 4 x 50m easy swim
- Cool Down (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m kick (RPE 4)
Day 3:
- Warm-Up (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m drill (RPE 4)
- 200m pull with buoy
- Build Set (RPE 5-6):
- 12 x 25m, increasing intensity each 25m
- Main Set (RPE 6-7):
- 10 x 50m with 10 seconds rest between each
- 4 x 25m sprints with 1-minute rest between each
- 4 x 50m easy swim
- Cool Down (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m kick (RPE 4)
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Week 2
Day 1:
- Warm-Up (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m drill (RPE 4)
- 200m pull with buoy
- Technique Set (RPE 5-6):
- 4 x 75m: 25m scull, 25m swim, 25m kick
- Focus on different aspects of technique in each segment.
- Main Set (RPE 6-7):
- 4 x 150m with 15 seconds rest between each
- 4 x 25m sprints with 1-minute rest between each
- 4 x 50m easy swim
- Cool Down (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m kick (RPE 4)
Day 2:
- Warm-Up (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m drill (RPE 4)
- 200m pull with buoy
- Speed Play Set (RPE 6-7):
- 8 x 25m sprints with 1-minute rest between each
- 4 x 75m easy swim
- Main Set (RPE 6-7):
- 8 x 75m with 15 seconds rest between each
- 4 x 25m sprints with 1-minute rest between each
- 4 x 50m easy swim
- Cool Down (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m kick (RPE 4)
Day 3:
- Warm-Up (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m drill (RPE 4)
- 200m pull with buoy
- Pulling Set (RPE 5-6):
- 6 x 100m pull with buoy, focusing on a strong pull
- Main Set (RPE 6-7):
- 12 x 50m with 10 seconds rest between each
- 4 x 25m sprints with 1-minute rest between each
- 4 x 50m easy swim
- Cool Down (RPE 4-5):
- 200m easy swim
- 4 x 50m kick (RPE 4)
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