Swimming provides good cardiovascular exercise and tones the entire body. Continuous lap swimming is a popular way to work out, but mixing up long, uninterrupted swims with interval training benefits athletes of all ages and abilities. Interval training breaks up workouts into sets, according to the book "Competitive Swimming" by Mark Schubert. Learning to pace swims against the time clock helps swimmers quantify their abilities and set goals for improvement.
Distance Workouts
Longer swim sets of medium intensity build aerobic capacity. Aerobic capacity is the ability to absorb and efficiently use oxygen. Swimming at a comfortable pace allows oxygen to help metabolize available carbohydrates or glycogen to produce energy and speed, says Schubert in his book.
A 100-yard distance is four lengths, or two full laps back and forth in a 25-meter pool. Warm up with an easy 600-yard freestyle swim, which is 24 lengths. Warm-up sets help swimmers loosen up muscles and ease breathing. The main set is a pyramid featuring increasing freestyle distances and then decreasing distances. Swim 100, 200, 400, 600, 400, 200 and 100, resting 15 seconds between each distance. The total distance for the set is 2,000 yards. Swim the set at a comfortable pace, maintaining the same pace for the entire set.
Follow the main set with 2 X 300s pulling freestyle, using pull buoys and hand paddles. Pulling means swimming with arms only, letting legs trail behind the body. Pull buoys prevent heavy legs from sinking. The total distance is 3,000 yards for this aerobic medium intensity workout.
Sprint Workouts
Sprinting workouts improve anaerobic capacity. Anaerobic metabolism allows the body to produce short and intense bursts of speed, absent the presence of oxygen. Improving anaerobic capacity increases the swimmer's ability to tolerate and regulate lactic acid buildup. The lactic acid buildup that is a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism causes muscle fatigue and pain, says U.S. Masters Swimming.
Start the set with a 600-yard warm up. The main set consists of 10 X 100s with 15 seconds of rest between the 100s. The swimmer starts at a comfortable pace; the pace at which she swims a 1,500-yard set, for example. She shaves off five seconds for each 100 until she reaches her fastest 100-yard pace. She holds that pace for the remainder of the set.
Follow the sprint set with a 4 x 100 freestyle kick and then 10 x 50s at sprint or pace. Warm down with an easy 500, using any stroke the swimmer wants. The sprint workout totals 3,000 yards.
Arm Technique Workouts
Drills help swimmers improve stroke technique. Stroke mechanics are essential in swimming and help the athlete avoid drag and water resistance as she increases speed. Start the workout with an easy 600 warm-up. The drill set starts with 2 X 100 one-arm freestyle drill. Place one arm straight ahead and use the other to stroke. Alternate stroke arms every 100 yards. The one-arm drill focuses on improved body alignment and extension in the water.
Follow the one-arm set with a 2 X 100 zipper drill and a 2 X 100 catch-up drill. The freestyle zipper drill makes the swimmer keep the recovery arm close to the body and lets her recovery arm fingertips drag along the surface of the water as if she were zipping up the side of her suit.
The freestyle catch-up drill requires the swimmer to stay streamlined with the stroke arm fully extended until the recovery arm fully stretches to touch fingers with the stroke arm. Only when the two hands of the fully extended arms make contact does the swimmer take the next stroke. The two drills emphasize high elbows and long strokes, respectively. Repeat the entire drill set twice, for a total of 1,200 yards.
Leg Technique Workouts
Following the freestyle drills with a kick set shifts focus away from the arms. Kick, holding a foam kickboard for 1 X 400 with a strong freestyle kick. Follow the set with a 1 X 200 backstroke kick-set, with arms in an extended streamline position.
Use the techniques practiced to finish up, by swimming 6 X 100 free, alternating freestyle and backstroke every 100 yards. The drill workout totals 3,000 yards.
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