Training Week Feb 9th

Welcome to this week’s workout plan. Subscribe to speak with me! Coach Nadi, your real-time coaching agent! Time to jump into the pool!

Here's the training plan worksheet:

Check out the video walkthrough:

We are in week five of a 16 week training cycle leading up to the April swim meet. Last week technical endurance introduced faster sets into the workout plan. This week the technical element will explore the index of coordination and how your stroke rate is influenced by the speed you are trying to maintain. Strength development should continue to refine your breathing and streamline skills on land and mechanical reinforcement will develop the change in stroke rate at different speeds. Psychological sustainment enters the mid season with an emphasis on focus and concentration. As always, these four skill sections complete the quadruple reinforcement model for swimming.

Week five continues the work on faster speeds while maintaining technical excellence. This week we will explore the changes in stroke rate at paces between 400 and 50 yards or meters. Total volume will include a higher percentage of work at 400 and 200 speeds but you should be pushing yourself in the 100 and 50 speeds to get more value from the shorter sets. Remember, technical endurance is about maintaining a speed and stroke rate throughout the set; if you add too many strokes or miss the target pace you are becoming inefficient and losing the technical endurance. Take a break if needed!

Continue to perform the on deck exercises from the body streamline skill along with the breathing drill. At this point, you should be able to run through the dryland exercises in under 10 minutes and quickly tie them into your warmup swims. The strength development is designed to enable you to lock in to better technical movements earlier in each practice; don’t wait until the reinforcement drills to put everything together!

The two streamline mechanic drills and the two for breathing mechanic drills should be quick and easy to work on and calibrate. Next week we will shift to drills that focus more on propulsion so work hard this week. Feel free to adjust the conditioning plan with the drills that you feel you need the most work on.

The index of coordination is the result of arm pull mechanics, body rotation, and arm recovery speed. You should notice that swimming at 400 or VO2 max speeds requires a smoother, more deliberate rotation of the body and the arm entry and pull consist of a small lag as you glide. This is an appropriate and necessary aspect of longer distance paces. As you approach 100 speeds, the lag should disappear and the arm should be entering the water and immediately moving to a pull position. The body rotation should become more forceful and sharp with the kick assisting in the hip rotation to stay in line with the shoulders. All of these items working together creates a perfect index of coordination.

You’ve probably noticed that psychological sustainment is a valuable tool to consistently work on as part of a complete training plan. While each week changes the mental activity you work on, the long term goal is for you to build a set of mental tools that you choose to implement in your training and competitive routine. Just like your swimming stroke, you get better at focusing and concentrating the more you practice these skills.

One of the best strategies for enhancing focus is developing a pre-race or pre-practice routine. Such routines help swimmers establish the right mindset, minimize distractions, and create a mental environment conducive to peak performance. This week we will work on a 4 step focus routine to prevent mental drift in between sets.

Mindful Transitioning: After completing a swim set, use the time between sets to practice mindfulness. Take a moment to breathe deeply and consciously transition your thoughts from the previous set to the upcoming one.

Brief Visualization: Spend a few seconds visualizing your next swim. Picture yourself executing the perfect stroke or achieving a specific time goal.

Focused Breathing Techniques: Utilize the swim breathing exercises to center yourself. Inhale deeply for a count of four, hold for four, and exhale for four.

Set Micro Goals: Instead of thinking about the entire set, break it down into smaller, manageable goals. Think about your stroke count or the specific target time for the next interval and how you will maintain those micro goals.

Here’s the week five conditioning plan. The full training plan is linked in the description. Throughout the week, warmups will incorporate the four MRDs you’ve already worked on. You may use fins for the MRDs but only beginners should use fins for the underwater breakouts. The week starts with 400 or VO2 max pace freestyle. You should be focusing on your index of coordination and understanding how your body rotation and stroke rate change as you change speeds. Each workout will have sets with significant changes in speed so you can learn to adjust quickly. Remember, if your stroke rate fatigues or you miss your target pace time too often you should take an extra minute break then attempt to finish the assigned number of repetitions.

This week you are beginning to focus on what your arms are doing and how they interact with your streamline, breathing, and roll. Focus and concentrate! Have a great swim!