Swim Workouts - Broken 200 Stroke Speed Work

In this workout from SwimWorkouts.net we focus on stroke speed. This is not just a simple drill but a whole 4050m workout! That's 162 lengths of a standard 25m pool. The practice peaks with 3 broken 200s where the swimmer tries to get their best 200 time after adding the 4X50s together.

Glossary

Warm Up = Warm up swims are done at a very leisurely pace and serve to simply warm the muscles of the body up so that they can handle the stress of later sets without becoming injured. Warm up is a very important part of practice and should not be neglected.

Choice = Do whatever you want within the set type (swim, kick, drill, ect). If the set type is also Choice you've got absolutely free reign! Enjoy it while it lasts - the next set is probably going to hurt.

Fist Swimming Drill = Ball your hands into fists while you swim. This drill promotes catching the water with your forearm instead of just your hand. To mix this up swim with only one hand balled in a fist and switch sides.

Descend = During a descend set the swimmer should swim each repetition faster than the last, thereby "descending" the time it takes to complete each repetition. Descend sets should start out at a medium pace that allows the swimmer to make the stated interval, and end at a fast pace where the swimmer is performing at a near 100% effort.

No Breathers = Try to complete the distance without breathing. If you have to breathe, takes as few breaths as possible. Do NOT force yourself to pass out.

Recovery = During recovery sets a swimmer should swim at a very easy effort. Recovery swims are used to flush lactic acid from the muscles so that a swimmer may continue to perform at an elevated level for the remainder of a practice or circuit.

Warm Down = Warm down swims are done at a very leisurely pace at the end of practice and help flush built up toxins such as lactic acid out of the body. Warm down swims promote faster recovery after intense training and should not be neglected.