In 2003 Grant Hackett and Michael Phelps spent a week training together when both were at the height of their international stardom. They pushed each other and challenged their swimming. This session is great for swimmers and triathletes preparing for longer, open water swims.
Each Saturday I will post a Swim Session, most weeks I will load three options up for you to do. Option A is for swimmers who are after a workout between 1,000 & 2,000 metres. Option B is for swimmers who are after a workout between 2,000 & 3,000m and Option C will be greater than 3,000m.
The inspiration for these sessions came from the session Grant Hackett and Michael Phelps did on May 5th, 2003 and it came from an article by Olivier Poirier-Leroy read it here.
Option A
- 200m WU;
- 4x 50m Drill/Swim;
- 400m, 60sec Rest Interval (RI);
- 4x 100m (Build 1-4) 20sec RI;
- 200m, 60sec RI;
- 4x 50m (Build 1-4) 20sec RI;
- 200m CD (1,800m)
Option B
- 400m WU;
- 8x 50m Drill/Swim;
- 400m, 60sec Rest Interval (RI);
- 4x 100m (Build 1-4) 20sec RI;
- 200m, 60sec RI;
- 4x 50m (Build 1-4) 20sec RI;
- 100m, 60sec RI;
- 4x 25m (Build 1-4) 20sec RI;
- 200m CD (2,400m)
Option C
- 600m WU;
- 12x 50m Drill/Swim;
- 600m, 60sec RI;
- 4x 150m (Build 1-4) 20sec RI;
- 400m, 60sec Rest Interval (RI);
- 4x 100m (Build 1-4) 20sec RI;
- 200m, 60sec RI;
- 4x 50m (Build 1-4) 20sec RI;
- 200m CD (3,800m)
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) covering 200m (Option A), 400m (Option B), or 600m (Option C). During the warm-up feel free to stop and stretch as needed. It doesn’t need to be a continuous swim.
Next up is a drill set of four (Option A), eight (Option B), or twelve repetitions (Option C) of 50m Drill/Swim, where you do a drill for the first 25m of the repetition and then normal swimming for the next 25m swimming. Feel free to use fins whilst doing the drill/swim set. Do the drills below once through for Option A, twice through for Option B, and three times through for Option C:
I wrote an article about swimming drills previously. Click here to read and watch it.
The main set starts for Option C swimming 600m. Then after a minute Rest Interval (RI) swim four, 150m reps with a 20-second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep. Build the pace for these reps starting with a moderate pace, then for the second rep swim that at a fast pace, the third rep should swim at a faster pace, and the final rep at your fastest pace.
Hackett & Phelps swam theirs in these respective times:
- Hackett: 1:43.6/1:38.5/1:36.5/1:24.3
- Phelps: 1:43.6/1:38.5/1:36.4/1:26.3
Options A & B both start with this next set that Option C also does. Swim 400m, then take a 60-second Rest Interval (RI).
The next set is made up of four, 100m reps swum with a 20-second Rest Interval (RI), also swimming these by building the pace from one rep to the next.
Hackett & Phelps swam theirs in these respective times:
- Hackett: 1:08.0/1:04.8/1:01.2/55.2
- Phelps: 1:08.0/1:04.4/1:01.9/55.9
Follow this with a 200m swim followed by a 60-second Rest Interval (RI).
The next set includes four, 50m reps all with a 20-second Rest Interval (RI), swum in build fashion again.
Hackett & Phelps swam theirs in these respective times:
- Hackett: 31.5/30.2/28.4/26.9
- Phelps: 31.5/30.2/28.4/25.7
At this point, both Option A & C move to the Cool Down (CD) and Option B has two more short sets. Option B swim 100m taking a 60-second Rest Interval (RI), followed by a set of four, 25m reps with a 20-second Rest Interval (RI). This final set has also swum in Build fashion.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 200m. Unlike the previous sets which have to be freestyle, the cooldown (like the warm-up) can be any stroke you wish to swim. You can also stop and rest after any length. I encourage you to stop and stretch during the cool-down.
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi Coaching.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.
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If you enjoyed this workout, I published a similar session 12 months ago.
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