By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam
Enhance stroke size at pace with this sensible set that teaches you to carry extra water and keep highly effective whereas swimming quick.
Stroke size is without doubt one of the keys to quick swimming. Swimmers that may maintain extra water with every stroke are going to get to the opposite facet of the pool extra shortly. Easy sufficient.
However working distance per stroke (i.e. stroke size) could be a problem. Coaches and swimmers will lob completely different drills at it—closed fist freestyle, lengthy canine drill, numerous sorts of sculling to boost really feel—within the hopes that we’ll squeeze a number of extra inches with every stroke.
Considered one of my favourite methods to problem distance per stroke and get swimmers to go sturdy and lengthy is mixing resisted quick burst efforts with a descending stroke depend.
This deceptively easy set can be a whole lot of enjoyable—it’s high-intensity and high-focus swimming.
The Potentiation and Stroke Rely Set
The set pairs potentiation (quick, heavy resisted efforts) and quick swimming with stroke counts.
The resistance “wakes up” the muscle groups with out overly fatiguing them, after which the descending stroke depend forces your physique to prepare itself to hit the goal stroke depend.
After doing all your warm-up, it’s time for the primary course:
PART 1 – Set the baseline
2×25 swim quick – Be aware your time and stroke depend
For instance, 12 strokes
PART 2 – Potentiation and Stroke Counts
2-3 rounds:
2x15m swim at ~90% effort with heavy resistance
Use a drag chute, energy rack, or resistance tubing to generate load
Relaxation 90s
25m swim quick at baseline pace with goal stroke fee minus one
Instance: 12 strokes > 11 strokes
2x15m swim at ~90% effort with medium resistance
Relaxation 90s
25m swim quick at baseline pace with goal stroke depend minus two
Instance: 12 strokes > 10 strokes
100-200 straightforward between rounds
And that’s it.
Quick, centered, and really demanding in a enjoyable approach.
Why This Set Works
The resisted efforts potentiate the muscle groups, so when the resistance comes off, your nervous system is able to go to PB-town.
And by chasing the diminished stroke depend with out sacrificing pace (i.e. not including heaps of physique roll to artificially lower stroke depend) you’ll naturally see some constructive technical re-organization.
Cleaner line via the water
Sooner hand pace beneath the physique
Stronger stress on the water, much less spinning
Each facet of the stroke will get cranked as much as “huge” once we field ourselves in with stroke counts and pace targets.
Get pleasure from!
ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY
Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former nationwide degree swimmer, 2x Olympic Trials qualifier, and writer of a number of books for swimmers, together with YourSwimBook, Conquer the Pool, The Dolphin Kick Handbook, and most not too long ago, The 50 Freestyle Blueprint.
The e book is a beastly 220+ pages of evidence-based insights and sensible ideas for enhancing freestyle dash pace.
It particulars all the pieces from the right way to grasp stroke fee, approach, construct a thundering freestyle kick, enhance your begin and underwaters, and rather more.
The 50 Freestyle Blueprint additionally contains 20 dash units to get you began and a bonus information on the right way to grasp the 100 freestyle to finish your dash preparation.
Be taught extra about The 50 Freestyle Blueprint in the present day.
Learn the total story on SwimSwam: A Set for Holding Extra Water at Quick Swimming Speeds
