Minnow workout: anerobic

This workout is for people who swim 50, 100 and 200 events. It emphasizes less yardage but greater intensity. It focuses on recovery time between hard swims in meet conditions.

1. Get ready -- 2 x 150

• 75 drill (6x6, 4x4, 2x2 -- do six kicks on one side, take one freestyle stroke, and rotate to the other side to do six kicks; then repeat doing four kicks on each side, then two kicks on each side; keep doing this until you've gone 75 yards); the drill emphasizes streamlined body position -- the best streamlined body position is on your side! -- and rotation
• 50 swim
• 25 kick

2. Get set --12 x 25

• 4 x 25 underwater
• 4 x 25 build
• 4 x 25 descend

3. Go! -- do 3 times

• 4 x 50
  • do at 80-90% effort, near maximum speed; take a 5-second break between each 50; focus on the third 50, which is where most people die in races; go slow on the first 50, build in the second 50 leading to a good third 50; all four 50's should be about the same speed
• 100 easy

4. Kick set

• 300 (try doing all at least three of the four kicks -- free, breast, back, fly -- and doing it without a kickboard)

5. Warm-down

• 8 x 25
  • drill down, swim back (do the 6x6/4x4/2x2 drill you began with)