Columbia University Masters Swim Team

 

Sample Practices

This page provides sample practices contributed by our former manager who graduated last year - Amy Blume. She's gone to the world in search of a job, but you can almost hear her voice as you read these workouts. The top part tells you what kinds of practices are available. Scroll down to see the details.

Disclaimer: The text presented on these pages is for your information only. Practices listed for sampling purposes and should only be attempted under the supervision of a lifeguard and a certified coach.

Practice #1 - 3900 of broken 100 IMs Practice #10 - 3850 of distance freestyle
Practice #2 - 4000 of distance IMs Practice #11 - 4400 with a fast main set and good stroke work
Practice #3 - 4150 of aerobic pacing and fast stroke sets Practice #12 - 4000 of distance freestyle
Practice #4 - 4350 of middle distance free with lots of pulling Practice #13 - 3700 of backstrokers delight
Practice #5 - 4000 of stroke with a tough kick set Practice #14 - 4400 of some mid distance and some sprints
Practice #6 - 4400/3400 of middle distance free Practice #15 - 4400 of 200 IM bonanza
Practice #7 - 4000 of stroke work Practice #16 - 4200 sprinter's special
Practice #8 - 3800 of fast free for meet preparation Practice #17 - 3650 distance strokes
Practice #9 - 4200 of some sprinting and some pacing Practice #18 - 3400 of middle distance stroke sets.


Practice #1
Total: 3900

300 choice warm-up

still warming up:
2x 50 kick
100 drill
150 build by 50 free

Main Set:
100 free on a good pace base
100 fly
200 free (based on 100 pace above)
2x 100 back
300 free
3x100 breast
100 IM good pace
100 free
200 im
2x100 free
300 im
3x100 free
Main focus on the 100, 200, and 300 free and im

3x 200 pull, 3rd 50 breast--loosen out

Practice #2
Total: 4000

warm-up
100 easy

4x im order by round (i.e. first round fly, second back, etc.)
200 as (50 drill, 25 kick, 25 build twice through)
4x25 one easy, one fast

(still warming up)
4x im order by round
100 as (50 drill, 25 kick, 25 build)
4x 25 fast

6x 300:
1-3 IM as follows
#1: 3x 100 im
#2: 2x 150 im (no free)
#3: 300 im straight
4-6 descend freestyle by 300 (last one=best effort)

100 loosen warm down

Practice #3
Total: 4150

400 warm-up

2x 500 #1-pull
#2-negative split swim free

15-50 kick (with zoomers?) 3x(1 fly, 1 back, 1 breast, 1 free, 1 build )

8x125 with not much rest, rotate extra 25 by im order

1x100 im
4x25 fly
1x100 im
4x25 back
1x100 im
4x25 breast
1x100 im
4x25 free
(all 25s on a fast interval)

200 easy

Practice #4
Total: 4350

warm-up 300 IM drill

Main set:
600 pull (still warming-up)
6x25s kick, even's fast
500 swim, hold exactly 100 pace (even if it's long and stretched out)
5x50s kick, even's fast
400 pull
4x75 stroke, even's fast
300 swim im, negative split
3x100 stroke, even's fast
200 pull
2x125 stroke, second 125 faster than first
100 im swim
1x150 stoke fast

Warm-Down set:
2x75
2x50
2x25
2x50
2x75
all on 10 sec. rest

Practice #5
Total: 4000

Warm-up:
300 as 100 swim, 100 kick, 100 drill

Still warming up:
18x50
3xbr/fr
3 free
3x bk/br
3x free
3x fly/bk
3x free
(descend the freestyles by 5 second each round. Last set of 3 free should
be a good pace)

4x 125 kick
2x75 FAST free, long rest
125 easy

300 free
2x150 free pull
200 im
2x100 stroke
100 choice
2x50 stroke

Practice #6
Total: 4400 or 3400

500 choice

The following set can be done as either a set of 200s or 150s:
4x 200/150 free (3rd/or middle 50 fly) on hard interval
1x200/150 easy, 30 sec. rest
4x 200/150 im (if 150, no free) on hard interval
1x200/150 easy, 30 sec. rest
4x200/150 back (50 build, 50 start off fast, 50 cruise/moderate, 50 fast)
eliminate 50 start off fast for 150s
1x200/150 easy, 30 sec. rest
4x200/150 free fast, hard interval
1x200/150 easy

Warm down

Practice #7
Total: 4950

800 warm-up:
250 choice
150 kick
250 pull
150 kick

15x100
as 3x 1fly
1 back
1 breast
1 free
1 IM
(:5 seconds faster each round. Last round should be hard)

Twice through:
6x50 free build
8x25 IM order easy
6x 50 free fast interval
8x 25 choice easy

Warm Down

Practice #8
Total: 3800

Warm-up:
500 free
400 IM drill
300 pull
200 IM kick
100 skull

Twice through:
200 free pull moderate interval
100 fast
50 easy
200 stroke pull moderate
100 stroke fast
50 easy

18x50
3x 2
2
2
first 2 moderate, descend to last 2 fast

Practice #9
Total: 4200

600 warm up

6x
Rounds one and four are as follows:
200 kick
400 as 4x100 kick, fourth 25 in each 100 is all out sprinting.

Rounds two and five are as follows:
200 as 4x50, one of each stroke, drill the first 25, swim the second
400 IM good effort

Rounds three and six are as follows:
200 pull
400 as 2x200 pull, second 200 faster than the first

warm down

Practice #10
Total: 3850

warm-up: 200 im drill, 200 im swim

main set:
500 free on an interval that lets you still warm up a little bit but also doesn't give you too much rest
8x50 stroke (4 w/ about 7-10 seconds rest, 4 on your fastest interval)
300 IM (not too much rest, but stretched out)
2x100 free (1 w/ about 10-15 seconds rest, 1 on your fasters interval)
100 stroke easy
2x100 free (both on your fastest interval)
300 IM (not too much rest, but stretched out)
8x50 stroke (4 on your fastest interval, 4 w/ about 7-10 seconds rest)
500 free for time

warm-down set:
2x75 (1 fly, back, breast; 1 back, br, free)
3x50 free, easy interval
2x25 underwater

Practice #11
Total: 4400

warm-up:
200 free
100 kick
200 choice

2x through the following set (the first time through, build into it, the second time should be faster intervals):
3x200 free pull on descending interval (10 seconds faster for each 200)
3x150 free (descend by 10 each 150)
3x100 IM (descend by 5 seconds each 100)
3x50 stroke (decend by 5 seconds each 50)
The last swim of each group of three on the scond round should be on a challenge interval, which means you may on make it but Try Your Best!

12x75:
3 fly (Kick, drill swim by 25)
3 back (double arm back, windmill, swim by 25)
3 breast (2 kick one pull; fly kick w/ breast arms; swim by 25)
3 free (finger tip drill; break out/burst; swim by 25)

Practice #12
Total: 4200

200 choice

8x500
#1: pull still warming up, odd 100s free pull, even 100s breast pull
#2: 100 IM swim, 100 IM kick
#3: descend to 90%
#4: descend to Fast
#5: pull, odd 100s free pull, even 100s back pull
#6: IM swim
#7: descend to Fast
#8: Fast swim for time

Practice #13
Total: 3700

warm-up:
200 choice, 100 kick, 100 IM drill

main set:
10x50 back (first 5 on an easy interval, second 5 pick it up a bit)
200 back stretch it out
10x50 free strong (good, hard interval)
400 free pull, every 8th lap breast pull
10x50 odds back, evens free strong
600 (three continuous 200 IM--first one kick, second drill, third swim)
10x50 free odds easy, evens All Out from a dive
10x50 stroke, odds easy, evens All Out from a dive
The emphasis is on your 50s--on repeating strong 50 swims for the middle
groups of ten, and on Sprinting for the last two groups

Practice #14
Total: 4400

600 choice

main set:
1x100
2x200
3x300
4x400
The first is always freestyle.
The second swim is always IM.
The third swim is always free (pull option)
The fourth swim is a fast, hard effort, your choice.

This means that for the 100s, since there is only 1 100, you will only swim freestyle.
For the 200s, since there are 2 of them, you will do the first freestyle, and the second IM.
For the 300s, since there are 3 of them, the first is free, the second IM, the thirds is free/pull.
And for the 400s, the first is free, the second is IM, the third is free/pull, the fourth is all out your choice.

8x100 free (2xthrough: 1 on an easy interval, 2 on a fast interval, 1 on an easy interval)

Practice #15
Total: 4400

warm up: 200 drill choice, 200 swim choice

main set:
4 sets of 5x200
The first 4 200s of each group of 5 are descend 1-4, the fourth being fast.
#1) 4x200 free, third 50 breast
1x200 cool down
#2) 4x200 IM
1x200 cool down
#3) 4x200 back
1x200 cool down
#4) 4x200 free fast
1x200 easy

Practice #16
Total: 4200

4x200 warming up (1 free, 1 IM drill, 1 kick, 1 IM swim)

main set:
(fly)
25 kick
50 swim
25 fast
(back)
50 kick
100 swim
50 fast
(breast)
75 kick
150 swim
75 fast
(fly)
100 kick
200 swim
100 fast
(IM)
150 kick (no free)
300 swim
150 fast (no free)
(free)
200 kick
400 swim
200 fast

Practice #17
Total: 3650

800 free swim, pull by 200s warming up

700 as 4x175 kick (15-20 seconds rest)

600 reverse IM by 100s (continuous)

500 as 5x100 free hard intervals

400 stroke choice. Drill a 50, swim a 150. Concentrate on technique

300 as 4x75 free sprint/ underwater/ free sprint by 25

200 IM

100 sculling

50 as 2x25 from a dive

Practice #18
Total: 3400

400 warm up your choice

3x the following:

8x25 choice of stroke other than free
2 drill
2 build
2 kick
2 fast

4x200 (work all stroke hard
1-200 stroke (same as above)
2-150 stroke, 50 free
3-100 stroke, 100 free
4-50 stroke, 150 free

Round two, the 200s are done as follows instead:

4x200
1-200 IM
2-200 IM faster than above
3-100 IM (all out), 100 free
4-200 free, stretch out