Feeling Lucky??

Here's the Master's Workout I wrote up for today. It's one of those deceptively hard ones. I'll write out the workout and then give you the blow-by-blow. If you do this one right and you're not wiped by the end of it, you're one tough cookie!

"Lucky Sevens"

Warmup:
7 x 125 - Odds Swim, Evens Alternate Drill/Swim by 25
25 EZ

7 x 75 - 50 Kick, 25 swim
25 EZ

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Main Set:

7 x 175: 1, 2 Cruise
3, 4 Build
5 - 7 Descend
25 EZ

7 x (25 Stroke, 25 all-out sprint)

7 x 125 : 100 Pull, 25 Scull
25 EZ

============
Cool Down:
7 x 25 Cruise
25 EZ

Total: 4150 yards


How to work it:

7 x 125 - Odds Swim, Evens Alternate Drill/Swim by 25

Really concentrate on your drills on this warmup set. Each time you swim after doing a particular drill, focus on that aspect of your stroke during the swim. Put your brain to it.

7 x 75 - 50 Kick, 25 swim

Work the kick to start warming up your legs. Focus on kicking from the hips. Do some of the kick on your back and make sure you don't have "popcorn knees" (knees popping out of the water). Do some of the kicking on your side in a streamlined position with one hand straight ahead and one hand trailing behind you. By the last couple 75s, your kick should be moderately hard in effort.

7 x 175: 1, 2 Cruise
3, 4 Build
5 - 7 Descend

Make the first couple of these at a moderate speed - your long-distance pace. For numbers 3 and 4, build by 25's over the course of the 175 going from a cruise to a hard pace by the end of each. Drop back to cruising speed for number 5, but make 6 at a fast medium-distance pace, and make 7 as hard as you can sustain for 175 yards without slowing. There's should be at least 10 seconds difference between your cruise, medium, and fast 175's.

7 x (25 Stroke, 25 all-out sprint)

In our lane, we rotated through the strokes in IM order for this drill. The interval for this should be long, because you're going to be working at an all-out pace. We used a 1:30 interval, whereas our normal 50 yard interval is :45. Do the stroke at a medium-hard pace, hit the turn and come out of it into a hard sprint all the way back. You should be feeling the lactic burn on every one of these.

7 x 125 : 100 Pull, 25 Scull

Use these to improve your feel for the water. Sculling should sensitize your hands to how you're putting pressure on the water. Moderate pace. Resist the urge to go too easy on these.

7 x 25 Cool Down - Just cruise these and let all the lactic acid flush out, stretch your arms out into a long loose stroke. Throw some backstroke in to stretch out the shoulders.