Drills and Speed Swim Workout
By Stacey Kiefer, Masters Swim Coach
February 18, 2013
Swim Workout Description:
This workout focuses on getting your heart racing after perfecting your strokes with drills.
Shorter Workout*
Warm Up:
300 free
100 IM drill
100 IM kick
100 IM swim, stretched out
600 yards
Main set:
8 x 100 completed as:
4 x 100 free pull with buoy and paddles - pick an interval that is :05 more than a moderately-hard non-pulling freestyle set (so if you normally do 100’s on 1:20, do these on 1:25)
Take 1:00 rest
4 x 100 free swim on your regular hard but achievable pace interval
800 yards
1400 cumulative yards
200 fly drill completed as:
50 - left arm, 50 - right arm, 50 - 4 kick/2 full strokes, 50 - 3 left arm/3 right arm/3 full strokes
4 x 25 fly full stroke - fast - :10-:15 rest
200 back drill completed as:
50 - left arm, 50 - right arm, 50 - hand wave (when arm is straight out of water above body), 50 - double arm backstroke
4 x 25 back full stroke - fast - :10-:15 rest
200 breast drill completed as:
50 - fly kick with breaststroke arms, 50 - 3 kicks with 1 stroke, 50 - quick above water recovery at top of stroke, 50 - underwater breaststroke
4 x 25 breast full stroke - fast - :10-:15 rest
200 free drill completed as:
50 - left arm, 50 - right arm, 50 - catch-up, 50 - fingertip drag drill with exaggerated roll
4 x 25 free full stroke - fast - :10-:15 rest
1200 yards
2600 cumulative yards
200 easy
Longer Workout*
Warm Up:
600 free
200 IM drill
200 IM kick
200 IM swim, stretched out
1200 yards
Main set:
16 x 100 - take 1:00 rest between sets of 4, completed as:
4 x 100 free pull with buoy and paddles - pick an interval that is :05 more than a moderately-hard non-pulling freestyle set (so if you normally do 100’s on 1:20, do these on 1:25)
4 x 100 free swim on your regular hard but achievable pace interval
4 x 100 free pull with buoy and paddles (same interval as 1st set of 4)
4 x 100 free swim (same interval as 2nd set of 4)
1600 yards
2800 cumulative yards
200 easy kick with board, choice
200 yards
3000 cumulative yards
200 fly drill completed as:
50 - left arm, 50 - right arm, 50 - 4 kick/2 full strokes, 50 - 3 left arm/3 right arm/3 full strokes
8 x 25 fly full stroke - fast - :10-:15 rest
200 back drill completed as:
50 - left arm, 50 - right arm, 50 - hand wave (when arm is straight out of water above body), 50 - double arm backstroke
8 x 25 back full stroke - fast - :10-:15 rest
200 breast drill completed as:
50 - fly kick with breaststroke arms, 50 - 3 kicks with 1 stroke, 50 - quick above water recovery at top of stroke, 50 - underwater breaststroke
8 x 25 breast full stroke - fast - :10-:15 rest
200 free drill completed as:
50 - left arm, 50 - right arm, 50 - catch-up, 50 - fingertip drag drill with exaggerated roll
8 x 25 free full stroke - fast - :10-:15 rest
1600 yards
4600 cumulative yards
200 easy
*Kiefer swim workouts are designed to inspire productive training with gratifying results. But, as you should with any workout program, please consult with your healthcare provider before you begin training.
