Workout of the Week: IM Delight

Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limits!
Here’s a short (22 Minute) workout to mix in all the strokes and energy systems. You don’t have to swim a lot to get in a great workout. This Workout of the Week is a prime example of that. By training every stroke, you engage your muscles in different ways that you would not ordinarily just doing freestyle.

Workout Statistics:

• Distance: 1,200 yards
• Duration: 22 Minutes
• Focus: All Strokes Training

Warmup

Light warm of 50s freestyle and kick to get the body warmed up. If you notice this workout’s warmup is 500 yards. It’s nearly half of the entire workout duration. Regardless how long the workout’s total time/duration, it’s still important to do a proper warmup.

Main Set: Alternating IM and Stroke

The pattern of the main set follows: 100 IM then 50 stroke (in IM order). The IM order is Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Freestyle. Each 100 IM is performed on a tight interval (Threshold). The 50s are in the Best Average zone, but because there is only one repetition, it’s important to swim these with a very high strong effort.

• 1 x 100 IM @ 1:20 Aerobic Threshold
• 1 x 50 Butterfly @ 1:00 Strong Effort
• 1 x 100 IM @ 1:20 Aerobic Threshold
• 1 x 50 Backstroke @ 1:00 Strong Effort
• 1 x 100 IM @ 1:20 Aerobic Threshold
• 1 x 50 Breaststroke @ 1:00 Strong Effort
• 1 x 100 IM @ 1:20 Aerobic Threshold
• 1 x 50 Freestyle @ 1:00 Strong Effort

Cool Down

It’s important to let your body recover and cool down after a physically fatiguing set like this one. 100-200 yards is the minimum recommended to flush out lactic acid that was built up during the main set. A cool down and post-swim recovery can easily take up to 30 minutes or more. Hot tub?
Be sure to download the MySwimPro app in the App Store for iPhone and Google Play Store for Android!