This Workout of the Week is a 1,000 yard workout I completed with MySwimPro on the Apple Watch. In this article I’ll overview the workout’s strategy and walk you through a set-by-set analysis of all the data captured in this Pull Ladder MySwimPro workout!
Workout Statistics:
- Distance: 1,000 Yards
- Duration: 19 Minutes
- Focus: Aerobic IM Conditioning
This workout was completed in a 25 yard swimming pool. I wrote the workout using the MySwimPro app synced the workout to my Apple Watch. The training session was run continuously with 30 seconds rest between the set-groups and 15 seconds rest between the sets. There is only one set-group in this workout and 10 sets so just 15 seconds between each 100 IM. You can learn more about workout and set structure here.
Workout Strategy
This workout is a bit out of the box in the sense that, there’s no Warmup Set or Cool Down set. It’s just one Main Set swum continuously for 10 sets. This workout is very similar to the 10 x 100s Freestyle Drop It Like It’s Hot, which you can read about here.
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 2:00
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:55
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:50
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:45
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:40
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:35
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:30
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:25
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:20
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:15
15 seconds rest between each set. I took a bonus 30 seconds before the last set of 1 x 100 IM to hop out and set up my phone to film it!
Workout Analytics
Using data to help you understand your swimming performance is one of the most efficient ways to help you improve in the water. With advances in wearable technology, the most important metrics can be tracked automatically and used to your advantage. Checkout the stats from the last 100 IM of the set:
“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.”
Heart Rate is an awesome way to see effort over the course of a workout. This workout’s structure is particularly interesting to look at the heart rate graph because the work: rest ratio was roughly 1:1 meaning I was resting for about 50% of workout which gives enough time for my heart rate to drop and then climb again during the 100 IM. Check it out below:
Personalize the Workout
This same workout can be adapted to meet different speeds and skill levels. For example, instead of doing 10 x 100s, you could do 5 x 100s IM or 20 x 100s IM. The set could be 10 x 200s IM. Alternatively you can descend the interval from the 3:00 instead of the 2:00. You can also take a longer break between each rep. Here’s an example of the same set with a slower starting interval.
- ✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 2:30
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 2:25
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 2:20
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 2:15
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 2:10
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 2:05
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 2:00
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:55
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:50
✔️ 1 x 100 IM @ 1:45
How To Swim Faster
Swimming fast comes down to two things: Increasing propulsion and decreasing drag. Swimming efficiently will help you decrease drag and this is much faster (and easier) to improve than improving propulsion. To increase the efficiency of your workout, you’ll need to add structure and variation to push your body in new and innovative ways. This workout is just one example of how you can do this.
If you’d like more creative sets and training plans like this, checkout the MySwimPro app. New workouts added daily (Workout of the Day) along with over 10 training plans that the MySwimPro app personalizes to you and are designed to help you meet your goals!
Be sure to download the MySwimPro app in the App Store for iPhone and Google Play Store for Android!
