Types of sets for basic endurance training

Hello my friends and a happy new years to you and your families with a lot of love, health and swimming!!!

I'm sorry I didn't blog for quite a long period of time but today I'm back and I hope this time for good.

You are probably getting bored of doing the exactly same training routine every day. Today's blog will help you make your training more interesting and challenging. In this blog I will try to refer to the types of sets a swimmer and/or a coach can use to improve basic endurance training (En-1). If you want to remember the guidelines for constructing basic endurance sets see here. In the following days I will write about the types of sets that can be used for the other training zones. 

Types of sets

Overdistance and continuous training sets

Overdistance work can be described as long repeats either in sets or as one long swim. Any distance longer than the race distance of the swimmer can be overdistance swimming. 

Sample sets: (3x400m) + (3x300m) + (3x200m) + (3x100m) FR total: 3000m

                    4x1000m FR even paced

                                   FR with paddles

                                   FR even paced bretahing every three

                                   FR with paddles                                       total: 4000m

                     6x600m BR or BS 15 sec rest                                total: 3600m

                     5x800m FR negative split and descending through all aerobic zones  total: 4000m

                     5x800m FR (first three mixture of drills ans swim, last two aim at distance per stroke) 

                     total: 4000m

Short-rest training sets

After the swimmer has adjusted to the continuous overdistance work, he should be introduced to short-rest sets as the next step. Rest intervals are 5 to 15 seconds.

Samples sets: 40x50m FR on :40                                                    total: 2000m

                      (1x500m) + (2x250m) + (5x100m) + (10x50m) + (20x25m) short rest total: 2500m

                      4x(50 + 100 + 150 + 200)m switching strokes on each repeat every 50m, begin the first 50m of each repeat on the same stroke                                                   total: 2000m

                      10x(50m FR on :40 + 100m BR on 1:40 +  50m FR on :40)       total: 2000m

Varied-pace training sets

Varied-pace training sets include a mixture of different training speeds. This work includes moderate or higher quality training speeds to provide better stimulation. Swimmers can do this work in the form a descending set, alternating set, or spike set that includes fast efforts or some short explosive efforts.

Sample sets: 6x600m +15m dive start at maximum speed after each 600m repeat  total: 3690m

                    5x (4x100m) 3x100m of each set at En-1, 1x100m at En-3   total: 2500m

                    2x (3x400m FR) descending each set of 3x400m                   total: 2400m

Double-up training sets

Double-up sets are designed to improve the ability of the swimmerto maintain pace while increasing distance, that is, 100m on 1:10. 200m on 2:20, 300m on 3:30 and so on. For reverse double-ups the swimmer starts with the 400m and swims down to the 100m. Descending double-ups are with descending time. rest or distance while ascending double-ups are with increasing distance.

Sample set:    Distance                                       On                                            Target

50	1:00	0:38
100	2:00	1:16
150	3:00	1:54
200	4:00	2:32
250	5:00	3:10
300	6:00	3:48
350	7:00	4:26
400 800	8:00 16:00	5:04                                                                                                                         10:08