Swim Speed Workouts for Swimmers and Triathletes: The Breakout Plan for Your Fastest Freestyle (Swim Speed Series)

I am an amateur swimming with no formal training and few years of experience via self-training (thank you Internet videos). This workout program is great. It provides structure to my workouts and is challenging for someone not used to swimming over 2500 yards during each session. The plan includes various sets of cards and a short book, all of which are waterproof and are included in a plastic holder that drains water from the bottom (i.e., all are suitable for the pool deck). The book provides a great overview of the plan (highlights from the author's paperback book). There are cards describing the basic terminology she uses in the plan (the Tool Kit), cards describing the drills in the plan (the Drills), cards for the 16 weeks of workouts - 3 workouts per week (the Workouts), and cards for the tubing discussions (the Tubing). I was a little skeptical about the waterproofing of the workout cards, but they are waterproof. I take them as-is to the pool each time and no issues. The workouts themselves are great since they vary in distance and drills. Each workout is broken down into a warm-up, drill/main set, a bonus set, a warm-down, and the tubing exercises. The author does a good job breaking up the monotony of swimming laps with the variety. She includes an overall purpose of the workout, the suggested intervals for each drill, rest times, percentage of effort, and an occasional short motivation statement. The "she-ra" sessions at the end of the week (these are what she calls the most challenging workouts of each week) are around 4000 yards and give you a great sense of accomplishment once you're done. I would highly recommend this plan. My opinion is that this plan is well worth the $20 I paid. Best of luck.

My master's swim program just ended for the summer and I was looking for ways to keep going without paying to continue at other pools. This is a great alternative! I think I'm at the point where I want to swim alone and on my own for awhile working on technique, and this program offers that. I agree with other reviewers that it's not the best "beginner" program. When I was a true beginner, which was only a year and half ago, I could figure out how to read a workout sheet 10 x 25 pull with buoy, catchup, kick, whhhhaaaatttt????!! A beginner may feel intimidated with this book. If you sit through it, I'm sure there are ways a beginner could figure it all out because the drills are well detailed, PLUS there are videos you can watch! So don't be discouraged from buying this set if you are a true beginner, just know it's okay to be confused, we've all been there. I like the program lay out and will be working through this full set doing the two times a week workout (maybe three). What I didn't like are the cards. When my four year old pulled them out of the box and ALMOST got them all mixed up, I realized I have a potential problem. You could put them back in order, but it would take time. SO, I bound mine! One thing is that each workout includes time to tube. I recommend this set: AmazonBasics Resistance Band Set with 5 Bands, Foam Handles, Door Anchor, Ankle Straps, and Carrying Case . I like using the resistance bands, but I'll be the first to admit, I'm not going to do this at the pool, for so many reasons I won't mention, all related to my own insecurities, but I will gladly do them at home :) Plus, I need time to work that part of my workout out since I've never done it for swimming before. Overall this is a GREAT set, and I can see now why it has so many five star reviews.

Great workouts with lots of variation. Most workouts are around 2000-2500 yards/meters, plus some optional swimming. I enjoyed the blend of drills, short intervals, and longer endurance swims -- it makes it quite easy and entertaining to swim 2000 yards and more. On the other hand, this can make some of the workouts quite convoluted. You most likely will want to bring the cards to the pool with you (which is no problem, they handle getting wet very well). A big plus is that all the workouts have a specific purpose, so you know what you are working on and what you are supposed to get out of it. This set combines quite well with information from other sources, such as the Swim Smooth series. The author and the Swim Smooth team seem to have somewhat similar philosophies about swimming, and mixing in one of the workouts from this set into the Swim Smooth staple of threshold/CSS swims and endurance swims improved my swimming quite a bit. This set also includes concise and very helpful information on swimming technique, various drills, and training more generally. The author is a big fan of 'tubing' for strengthening. I haven't tried that yet, but I suppose that could be useful when being away from a pool while traveling or on vacation.

Firstly, relevant to mention that I didn't swim when I was young and also it is very clear that even if I decide not do anything in my life rather than swim, I will never swim like those guys in the other lanes - I mean neither the 60+ masters or the teenagers (probably my fast 100m's are equivalent to their warm-up speed). I am following Swim Speed workouts since July and the results are amazing. My times during training and races today are maybe the best ones since I have started to do triathlons, around 17 years ago. Even though my aerobic conditions today are far worse than they were some day in the past (the time I run 1K today used to be my pace in 21), I am swimming faster and surely the credit goes to Swim Speed method (in average I am swimming only 2x week). The cards themselves also are very practical and I take them to the pool for every practice. Almost 1 year using them and they are still good. The drill videos in youtube are also very good and from time to times I check them again to review I still doing them correctly. My next step now is to film my swimming and see what more can be improved.

Haven't had a chance to actually swim these workouts yet, but I've tried the tubing. I've looked through all these cards. The Tool kit and drills offer helpful advice on improving your stroke and kick. These cards look a little difficult for a beginning swimmer, but workouts are easily adjusted. It's a shame that the workouts don't build up on distance. The first workout expects a 2150 or 2650 meter workout. Not an easy feat for someone starting out. These cards would have had more potential if they started out easier and built up, like 1000-1200 a day the first week, 1400 the next, etc. instead of expecting over a mile the first day. Not everyone is an Olympian. These cards are difficult to me, but I'm sure that the pay off will be great for anybody who commits to all 16 weeks of workouts. I was expecting laminated cards, but these are coated paper that easily scratched. I was doubtful in the beginning, but tested it; they are waterproof. Overall Good workouts to improve your freestyle. Don't expect it to be easy; Get in shape first. You're expected to swim over 1.5 miles the first day and 2.5 miles by the 3rd.

I own the whole Swim Speed Series and this along with Swim Speed Strokes are the 2 must have books in the series. Swim Speed Secrets is really a waste if you buy this. First, this is actually a well designed training program. If you are a beginner, then it might be overkill, but if you are an advanced beginner or beyond then you will benefit from this. As others have mentioned it is a good 2000+ yard workout, but they are easy to scale for distance. But it is more than just workouts. The booklet and the cards that layout how to do the drills, tubing exercises, and actually how to train in the pool are excellent. The booklet outlines the proper technique for the stroke, as well as the form. It does a much better job than Swim Speed Secrets, so I assume they want you to buy both. But Swim Speed Strokes is a much better companion to Workouts because the photos and the stroke technique are perfectly presented.

This is much better than I expected it to be. I've used 2 coaches for Ironmans and this is comparable for swim training and a lot less expensive. I love how everything is organized on an individual card instead of a book. I also like how it's waterproof. My wife and I lay them on the edge of the pool. I think they are quality workouts and her system is very effective. I also like her theories about beginner/intermediate swimmers vs experts. I highly recommend this system to get faster.

I am a retired coach and was asked by my daughter to put together some training programs as she was competing in an 1.9 km open water swim. I started browsing the web and found these fully water proof training cards and thought Id try them a long with another set. My daughter and I both love these cards and don't use the other ones at all. I hurt my back and hadn't been swimming for a month and couldn't believe the improvement in my daughters speed after only 4 x weeks!!! Other people where we train have been questioning her technique and asking her her secret. Well worth the purchase and if you are like me (I'm 49) and just want to keep fit it takes the boredom out of just doing lap after lap up and down a pool.

Es una gran referencia de ejercicios y rutinas para natacion, algo que hay que entender primero es que esta en ingles, y no es un libro, son hojas de ejercicio indiviuales que ademas son contra agua diseñadas para tenerlas a lado de la alberca no se dañan y son faciles de limpiar (si contine un pequeño libro, pero es de introduccion), todo el compendio esta divido en 4 partes para entender las hojas de rutinas, es la 3ra publicacion que tengo de esta autora y la verdad lo recomiendo ampliamente.

Je lis attentivement tous les livres de natation. Haro sur les éditions françaises même pas capables de sortir un format soit de poche, soit waterproof - bref utilisable en situation - : la honte. Et quand le contenu d'un livre est pas trop mauvais ("guide du crawl moderne"), il reprend le contenu de livres américains (avec des imprécisions, bien sur). iic c'est tout l'inverse. Bravo. This book is only about freestyle swimming used for triathlon. It deals with the techniques (actual ones) of stroke, kick, hand, hip etc. It gives you some drills to increase your efficiency at swimming (tubing works indeed !!). And finally it presents various numerous plans for workouts. Most of all, and unique, the book is not a book but a set of small plastic waterproof cards to bring along every damp poolside. Dear Sheila, thanks for this book : I'm eager to practise your "she-ra" workouts...just to compete with myself, for the fun of swimming

I am currently stepping up my swimming to complete a distance triathlon, and discovered Swim Speed Workouts. The introduction at the beginning sets the scene clearly, and explains some of the goals and explains how to complete the drills. I have been a swim coaching assistant for the last 3 years, and this pack has given me new ideas, new drills, primarily geared around the freestyle stroke, and then the 18 week programme of sets at the back There are 3 swims per cycle of sets, with 2 easier swims and then a tougher swim. Starting this programme - I have seen an immediate improvement in the efficiency of my stroke - dropping the number of strokes per length. It helped me discover some of the weaknesses of my stroke - such as my non-existent catch on my left arm, but the sets and drills target these and help you build on your weaknesses. Combining this with using swimtag.net has really helped me structure my swim training, and I feel very motivated to complete the next set, as opposed to thinking "shall I swim tonight or leave it" This set was just what I needed to help me step up a gear in my swimming, understand what I need to change to improve and stay motivated . . . so Roll on week 5!! I would really recommend this for someone who does not have time to join a club, and needs a structured swimming programme to help them achieve a target level of fitness in a certain time period.

Ich betreibe Triathlon seit einigen Jahren. Ich bin ein guter Schwimmer, scheine meinen Zenit aber erreicht zu haben. Die Trainingspläne sollen mir weiterhelfen, mich auf das Wesentliche zu konzentrieren und damit meine Schwimmzeiten innerhalb einer gegebenen Zeit zu verbessern. Die ersten 3 Wochen und damit 9 Pläne habe ich hinter mir. Also: geschenkt bekommt man hier nichts, um Ziele zu erreichen muß knallhart gearbeitet werden. Ich bin begeistert, fühle mich schneller und freue mich auf den ersten 1.000m-Test. Die Pläne sind abwechslungsreich, hart, logisch aufgebaut und vor allem hart! Audodidakten können gut mit den wasserfesten Plänen arbeiten. Zu den Plänen gibt es ein kleines Taschenbuch. Die Pläne bauen sehr gut auf das Buch "Kraulschwimmen wie die Profis" der gleichen Autorin auf.

We are looking forward to starting these workouts. There are 2 workouts of 2000-2800m and then 1 long session of 4000m for every week. The workouts look as though they will address a number of different issues such as kicking, pulling, catching,.... I expect to become a better swimmer by following the workout plan.