Swim Tip
Presented by Marissa Eng, Coach
Nike Swim Camp Tip: Bolster your mid-distance and sprint freestyle groups
Nike Swim Camps are offered during the summer for competitive to elite swimmers looking to improve their stroke technique, starts and turns, and overall performance.
Looking for a way to bolster your mid-distance and sprint freestyle groups? The Nike Summer Swim Camp Director at Oregon State University, Marissa Eng, uses a deceptively challenging set of 50s to get the most out of her mid-sprint group. The set includes a grand total of 32 50s all out, with intervals getting faster each 50. It’s an effective and fun challenge for any level of sprinter or mid-distance swimmer.
4x through
8 x 50 All Out @ 1:30 (decrease interval 5 seconds each 50 and hold same time)
1 x 100 easy @ 2:00
The set seems simple, Eng admits. The challenge of holding the same time on a descending cycle makes this set a keeper. The swimmers love it, too. “I got a lot of positive feedback on it,” Eng said.
Eng's swimmers typically do this set in a long course meters pool, but the workout transfers easily to short course yards. There’s no need to change the intervals.
With four rounds of all out 50s, the set will surely tire out the swimmers. Swimmers should focus on maintaining a fast tempo on every 50, having consistent power, and blasting their walls like they would in a race. The 32 50s provide ample opportunities to fine tune the minute details of their sprints: turns, breathing, underwater distance, etc. For more the mid-distance swimmers, it’s a chance to work on consistency of their pacing and speed. In the end, these 50s will pay dividends for their 200 events.
As coaches, you can add a little variety to this set. Each round can be a different stroke (for example, IM order by round for your IMers). You can also alternate a round of freestyle and a round of specialty. Or you can stick with doing all the rounds freestyle. The set provides flexibility!
Check out more swim training tips to help take your game to the next level!