Week 1.
This will be my schedule for the week.
Monday: rest day.
Tuesday: swimming. (set 1)
Wednesday: rest day.
Thursday: circuit training.
Friday: rest day.
Saturday: swimming. (set 2)
Sunday: rest day.
Swimming (set 1) is a continuous training session. This program is mainly going to contain aerobic training with some focus on anaerobic training, to help improve sprint starts and finishes in the water, and my overall speed.
Swimming (set 2) will include several types of ketchup to improve my technique.
In the program I must ensure that I have enough rest periods to prevent build up of lactic acid or injury
Each week is going to include one circuit session and a two swimming sessions. The exercises of the circuit will be performed in the same order that they are written down. This way, after working each muscle group it is then rested by working another group. The number of repetitions, not how long it takes to carry out one activity, will perform my circuit.
An example of a circuit session would look like this:
At the beginning I will complete a small warm up, jogging 15m, and then stretching from the neck working downwards.
Station 1: arms raises using dumb bells (3kg). I will repeat this 15 times on each arm, it will strengthen the muscles in my arms making them more powerful, and making me swim faster.
Increase by: 5 arm raises each time.
Station 2: V – sits. 16 times, strengthening my stomach muscles.
Increase by: 3 more v-sits each time.
Station 3: cycles with ankle weights, and dumb bells in hands. I will do 20 cycles. This will work my quads, abs, arms and hamstring muscles, making them stronger.
Increase by: 4 cycles each time.
Station 4: running on a crash mat, 50 steps, this will strengthen my quads and my cardiovascular system.
Increase by: 5 steps each time.
Station 5: the plank. Hold it for 40 seconds, rest for 40 seconds, and then repeat it three times. This will strengthen my stomach muscles.
Increase by: repeat it an extra time each time.
Station 6: arm circles, 60 times. Will strengthen arm muscles, making my pulls in my strokes stronger, making me go faster.
Increased by: 4 arm circles each time.
Station 7: lunges with weights (3kg), 20 lunges. Strengthen my legs, enabling my kicks to be more powerful.
Increase by: 2 lunges each time.
Station 8: medicine ball lifts with arms, 15 times. Strengthen my arm muscles.
Increase by: 2 lifts each time.
Station 9: skipping: 50 skips, improve my cardiovascular system.
Increase by: 5 skips each time.
Station 10: step ups, 50 times strengthening the muscles in my legs.
Increase by: 3 step ups each time.
Station 11: running 15m 6times, strengthening my cardiovascular system
Increase by: 1 15m run each time.
At the end of my circuit training session, I will stretch all of my muscles to prevent the build up of laic acid.
When I do my circuit training sessions I will increase the amount of reps I carry out, the number that I increase them by is underlined at the bottom of each section. I need to increase the number of reps so that my body does not adjust to the exercise I am doing, and it keeps improving, and so my muscles become stronger.
Swimming (set 1)
Is a continuous training session, but will include a fartlex.
Warm up:
- 6 lengths freestyle.
- 2 lengths breaststroke
- 2 lengths backstroke
Then I will:
- 4 lengths freestyle – 2 minutes. I will swim, and the rest for the remainder of the time that I have left in the 2 minutes. Repeated 6 times
- Fartlex: sprint 10 lengths, recover for 10 lengths. Repeat 3 times.
- Individual medley. Repeat 2 times.
- Small rest
- 25meter sprints and dives. 6 times freestyle
- 25meter sprints and dives. 6 times breaststroke
- 25meter sprints and start 4 times back stroke
- 25meter sprints and dives 2 times butterfly.
- 100meters sprint, with dives and correct turns, each stroke.
Warm down:
Swimming (set 2)
Warm up:
- 6 lengths freestyle.
- 2 lengths breaststroke
Then I will:
- 6 length finger drag, with pool boy – freestyle
- 6 lengths catch up – freestyle
- 6 lengths touch with arm paddles– freestyle.
- 4 lengths freestyle kicking with a float
- 6 lengths catch up – butterfly
- 6 lengths 1 arm with pool boy – butterfly
- 6 lengths catch up – back stroke
- 6 lengths arm rotation – back stroke
- 6 lengths catch up – breaststroke
- 6 lengths catch up with arm paddles – breaststroke
- 4 lengths breaststroke kicking with a float.
In working on my strokes I hope to for fill the following:
Butterfly
- Whip your legs together and stroke with both arms simultaneously and symmetrically to dive and glide like a dolphin in the water.
- Hold your legs together and extend your arms above your head.
- Kick your legs up and down once in a whipping motion generating from the hips and bending at the knees, as if you were a dolphin.
- Pull both of your arms simultaneously and symmetrically through the water beneath your body along with the big kick, helping to propel your body forward and out of the water.
- Lift your head up and breathe as you quickly pull both arms out of the water and swing them forward. Head and arms re-enter the water together in a diving motion.
- Glide momentarily, performing a smaller follow-up kick.
- Execute another pull-through motion with your arms, with your legs performing a full kick to propel you up and out again.
- The butterfly kick is actually two kicks. One kick is a big kick, with knees bending and kicking out while the body leaps and dives forward. Then, during the glide, the whole body whips the legs into a second, smaller kick.
Backstroke
- Floating on your back in a horizontal position, kick your legs up and down. Keep your legs straight, but not entirely rigid. Your toes should be pointed out. Try not to make a big splash with your kick; just churn the surface of the water.
- Pivoting slightly at the waist and rotating your shoulders, windmill your arms. Keep one arm straight as you raise it out of the water from your waist to a fully extended position. At the same time, the other arm should be bent and pulling a cupped hand along your side in the water, from the extended position back down to your side. Your hand should enter the water with your little finger first.
- Keep your head floating back in the water, with your eyes looking up. Breathe normally.
- The motion of your arms should be staggered, with one arm up while the other is down.
Breast stroke
- This can be a relaxing and gliding swim stroke, or it can be a quick, intense motion if you're racing. It's accomplished by a strong froglike kick and pull, then a long glide.
- Keep your legs close together and pull them up toward your chest. At the same time, hold your palms together and up against your chest, as if in prayer.
- Kick out and apart with your legs, and then quickly squeeze them together. Try to imitate the way a frog kicks. After the kick, streamline your body by pointing your toes and extending your arms completely.
- Glide for a moment with your arms fully extended, then turn your palms outward and pull with both hands out and around in a circular motion, so that they end up in their original position, together against your chest.
- Use the thrust of the pull with your hands to pull your head up and out of the water to take a breath. As your head goes back down, your arms should be just beginning to plunge forward with the next kick.
- Glide for a moment, and then repeat the entire motion.
- The glide is the most important aspect of this stroke. After the big kick, streamline your entire body as much as possible. Your shoulders should be almost against your ears. Glide, and then pull your head up and forward with your stroke.
Freestyle
- The freestyle is known as the fastest swim stroke.
- Visualize a line running down the centre of your body from your chin to your chest. This line is the axis upon which your whole body should pivot, and it should extend horizontally in the direction you are swimming.
- Keep your legs straight, but not rigid, with your toes pointed out, and kick up and down. Continue kicking the entire time.
- Move your arms in a windmill motion opposite each other. While one arm is extended completely out, the other should be all the way back, almost against the side of your body.
- Cup your hands and pull the extended arm through the water beneath your body. Bend your arm at the elbow and draw your fingertips along the imaginary line down the centre of your body.
- Lift your other arm out of the water and move it all the way forward as the first arm is pulling beneath you. Bend at the elbow and drag your fingertips along the surface of the water. Penetrate the water with your fingertips and completely extend the arm.
- Breathe on one side by turning your head to that side as the arm comes out of the water
In making my pep I have used the principles of training, which are:
Overload – in my circuit I have added a few more reps to each activity each week, so that I become stronger.
Specificity – I have thought about what I would need to do to become a better swimmer, and have made my pep specific to my needs.
Progression – the number of reps have progressed as I continue my 6 weeks.
Reversibility- if I injure my self or take time out from my six weeks I will lose some of the stamina I have gained, and I will need to allow 3 weeks of training to get back to my normal standard.
Frequency – I have a training session 3 times a week, so that I keep my fitness up.
Intensity – the intensity of my training varies according to what I am focusing on, when I focus on my technique the intensity is not as hard as I am concentrating on my stroke, however, when I am concentrating on my speed the intensity will be very high.
Time – each session of training is not to long, but is the right amount of time for me to work to the best of my ability.
Type – I will vary the type of exercise that I am doing so that I do not get board, and so that I enjoy what I am doing.
At the end of my six-week personal exercise plan I will repeat the fitness tests again to see if an improvement has been made. I will also check my resting pulse rate to see if it has lowered.
