General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Swim Workouts: Ladders Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply
2008-11-02 3:40 PM

User image

Master
1730
100050010010025
Atlanta, GA
Subject: Swim Workouts: Ladders

I found a great article on ladder workouts...they are a smart addition to swim workouts.

From Active.com:

 Many people have their tricks to get through their daily workout routine. What's worked for me and some of the world's best swimmers is ladder training, a format the increases endurance and breaks up monotony.

Ladder training consists of metric distances that increase or decrease in length over the course of a given set. I have long been a fan of ladder training, and incorporate it into every workout to develop and maintain endurance, and to keep things interesting (ladder training has a funny way of tricking you into covering more distance when you'd rather throw in the towel).

The most basic ladder "set" can be outlined as a group of metric distances as follows: 500, 400, 300, 200, 100 meters. The total distance is 1,500-meters, or one mile.

This is a great set to try if you're new to the concept of ladder training, or if you are trying to get in shape for your first one-mile or more ocean swim. Take 20 seconds rest after the 500, 15 seconds rest after the 400, 10 seconds rest after the 300, and five seconds rest after the 200.

Your goal should be to increase your average speed with each shorter distance. What you are conditioning your body to do here is "negative split," a race strategy where the back half of your race is faster than the first half. Negative splitting is a sure sign of a swimmer's endurance ability, and is a favored technique by elite swimmers in longer races.

If you incorporate the above set into your daily swim regimen, you will notice your endurance increase over the course of a few weeks. As this happens, you may want to pay attention to your average per 100-meter time and see if you can lower it to make the set more challenging.

For example, if your usual 500 takes you six minutes and you work your way down to a 1:10 for your 100, attempt a 500 at 5:50 (which is 5x100's holding a 1:10 pace) and stay consistently faster as you proceed down the ladder. This way, you are building upon your previous training (thus a 100 of "1:10" becomes the building block of a new ladder set where your first 500 is made up of five "1:10" 100's).

But don't stop there. Just because you've bettered your performance on this ladder, it does not mean your work is finished. One way to double your endurance capacity is to return "up" the ladder you just completed by swimming 100, 200, 300, 400, 500.

Use the same rest-interval ratio (five seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds) and attempt to duplicate your times from the first ladder. You are doubling your distance and asking your body to swim just as fast.

At first, you will find your last 400 and 500 to be interminable and painful, but soon this two-mile down-and-up ladder set will have you hooked on the challenging and dynamic workout technique known as ladder training.

The possibilities after this are endless. You can create your own ladder sets by starting out with a 1,000, 900, 800, 700, etc. if you are preparing for a multi-mile marathon swim. Or you can do mini-ladders, like a 100, 75, 50, 25, several times through to develop your sprinting or middle-distance stamina. You can also do ladder sets within ladder sets, such as 5x100's, 4x200's, 3x300's, 2x400's, 1x500.

As you can see, one nice thing about ladders is that they keep things interesting. Swimmers, especially those who compete in distance events, have few choices when it comes to developing endurance; they can swim thousands of meters for hours on end (known as "garbage yardage" by the more cynical of our group) or they can endure torturous sets that challenge the mind with their endless monotony (80x100's @ 1:30 holding the same time for each one).

I think swimming long distances and completing repetitive sets have their place in a swimmer's training log since they ingrain endurance mentality into an athlete's mind. However, it is important to stay motivated during a workout, or else you may not finish it or just go through the motions.

Ladder training sugar coats the pill by always promising a shorter set once you finish the current one (after that 500, you have a shorter 400, then an even shorter 300, you eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel.

On days that you feel tired and unmotivated, ladder training can have a vigorous effect on your psyche and your will to stay in the pool and complete a challenging workout.



2008-11-03 11:30 AM
in reply to: #1781821

User image

Master
1404
1000100100100100
Atlanta, Ga
Subject: RE: Swim Workouts: Ladders
In my build to Ironman, I did basic ladder and pyramid sets all the time. They are definitely my preferred training method when needing to get long distances in.

Thanks for the article.
2008-11-03 11:37 AM
in reply to: #1781821

User image

Master
2021
2000
Alpharetta, GA
Subject: RE: Swim Workouts: Ladders
Good information! On a counter-point, is there anything against grinding out 4,000 + meters, besides it is a boring 160 + laps in training for Iron distances? Just wondering?
2008-11-03 12:04 PM
in reply to: #1783540

User image

Champion
6962
500010005001001001001002525
Atlanta, Ga
Subject: RE: Swim Workouts: Ladders

Coldfire - 2008-11-03 12:37 PM Good information! On a counter-point, is there anything against grinding out 4,000 + meters, besides it is a boring 160 + laps in training for Iron distances? Just wondering?

There is nothing against that as you get closer to an IM race.  The equivalent of race specific training.  The easiest way to answer that question is would you only do one speed for bike or run training?  Or would you incorporate tempo work, speed work, long and short intervals, varying rest period to make your run or bike that much faster overall?

The way I have my athletes train is to do a wide assortment of 100, 200, 300, 500 repeats varying rest period and intensities.  As the race gets close, then the 2200 or 4400 straight workouts come out.

2008-11-03 12:08 PM
in reply to: #1781821

User image

Pro
3883
20001000500100100100252525
Woodstock,GA
Subject: RE: Swim Workouts: Ladders

I'll disagree on the straight 2000-4000 yd swims. There is really no need to torture yourself in the pool for that long unless its a confidence thing. Pool swimming and OWS are completely different animals. To practice OWS you have to OWS plain and simple.

The ladder and pyramid sets are great for volume and you can tweak them for speed also.

2008-11-03 12:57 PM
in reply to: #1781821

User image

Master
1730
100050010010025
Atlanta, GA
Subject: RE: Swim Workouts: Ladders

I have learned that pool speed does not always translate to OWS.  I am the perfect example.  Fast in the pool, MOP in OWS.  I would like to do more OWS work in 2009. 

So, I would suggest going long on OWS efforts.  It would be a race simulation and a good way to get in those long 3000 Yard efforts while varying the pool workouts, like the two coaches pointed out, are more than likely the best approach. 

I like ladders because they avoid "junk" yards.  They keep you focused while stacking up the yardage.  The long continuous swims in the pool tend to get tedious and thus unproductive.  I will look around for some information on how the big name distance swimmers  workout. 



Edited by thecaptin 2008-11-03 12:59 PM


2008-11-03 1:34 PM
in reply to: #1783633

User image

Master
2021
2000
Alpharetta, GA
Subject: RE: Swim Workouts: Ladders
Marvarnett - 2008-11-03 1:04 PM

Coldfire - 2008-11-03 12:37 PM Good information! On a counter-point, is there anything against grinding out 4,000 + meters, besides it is a boring 160 + laps in training for Iron distances? Just wondering?

There is nothing against that as you get closer to an IM race.  The equivalent of race specific training.  The easiest way to answer that question is would you only do one speed for bike or run training?  Or would you incorporate tempo work, speed work, long and short intervals, varying rest period to make your run or bike that much faster overall?

The way I have my athletes train is to do a wide assortment of 100, 200, 300, 500 repeats varying rest period and intensities.  As the race gets close, then the 2200 or 4400 straight workouts come out.



That is a great answer, thanks!

I normally swim 3X per week. I do a speed day (e.g. 25's & 50's), a mid-level day (sets of 100 - 500), and a long grind day of 3,000 - 4,000 meters. Hence, why I asked. Just learning.

I would also agree with Cap's last post with pool speed does not equal OW speed. So, the next question would be: where do individuals train in safe OW?
New Thread
General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Swim Workouts: Ladders Rss Feed