SWIMMING PROGRAMS FOR THE BEGINNER TRIATHLETE OR NOVICE SWIMMER

PROGRAM 1

TOTAL 1000m

Loosen : 250m - 100m easy swim, rest 30 secs: 4x25m single arm crawl rest 10secs: 50m catch up crawl
set 1 : 6x25m crawl kick rest 10 secs
set 2 : 3x100m crawl rest 30secs swim each rep 5secs faster
set 3 : 4x50m first 25m choice stroke return crawl with 6 stroke breathing
Loosen : 100m easy swim


PROGRAM 2

TOTAL 1300m

Loosen : 100m easy swim
set 1 : DRILLS : (A) 2x25m dog paddle (the hand movement must be a continuous flowing movement, stretching in front of your nose whilst the other hand finishes at your belly button, face in the water, breathe to the front. Strong kick.)
(B) 2x25m single arm crawl ( opposite hand lies stationary in front and kick rapidly, high elbow recovery.)
(C) 4x25m catch up crawl ( stop / start type of crawl, opposite hand lies stationary in front until touched )
set 2 : 8x25m crawl KICK rest 15 secs
set 3 : 200m cont... crawl
set 4 : 2x100m crawl rest 30 secs 4 stroke breathing
set 5 : 4x75m IM ( fly / back / breast )
Loosen : 100m easy


PROGRAM 3

TOTAL 1400m

Loosen : 4x75m swim / kick (no board, arms to the front, breathe to the front) / catch up crawl per 75m rest 20 secs
set 1 : DRILLS : (A) 2x25m dog paddle
(B) 4x25m single arm crawl rest 5 secs
(C) 100m catch up
set 2 : 3x150m 100m crawl rest 10 secs / 50m crawl HARD rest 45 secs
set 3 : 4x50m crawl KICK rest 20 secs
set 4 : 6x25m choice strokes HARD rest 15 secs
Loosen : 100m easy swim / drills


PROGRAM 4

TOTAL 1100m and TREADING

Loosen : 100m crawl easy rest 5 secs, 25m HARD rest 10 secs
75m crawl easy rest 5 secs, 25m HARD rest 10 secs
50m crawl easy rest 5 secs, 25m HARD rest 10 secs
25m crawl easy rest 5 secs, 25m HARD
set 1 : 4x25m dolphin / crawl KICK rest 10 secs
set 2 : 6x25m back / breast rest 15 secs
set 3 : 400m cont... crawl record TIME
set 4 : TREADING water 5 mins vertical crawl kicking (optional: scull with hands for assistence)
Loosen : 100m easy DRILLS


PROGRAM 5

TOTAL 1500m

Loosen : 200m : 50m swim / 50m pull crawl (keep big toes together, use only arms) / 50m kick (no board) / 50m catch up
set 1 : 6x 100m crawl rest 30 secs (maintain the same steady pace throughout)
set 2 : 4x50m KICK rest 15 secs 25m dolphin / 25m crawl
set 3 : 4x50m PULL ( no bouy , only rubber band tied around ankles) breathing 3 / 5 rest 20 secs
set 4 : 100m IM TIME
set 5 : 4x25m fly / back / breast / crawl HARD rest 20 secs
Loosen : 100m single arm crawl , high elbow recovery


PROGRAM 6

TOTAL 1800m

Loosen : 4x100m 1 crawl swim 2 crawl PULL 3 crawl KICK 4 crawl catch up rest 10 secs
set 1 : 4x200m crawl descend 10 secs per rep rest 20 / 30 / 40 secs
set 3 : 8x25m KICK HARD rest 10secs
set 4 : 4x75m 50m back / breast rest 5 secs SPRINT 25m crawl with 6 stroke breathing
Loosen : 100m DRILL

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HOW TO BREATHE CORRECTLY DURING THE CRAWL STROKE

The act of turning the head for a breath must be co-ordinated with the roll of the body.
The face should turn sideways with the roll of the body to the breathing side.
The breath should be taken as the opposite arm outstretches forward in the body roll.
The opposite ear almost lies on the opposite shoulder and the mouth is clearly above
the water surface.
The return of the face to the water once inhalation has taken place must be co-ordinated
with the body roll and the same side arm reaches forward into the entry. Exhalation must
then take place immediately and must be slow, controlled and forceful through the nose.


THE CRAWL TUMBLE TURN

STEP 1 : Standing in the pool do a HEAD OVER HEELS and return to standing in the upright
position.
STEP 2 : Standing in front of the wall, kick to wall with arms extended, face in the water .
When finger tips are about to to touch the wall, pull downwards and backwards with the arms.
The legs over, gently place feet on the wall and keep them firmly on the wall looking upwards,
but lying on the back.
STEP 3 : The same procedure follows again but only this time bring the arms to an extended
position behind the head the feet are still firmly on the wall. Push away on the back with extended
arms.
STEP 4 : The same procedure again including STEP 1 and STEP 2 and as the feet leave the wall,
roll over onto side and glide away with gentle kick. Towards the end of the glide, the swimmer then
rolls onto the stomach.


SOME VALUABLE SWIMMING TIPS

TIP 1 : To maintain proper STREAMLINING, the face is in the water with the waterline somewhere
between the hairline and the eyebrows. The eyes should be focused forward to maintain
a forward orientation.

TIP 2 : CATCH UP is a very important DRILL to improve the TIMING of the crawl stroke.
The drill is as follows: The one arm would rest in front after the entry and would not begin the
underwater stroke until the other hand had entered the water and caught up with it.

TIP 3 : The prime function of the KICK is to act as a stabilising force to the body.
The KICK is the foundation of the stroke. I always include a quality kick set in my training program.

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CARBOHYDRATE LOADING FOR THE ARGUS CYCLE TOUR OR ENDURANCE EVENTS
EG: HALF IRONMAN AND IRONMAN TRIATHLONS

HEY! I'm no dietician but this is what I find works best for me. However I
don't carbo-load for OLYMPIC DISTANCE TRIATHLONS. I follow a 50% carbs: 30% protein : 20% fat (good fats) diet.

PURPOSE OF CARBO-LOADING
Keeping the body supplied with carbohydrate energy during endurance exercise
is essential to maintain performance. The idea of carbo-loading is to load
your muscles and liver with glycogen before an endurance event.
Carbo-loading at least 3 days prior to an event like the Argus, will ensure
maximum filling of muscle glycogen stores. My best source of fuel is a
liquid high carb supplement containing glucose polymers.

Complex carbohydrate food groups consist of :
whole grain breads and cereals
fruits
beans
potatoes
pasta
all grains

Try to eat at least 70% carbohydrates in your diet during intense
training building up to the Argus or IRONMAN. My typical diet 3 days before the event
would look like this:

Breakfast : A high energy cereal like pronutro (+70g per 100g) or oats
plain non-fat yogurt
2 pieces of plain whole wheat or rye toast
piece of fruit eg banana
500ml carbo drink
(ps) I believe in a hearty breakfast!

Snack : peanut butter,avocado pear, tuna or chicken roll (preferably on rye bread)
Just Fruit Bar (from Safari)

Lunch : light pasta dish

Snack : 500ml carbo drink
Dried fruit

Dinner : Fish or chicken with vegetables and rice
(only use olive oil for cooking)
Green salad or a fruit salad

Favourite dinner : tortillas stuffed with beans, onions, tomatoes, cottage
cheese, avo, tofu and spices! This meal is also Mark Allen's favourite!

During training I drink up to 750ml of carbohydrates and usually take along
an energy bar. Fruit cake or a baked potato is an exellent source of energy
on a long training ride.

I drink up to 2 litres of water a day.

Race day :

The morning of the race, I eat a bowl of oats with low-fat yogurt and a
couple of slices of toast with peanut butter, and I drink a large glass of
water. I drink 500ml of carbs 30 to 45 minutes prior to the start.

My favourite food during an endurance event is dried fruit because it is
calorically dense and high in fructose. (Also easy to eat). Dried figs have
about 35-50 calories per fig. Avoid "simple" sugar like coke and sweets. The
energy burst will only last about 10 minutes and no longer and they can
further dehydrate you.

During a race like the Argus, I carry 2 water bottles filled with
carbohydrate fuel and 2 JUST FRUIT energy fruit bars from SAFARI.
(and my cell phone!!)