With my swim squad in Boulder, we regularly start and end our workouts with short anaerobic endurance (AE) sets using both freestyle and other strokes. AE sets are key to help heighten and recruit fast twitch muscle fibers.

Although it’s important to include AE freestyle efforts, try changing your stroke selection from time-to-time. In these sets, you’ll overload your back, shoulders, triceps and core. Try integrating these AE sets before and after your main set.

The AE sets below are pretty short. They can vary from 2 min to 9 min of total hard effort. Your body will ache, heart rate will soar and the metabolic and muscular return will be huge!

If you give this workout a try, let me know how it went. Get in touch with me on Facebook or Twitter.

Dave

 

AE Endurance Set Guidelines

  1. AE Freestyle sets are key for boosting your fitness (but also include other strokes).
  2. Select two of the four sets (outlined below) per workout. Insert one set at the beginning and one near the end. Including these sets in your swim sessions two times a week is perfect. After you’ve done these a few times you might want to add another AE set in the middle of the workout, as well.
  3. All efforts should be performed at a very high intensity!

AE Swim Sets

1. 8 x 25 m

Rest Interval (RI) 30 sec

Perform a head-up breast stroke pull with a flutter kick. Keep your chin above the water! Fast arms and big kick! Repeat the set at the end of the workout.

2. 8 x 65 m

Start with 25 m dolphin kick on your back + 25 m back flutter + 15 m fly.  Swim for a total of 65 m.

Finish the rest of the lane length easily to make it a total of 75 m. Then take a 30 sec RI.

Do your main sets.

Repeat this set at the end of the workout only 4 x 65 m.

3. 8 x 50 m — Individual Medley (IM) that is typically Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle.

For this IM do ½ length of each stroke:

12.5 m fly + 12.5 m back + 12.5 m breast + 12.5 m free

RI 45 sec

Do your main sets.

Repeat the AE set at the end of the workout for 4 x 50 m.

4. 8 x 25 m Freestyle

4 x 25 m free with band around ankles

RI 30 sec

4 x 25 m free (no band)

RI 15 sec

Do your main sets.

Repeat set at the end of the workout.

#WorkoutWednesday is powered by BioAstin, one of my top 5 recommended supplements.  BioAstin Hawaiian Astaxanthin is a powerful antioxidant that supports cardiovascular health and muscle recovery… perfect for athletes who are training hard.