Fast Swim Academy · For the 200 and 400, any stroke
100 Workouts for a Faster 200 and 400
One hundred workouts for the 200 and 400 in free, fly, back, breast and IM. Every pace comes from your own test, every race-pace set has a stop rule, and every page says why the set is there. Four phases take you from base training to meet day, on three to six sessions a week.
Price goes up to $29 on Oct 24.
Who it is for
Anyone who races the 200 or the 400, and the people who coach them.
- Age groupers, 11 to 14An age-group line on every page: shorter sets, more rest, and a one-swim version of the critical speed test.
- Club and college swimmersSwim the phases as written on five or six sessions a week. Race pace every week, from the first week of Base.
- Masters who raceA masters line on every page: push starts, more rest, fewer reps, and a two-week taper instead of three.
- Stroke and IM swimmersAll 100 workouts work in any stroke. Fly and breast get fewer reps or more rest. IM swimmers get IM order on every page.
- CoachesGroup a lane by critical speed, run the stop rules, and hand your swimmers the reason behind every set.
Inside the book
Build the engine, then rehearse the race.
One hundred workouts, each on its own page in the same layout. Goal, total, time, equipment, the five parts of the session, the coach cue, stroke notes for fly, back, breast and IM, scaling for age group, masters, stronger swimmers and a 60-minute version, and one line on why it works with the study behind it. The science, your pace tests and the weekly schedules open the book. The taper and an 89-drill library close it.
Page 5
Page 9
Page 12
Page 15
Page 72
Page 118
Page 119Straight from page 72 · Workout 56 of 100
Race Model 200
- Warm-up400 easy: 100 free, 200 race stroke, 100 choice. 4 × 100 @ :15 rest: 50 kick, 50 swim, Pink to Red. 4 × 50 @ :20 rest: build to RP200 by the far wall, easy back.1,000
- Drill set6 × 50 @ :20 rest: drill to half pool, RP200 tempo to the wall, easy 25. 4 × 50 @ :20 rest: 25 drill, 25 swim Red. The drill by stroke: Tarzan freestyle, spin drill, one stroke over one under breaststroke, 3-3-3 butterfly.500
- Main set4 rounds: broken 200 from a dive, 100, :10 rest, 50, :10 rest, 50, each piece on your goal split. Rest 1:00. 2 × 50 @ :30 rest from a push at RP200, no breath from the 5 m flags to the touch. 100 White. Stop rule: miss a split, sit out the next piece. Second miss in a round, swim the 100 White and start the next round.1,600
- Skill set8 × 50 @ :30 rest: fast to the 15 m mark, easy to the far flags, sprint into the wall, fast turn, strong to the 15 m mark, easy in.400
- Warm-down400 easy: 200 choice, 100 back, 100 race stroke.400
Scaling: age group 3 rounds with :15 rest between pieces; masters push starts at goal split plus 0.5 s per 50, 3 rounds; stronger swimmers 5 rounds; 60 minutes, warm-up 600, drill set 200, 3 rounds, skip the skill set. Why it works: short rest lets you swim the whole 200 at goal speed before you can hold it in one swim, and 200s are paced flatter than 100s, so the dive split must stay controlled.
Written by the coach who swam it
The 200 and 400 need a big engine and race speed.
A 200 is about 70% aerobic and a 400 close to 90%, so your engine decides most of the race. The rest is how well you hold race pace when the lactate builds, and how fast you turn on every wall. As an age grouper I swam about 70,000 a week, and most of it was unnecessary. I hold the deaf world record in the 50 m breaststroke, swam twice as an NCAA All-American and coached a world championships medalist. These 100 workouts are the least training that still makes you faster, with the reason on every page.
Coach Maria Rezhylo · founder, Fast Swim Academy, Tampa
What you get
- 100 workouts in four phasesBase, Build, Race-Specific and Sharpen. A full season of 17 to 31 weeks on three to six sessions a week, or single workouts in your own plan.
- Both events, any strokeEvery workout is tagged 200, 400 or both, with stroke notes for fly, back, breast and IM on every page. Short on sessions? Skip the other event first.
- Paces from your own testsWorkout 1 sets your race pace, workout 23 your critical speed. Retests at 47, 70 and 85. A pace chart and seven zones from White to Max.
- Stop rules on every race-pace setMiss the pace, sit out the next rep. Miss again, the set ends. A rep slower than race pace trains a slower race.
- Four versions of every workoutAge group, masters, stronger swimmers, and a 60-minute version when the pool closes early.
- Taper and race week, written outTwo taper weeks, race week, the day before, and meet warm-ups for the 200 and the 400. A two-week version for masters and three-session swimmers.
- An 89-drill libraryFree, back, breast, fly and any-stroke drills: what each one fixes, the feel to look for, and the workouts that use it.
- Yours to keep131-page PDF. Download it right after paying, and again from your email. Phone, tablet or laptop, or print the workout of the day for the deck.
Written by Coach Maria Rezhylo
- Deaf world record holder, 50 m breaststroke
- European and world deaf champion
- 2x NCAA All-American, then professional swimmer
- Coached an athlete to a world championships medal
- Degree in Exercise Science, biomechanics
- Founder of Fast Swim Academy, Tampa Bay
If you never train at race pace, your brain treats that speed as unsafe and holds back at the meet. When you rehearse race pace every week, your brain stops holding back.
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Questions before you buy
Who is this for?
Swimmers who race the 200 or the 400 in any stroke: age groupers from about 11, club and college swimmers, masters who race, and the coaches who write their weeks. Every page carries an age-group, a masters, a stronger and a 60-minute version of the workout.
IM swimmers are covered too. The 200 IM and 400 IM get IM order on every page and their own splits in the race rehearsals.
Which strokes?
All of them. Pick your race stroke and swim every set in it unless the page says otherwise. Fly and breast swimmers reach failure sooner at race pace, so every page has stroke notes with fewer reps or more rest for them, and a pullout rule for breaststroke walls.
How long is a workout?
At full dose, 3,800 to 4,800 meters and 85 to 95 minutes. Every page also has a 60-minute version. The Sharpen workouts are the short ones, down to a race-day warm-up.
Yards or meters?
Both. Swim the same numbers and intervals in either pool, test in yards and use your yards times for every pace. In a long course pool each 50 is one length, so the book adds a push-off and turn set at the end of the session.
Do I need to choose the 200 or the 400?
Pick a main race. Every workout is tagged 200, 400 or both, and about half work for both. On a full schedule you swim all of them. Short on sessions, skip the workouts tagged for the race you are not swimming before you skip anything else.
I have a meet in a few weeks. Where do I start?
Page 12. Count back from your meet by your sessions per week to find your start week. With fewer weeks, start later in the Base phase, never later than workout 15. Sharpen always takes the last three weeks. Swim workout 1, the pace test, first so every set has a real target.
What equipment do I need?
A pace clock, a pull buoy, a kickboard and fins cover most workouts. Some use a snorkel, paddles, a tempo trainer or the blocks. The equipment is listed at the top of each page.
I coach a team. Can I run it with my swimmers?
Yes, the book is for personal and team use. Group each lane by critical speed so everyone swims the right interval, and run the stop rules as written. Please do not resell or share the file itself.
How do I get the book?
It is a 131-page PDF. The download button appears right after payment, and the same link goes to your email. It opens on a phone, tablet or laptop, and each workout prints on one page for the deck. The link works for a year. Lost it? Use the resend link under the checkout.
Is this a subscription?
No. One payment, the book is yours. It is $29 until Nov 14, then $39.
Something went wrong with my order
Reply to the email or text Maria at (475) 223-9849. A real person answers.