Determining proper intensities in sets is one of the most challenging tasks every coach faces daily. On average, every coach deals with over two thousand possible scenarios during each practice if you consider 10+ swimmers of different abilities in the pool, pool size, selected stroke, interval distance, and number of intervals in a single set in the desired Zone. In short, in the absence of proper tools, this is a guessing game in most situations.
Several philosophies exist for determining training paces. One of the dominant among them is “race paces,” where paces are connected to corresponding target race times on selected distances. While this way of thinking is understandable since future performance is important, and the connection to future times looks inspiring, in reality, such an approach is very misleading and potentially damaging.
The most effective training paces match a swimmer’s real abilities at the current stage of his development in the season. Therefore, they should be calculated from the actual maximum effort time at a specific distance at any given time. You may understand why we included the Preparedness Structure calculator in our app. This tool provides just that—maximum effort times on all distances based on time in the selected event. These times are essential for establishing the baseline for any working distance.
However, this is just the first step. Once we have the baseline, we must still determine paces corresponding to different intensity levels. In sports practice, intensity levels are connected to “Energy Zones.” This is important since each zone, if you choose the correct classification system, is responsible for the predominant energy supply given the duration of the effort. Therefore, the knowledge of paces on specific intervals in each Zone is critical for the creation of the most effective targets and training sets for your swimmers.
On the Paces tab you receive paces in two different views:
- Critical Paces per zone on selected interval
2. Paces on all intervals in relation to selected Zone
Paces calculator is great when you want to check the real intensity or plan your work. However, paces may change once you apply them in a training set with multiple repetitions and rest between them. Adding repetitions increases total distance, and with more extended effort, we inadvertently lose the ability to maintain target speed. That is where you need Set Planner, which you can find on our next tab.