One training session I carried out during the latter stages my programme was an interval training session in the pool.  This consisted of doing 20 x 40m laps with a 15s rest interval in between each lap.  The 20 laps were split into 5 x 4 sets.  Some sets consisted of full stroke work, some were arms only and some legs only.  I also varied the stroke between sets.  As my main objective was to improve my performance in a T.15 swim for front crawl, this stroke made up the majority of my programme but I also included other strokes to add variety, reduce boredom and increase my levels of motivation and concentration.

One advantage of this was that it was activity specific which allowed me to do conditioning work and carry out technique and fitness development together.

The format of interval training was appropriate as it allowed breaks where I could receive verbal feedback from my teacher on points to improve.  The break also allowed me to check my pulse regularly to ensure I was working in my target training zone.

Before starting the session I took my resting pulse.  This served two purposes.  Firstly, I monitored my resting pulse each week, which allowed me to see if my resting pulse was being reduced, which could be an indicator of fitness levels improving.  Secondly, I could calculate after finishing my session, how long it took for my pulse to return to resting.  This would show me how quickly I was recovering after my session and could also be used as a weekly indicator to monitor my fitness.

I started by doing 4 x 40m frontcrawl with 15s rest between each lap.  I was working at the upper end of my aerobic training zone as I had developed my fitness throughout the programme and tried to get my heart rate to 85% of my maximum.  I monitored my heart rate by checking my pulse after every 4 laps to ensure I was working in the target training zone.  The short rest period ensured I was never fully recovering and always working under some degree of fatigue to try and develop my stamina.

I then did 4 x 40m resistance kick.  This involved holding a kick board vertically with half the board submerged in the water providing a resistance to push against.  This is higher intensity work than kicking with the board held flat and was introduced later in my programme when my fitness levels improved.

I then did 4 x 40m choice stroke.  I always did a stroke other than frontcrawl during this set to provide some variety to the session and avoid boredom.

This was followed by 4 x 40m resistance pull.  This involved swimming wearing a drag tow, which is a belt with a long tail and a parachute attached.  This provided drag in the water and increased the resistance I was pulling.  Again, this was an exercise which was higher intensity and was introduced in the latter stages of the programme when my fitness improved.

I finished with a final set of 4 x 40m frontcrawl and took my pulse when I finished.  I continued to take my pulse at 30s intervals until it returned to resting to calculate my recovery time.

I logged the session along with my thoughts and internal feedback in my training diary, which I used to monitor the effectiveness of my training.