Set Of The Week: Finishing Kick 125’s

Welcome to Swimming World’s Set Of The Week! This week’s set is a short aerobic set designed for young or beginning age group swimmers. This set emphasizes a strong last 25 while also incorporating the fundamentals of intervals, rest, and pacing. Take a look at the set below:

8 x 125 as 100 focus on distance per stroke, rest :05, 25 all out, all on 2:00

The concept of the set is fairly easy. Swimmers will complete 8 x 125’s, all with an emphasis on controlling pace by starting smooth through the first 100, taking :05 seconds rest, and then going fast on the last 25. Totaling just 1,000 yards, this set is definitely meant for beginning swimmers who are just getting introduced to longer workouts with multiple sets.

When explaining the set to younger swimmers, the focus should be on how they shift their pace throughout the set. The first 100 should always be smooth, and they should strive to hit the same time on the first 100 with every single repeat. The :05 rest after the 100 will allow them to check their time throughout the set while also gearing them up for a fast 25 to end each 125. Those should be as fast as they can maintain throughout the set, and will help them learn how to manage their effort through a workout while staying on a consistent interval.

For older swimmers, this can also be a great “get ready” set at the end of warm-up to prepare for the main set. Substituting the first 100 with drill, kicking, or stroke work while making the final 25 fast, build, or with a few fast cycles off the wall would all be great ways to modify this simple format for an older audience. Happy swimming!

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