Workout abbreviations
The shorthand used in the club's workouts. Each drill links to a page or video that shows it. Meanings marked † are our reading of how the coaches used a term; if one is wrong, it's an easy fix.
Parts of a workout
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| WU | Warm-up |
| MS | Main set |
| WD | Warm-down (cool-down) |
| R1, R2 … | Round 1, round 2 of a repeated block |
| Odds / Evens, O: / E: | What to do on the odd and even repeats |
| (1,200/800) | Choice of distance |
| alt. | Alternating, e.g. "alt. kick / swim" |
Intervals and rest
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| @ 1:30, on 1:30 | Pace times or send-off: start the next repeat every 1:30 (1:30 includes both the swim time and rest) |
| @ 1:05 / 1:10 / + | Alternative pace times |
| @ 10″ rest, 30R | Fixed rest between repeats: 10 seconds, 30 seconds |
| 1′ 30″ | 1 minute 30 seconds |
Strokes
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| FR, Free | Freestyle |
| BK | Backstroke |
| BR | Breaststroke |
| FL, Fly | Butterfly |
| IM | Individual medley: fly, back, breast, free |
| IMO, IM order | Strokes in IM order, one per length or repeat |
| CH, choice | Your choice of stroke |
| non-free | Any stroke except freestyle |
| STK | Stroke: the non-free stroke named for that round |
| mix | Mixed strokes |
Kick, pull and equipment
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| KOB | Kick on back |
| DK | Dolphin kick |
| KB | Kickboard |
| KNB | Kick, no board † |
| Pull B, PB (in a pull set) | Pull buoy, e.g. "Pull no PB" |
| Swim to Kick | Each repeat shifts from all swim to all kick |
| Fins, paddles | Use fins / hand paddles |
Drills
| Term | Meaning | See it |
|---|---|---|
| MP | Warm-up drill: 10 m easy, 5 m underwater kick, 3 fast strokes, then easy to the wall | The club's own drill; nothing outside describes it |
| DAB, DA BK | Double arms on back: backstroke with both arms together | Double-arm backstroke – USMS video, one of the backstroke pull drills |
| C-Up, catch-up | Catch-up drill: one arm waits in front until the other arrives | A reboot of classic drills – USMS: catch-up, and a backstroke catch-up |
| Shark | Shark-fin drill: pause with the recovering hand at the armpit | How to have a great freestyle recovery – USMS: the shark fin (keyhole) drill |
| Tarzan | Head-up freestyle | Tarzan drill – Swimming World |
| Scull | Sculling: hands sweep in and out to feel the water | How sculling will make you a better swimmer – USMS |
| Clock | Clock drill (12–10 switch) | No outside description found |
| 6KS | 6 kick switch: six kicks on your side, then one stroke to the other side | 6 kick switch – Swimming World |
| KHS | Kick, hands by the sides | Kicking on your side – USMS video |
| K1HSL | Kick, one hand in streamline | Kicking on your side – USMS video (with the lead arm out front) |
| SA Opp | Single arm, breathing to the opposite side | Single-arm freestyle – Swimming World |
| Ftip | Fingertip drag | Fingertip drag catch-up – Swimming World |
| Triple roll | Three strokes, then roll onto your back and back again † | No outside description found |
| Glide to 3 | Glide for a count of three on each stroke † | “3 & glide” – USMS tempo-trainer workout |
| Long dog | Long-dog drill: underwater recovery, arms fully extended † | Underwater recovery – USMS video |
| Lope | Lope (gallop) freestyle: a quick breath stroke, then a long one | Loper drill – GoSwim |
| Pullout, double pullout | Breaststroke underwater pull after the wall; twice in a row | The short breaststroke pullout – USMS |
| BO + 3 cycles | Breakout off the wall, then three fast stroke cycles † | How to blast better breakouts – SwimSwam |
| Walkbacks | Sprint a length, walk back on deck, go again | No outside description found |
| Dolphin dives | Dive and dolphin kick off the bottom in shallow water | Butterfly dolphin dives – Swimming World |
Combined swims
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SKPS | Swim / kick / pull / swim, in equal parts † |
| SKPD | Swim / kick / pull / drill, in equal parts † |
| SDPS | Swim / drill / pull / swim, in equal parts † |
| KSSK | Kick / swim / swim / kick † |
| KDS, K/D/S | Kick / drill / swim |
| S/K, K/S, D/S | Swim then kick, kick then swim, drill then swim |
Effort and pace
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ez, easy | Easy |
| Mod | Moderate |
| Build | Get faster through the length or repeat |
| Desc., Des., Dec 1-4 | Descend: each repeat faster than the one before (1 to 4) |
| NS | Negative split: second half faster than the first |
| AO | All-out effort |
| MAX | Maximum effort |
| RP, 200 RP | Race pace for that race. For 50s at 200 RP, take your goal 200 time and divide by 4 (2:40 → 40″ per 50) |
| PB, PB+10 | Personal best; PB+10 = within 10 seconds of your best time |
| Best Average | Fastest average you can hold across the repeats |
| HR | Heart rate, in beats per minute |
| RPE | Rate of perceived exertion (1–10) |
| TUF | Technique under fatigue |
Stroke count and breathing
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SC, Min SC | Stroke count; the fewest strokes you can take per length |
| DPS | Distance per stroke |
| Golf, SC + T | Stroke count plus time in seconds: lower is better |
| 5 cycle (breathing) | Breathe every fifth stroke † |
| 3-5-3-7 by 25 | Breathing pattern, changing every 25: every 3, 5, 3, then 7 strokes |
| Hypoxic | No breathing or reduced breathing (fewer breaths per length) |
Not yet explained
| Term | Where it appears |
|---|---|
| pkk, 1-1-1 | A list of freestyle drills: "C-Up/shark/pkk/1-1-1" |
| OAF | "1 x 75 OAF → 1 x 25 sprint" |
| KABOBS | "11 KABOBS" |
| PB Low | "3 x 50 PB Low @ 1′" |