Workout abbreviations
The shorthand used in the club's workouts. Each term links to a workout that uses 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 | Example |
|---|---|---|
| WU | Warm-up | Apr 10, 2016 |
| MS | Main set | Apr 10, 2016 |
| WD | Warm-down (cool-down) | Apr 10, 2016 |
| R1, R2 … | Round 1, round 2 of a repeated block | Apr 10, 2018 |
| Odds / Evens, O: / E: | What to do on the odd and even repeats | Apr 21, 2016, Dec 13, 2018 |
| (1,200/800) | Distance for the faster lanes / the other lanes | June 18, 2017 |
| alt. | Alternating, e.g. "alt. kick / swim" | Apr 10, 2018 |
Intervals and rest
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| @ 1:30, on 1:30 | Send-off: start the next repeat every 1:30 (the rest is what's left) | Aug 14, 2018 |
| @ 1:05 / 1:10 / + | Send-offs by lane, fastest first; "+" means slower lanes add time | Aug 14, 2018 |
| @ 10″ rest, 30R | Fixed rest between repeats: 10 seconds, 30 seconds | Apr 14, 2016 |
| 1′ 30″ | 1 minute 30 seconds |
Strokes
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| FR, Free | Freestyle | Apr 21, 2016 |
| BK | Backstroke | Apr 12, 2016 |
| BR | Breaststroke | Aug 11, 2018 |
| FL, Fly | Butterfly | Nov 8, 2015 |
| IM | Individual medley: fly, back, breast, free | Apr 10, 2016 |
| IMO, IM order | Strokes in IM order, one per length or repeat | Apr 14, 2018 |
| CH, choice | Your choice of stroke | Aug 10, 2018 |
| non-free | Any stroke except freestyle | Apr 10, 2018 |
| STK | Stroke: the non-free stroke named for that round | Oct 30, 2018 |
| mix | Mixed strokes |
Kick, pull and equipment
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| KOB | Kick on back | Apr 14, 2018 |
| DK | Dolphin kick | July 10, 2018 |
| KB | Kickboard | July 14, 2018 |
| KNB | Kick, no board † | June 12, 2018 |
| Pull B, PB (in a pull set) | Pull buoy, e.g. "Pull no PB" | Aug 14, 2018 |
| Swim to Kick | Each repeat shifts from all swim to all kick | June 18, 2017 |
| Fins, paddles | Use fins / hand paddles | Apr 12, 2016 |
Drills
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| MP | Warm-up drill: 10 m easy, 5 m underwater kick, 3 fast strokes, then easy to the wall | Apr 15, 2018 |
| DAB, DA BK | Double arms on back: backstroke with both arms together | Dec 19, 2017, Aug 3, 2018 |
| C-Up, catch-up | Catch-up drill: one arm waits in front until the other arrives | Apr 10, 2018 |
| Shark | Shark-fin drill: pause with the recovering hand at the armpit | Dec 1, 2015 |
| Tarzan | Head-up freestyle | Nov 10, 2015 |
| Scull | Sculling: hands sweep in and out to feel the water | Apr 3, 2018 |
| Clock | Clock drill (12–10 switch) | June 18, 2017 |
| 6KS | 6 kick switch: six kicks on your side, then one stroke to the other side | May 23, 2017 |
| KHS | Kick, hands by the sides | May 23, 2017 |
| K1HSL | Kick, one hand in streamline | May 23, 2017 |
| SA Opp | Single arm, breathing to the opposite side | May 23, 2017 |
| Ftip | Fingertip drag | May 23, 2017 |
| Triple roll | Three strokes, then roll onto your back and back again † | Aug 7, 2018 |
| Glide to 3 | Glide for a count of three on each stroke † | Apr 24, 2016 |
| Long dog | Long-dog drill: underwater recovery, arms fully extended † | June 18, 2017 |
| Lope | Lope (gallop) freestyle: a quick breath stroke, then a long one | Nov 8, 2015 |
| Pullout, double pullout | Breaststroke underwater pull after the wall; twice in a row | Dec 13, 2018 |
| BO + 3 cycles | Breakout off the wall, then three fast stroke cycles † | June 21, 2018 |
| Walkbacks | Sprint a length, walk back on deck, go again | Apr 14, 2018 |
| Dolphin dives | Dive and dolphin kick off the bottom in shallow water | Feb 2, 2019 |
Combined swims
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| SKPS | Swim / kick / pull / swim, in equal parts † | Dec 16, 2018 |
| SKPD | Swim / kick / pull / drill, in equal parts † | Jan 10, 2019 |
| SDPS | Swim / drill / pull / swim, in equal parts † | Feb 18, 2018 |
| KSSK | Kick / swim / swim / kick † | June 28, 2018 |
| KDS, K/D/S | Kick / drill / swim | Dec 5, 2015 |
| S/K, K/S, D/S | Swim then kick, kick then swim, drill then swim | Dec 5, 2015 |
Effort and pace
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ez, easy | Easy | Apr 3, 2018 |
| Mod | Moderate | June 27, 2017 |
| Build | Get faster through the length or repeat | Apr 15, 2018 |
| Desc., Des., Dec 1-4 | Descend: each repeat faster than the one before (1 to 4) | Apr 10, 2018 |
| NS | Negative split: second half faster than the first | Apr 30, 2016 |
| AO | All-out effort | Jan 20, 2019 |
| MAX | Maximum effort | Aug 29, 2017 |
| 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) | Apr 16, 2016, Dec 19, 2017 |
| PB, PB+10 | Personal best; PB+10 = within 10 seconds of your best time | Dec 9, 2017 |
| Best Average | Fastest average you can hold across the repeats | Aug 31, 2017 |
| HR | Heart rate, in beats per minute | July 3, 2018 |
| RPE | Rate of perceived exertion (1–10) | May 17, 2018 |
| TUF | Technique under fatigue | May 19, 2018 |
Stroke count and breathing
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| SC, Min SC | Stroke count; the fewest strokes you can take per length | Aug 7, 2018 |
| DPS | Distance per stroke | Aug 10, 2018 |
| Golf, SC + T | Stroke count plus time in seconds: lower is better | Dec 4, 2018, Dec 19, 2017 |
| 5 cycle (breathing) | Breathe every fifth stroke † | Aug 7, 2018 |
| 3-5-3-7 by 25 | Breathing pattern, changing every 25: every 3, 5, 3, then 7 strokes | June 18, 2017 |
| Hypoxic | Reduced breathing (fewer breaths per length) | June 18, 2017 |
Not yet explained
| Term | Where it appears | Example |
|---|---|---|
| pkk, 1-1-1 | A list of freestyle drills: "C-Up/shark/pkk/1-1-1" | Nov 8, 2015 |
| OAF | "1 x 75 OAF → 1 x 25 sprint" | Mar 11, 2018 |
| KABOBS | "11 KABOBS" | Mar 24, 2018 |
| PB Low | "3 x 50 PB Low @ 1′" | Jan 25, 2018 |