You already know that Katie Ledecky is the top female swimmer on the planet. That she’s really, really fast. And basically unbeatable. Now you’ll learn how fast she is in practice.
If Katie Ledecky wasn’t a household name before the Rio Olympics, she certainly is now.
Between having Washington nationals superstar Bryce Harper rocking one of her caps during an NL East division clinching after-party, to destroying American Ninja Warrior Grant McCartney in a completely made up kicking game on Ellen, Ledecky’s name has become ubiquitous with the sport.
In a previous post we showcased some of Ledecky’s main sets and training during her preparation for the 2013 FINA World Championships, where she set world records in the 800m and 1500m freestyles. We’ve also covered how Ledecky used a log book to help power her pre-London training, as well as how you can mirror the same goal setting approach Ledecky uses.
The original training post was a popular one—and understandably so, the interest in seeing how the best in the world is something we all experience. We want to see the superhuman training and prep that our idols perform in order to show up at meet time and smash world records.
Katie Ledecky Swims Faster in Practice Than We All Do in Our Dreams
During the most recent ASCA conference, her coach Bruce Gemmell of Nation’s Capitol Aquatic Club, presented, including a couple slides that showed off some more of her recent training and results.
The swimming workouts below were done in the lead up to Olympic Trials, and display some of the speed that she would unleash on the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 200m freestyle.
Set #1
This set was performed in May 2016 and show off how remarkable Ledecky’s engine is:
12 x 200 short course yards
- 4 @ 2:10 (avg 1:56’s)
- 4 @ 2:05 (avg 1:52’s)
- 4 @ 2:00 Her times: 1:48, 1:49, 1:48, 1:47.4
Set #2
The following set was completed in June of 2016, and completes the double-whammyness of endurance and top end speed that made her so unstoppable in Rio.
Note that there was no additional rest between the 200’s and 100’s and that it was also done in short course yards.
8 x 200 @2:20 (avg. 1:49.1)
8 x 100 @1:20 (avg. :52.1)
The Takeaway
Watching our idols swim, and make it look so darn easy, inspires dreams. It motivates us into wanting to be excellent, into wanting to test the mettle of our limits and achieve awesome stuff.
These sets, and the times she put down, should serve as a reminder that great performances come at the expense of having a great process. Of being willing to show up each day and deposit the hard work.
It’s no big secret what it takes to be successful in the water—all it takes is a big will.
Credit to the peeps at MySwimPro who were Johnny-on-the-Spot and took a pic of the sets at the conference.
About YourSwimBook
YourSwimBook is a log book and goal setting guide designed specifically for competitive swimmers. It includes a ten month log book, comprehensive goal setting section, monthly evaluations to be filled out with your coach, and more.
Learn 9 more reasons why this tool kicks butt.
Join the YourSwimBook weekly newsletter group and get motivational tips and more straight to your inbox. Sign up for free here.
AB
Cool dude
Cool she swims fast
Look guys I have no problem with american swimmers training in yards. Its just competing in yards that I have a problem with. Why not short course meters? That way we could compare with the all world. That way we could have world short course records (at least every time katy is swimming). That way with those kind of performances the sport could have more exposure. Look you guys tell me that most americans have better turns and underwarters and that is true. But remenber that 100y and 100m have both 3 turns. So no big problem there. In the 100m freestyle long course the real pain comes at about 80m into the race. In short course meters, the real… Read more »
It shows your ignorance when you say most American pools are 50m, convertible to 25y & 25m with bulkheads. College pools with strong programs & $$, perhaps. Pools in American middle schools, high schools, community centers, health clubs are all 25y pools with a few exceptions. US’s dominance in swimming has a lot to do with our world class grass root system. The early training of our elite athletes takes place in yard pools. It would be financially impossible for us to convert all of our yard pools to meter pools. Some of our knowledgeable commenters here must know the approximate # of 25y pools in the US – my conservation guess would in the tens of thousands. Our system… Read more »
…conservative guess…
Hi there,
In the Netherlands and also in Europe we have this 25x25meter concept pools. This means you have 10 lanes of each 2,5 meters in both directions of the pool. I would think this concept for US would easily be converted to a 25mx25y concept where you could triain/workout in the yards direction and compete in the meter direction or vice versa. Additional perk is the great 10 lane pool feeling which makes every ever so small competition feel like a national of international event 😉
I’m so fortunate to be swimming in such a pool in the Alphen aan den Rijn ‘De Thermen 2’, nowadays as a master swimmer.
I actually gasped out loud at the 4 x 200 on 2:00 holding all under 1:50…and then going 1:47. Like…wat
I see I have some competition for the name…
Oh. My. God.
Its just stupid the US continue to swim in yards at NCAAs. The most important meets in this sport are in long course METERS. Personaly it would be way more interesting to see what she could do in short course METERS (because we all know what she can do in loung course). I mean nobody cares about swimming in yards. Its just a diferent sport. It makes no sense. If you wanna do short course at least do it in meters. Nobody really cares about yards. The best swimmers in The world won The best long course meters meets, and after that short course meter meets. There are several short course yards swimmers that were champions at the ncaa and… Read more »
And yet American college swimmers continue to win Olympic gold medals.
Because you don’t care doesn’t mean no one cares. American swimmers continue to have better turns and underwaters. Maybe a coincidence, probably not.
Besides Missy (oops).
I’d say the missy of 2012 was a lot different than the missy of 2016 and I wouldn’t put that on yards training vs meter training. Invalid argument for this topic.
Missy 2012…Missy 2016…she’s never had good turns or underwaters.
Missy also still swam HS right before 2012 which is also SCY so that doesnt help your argument
The American system is working. I wouldn’t change anything about it
Yet U.S.A. dominates in swimming and in Rio a good portion of the squard were college swimmers.
I concur
You guys loving your LCM suck at turns lol. Most of the innovation in swimming in the last 15 years evolved FROM the shorter pool especially underwater turns.
I guess we could rebuild all the college pools to metric.
$$$$$$$
I have no words…
What an amazing (and inspiring) competitor – testing the limits of what is possible and always pushing for more.
Thats the expression of the warrior within – always pushing through limitations – i love that spirit too