Workout rotine through the year!

We are a couple of guys that train together for the last 3 years and no we
do not always know what we are going to do the next day. We know what we
focus on @ different times of the year. Like at the moment it is all about
strenght training, in about two months we'll start with endurance and in
November, December when it is summer here then we do speed work, we must be
peaking by end January for all our main races.
We only employ coaches in certain periods of our training when we seriosly
need to work on technique but for that we put in an extra set in the day, it
doesn't interfere with our main set. Being a couple of guys together you can
imagine what exersices we get up to, with so much testosterone flowing
competition is always at play. In summer we push it to 12km per day which is
not bad for bunch of 30+'s. Our times has come down drasticly over this
period, thus we must do something right.

Marcel Meijer said:

We are a couple of guys that train together for the last 3 years and no we
do not always know what we are going to do the next day. We know what we
focus on @ different times of the year. Like at the moment it is all about
strenght training, in about two months we'll start with endurance and in
November, December when it is summer here then we do speed work, we must be
peaking by end January for all our main races.
We only employ coaches in certain periods of our training when we seriosly
need to work on technique but for that we put in an extra set in the day, it
doesn't interfere with our main set. Being a couple of guys together you can
imagine what exersices we get up to, with so much testosterone flowing
competition is always at play. In summer we push it to 12km per day which is
not bad for bunch of 30+'s. Our times has come down drasticly over this
period, thus we must do something right.

As you are swimming without a coach, you kind of negotiate your workout
with yourself and your swim partner. You make your own plan.

I was thinking on how to match the needs of large coached groups with
the needs of the individual swimmers. As in not being surprised by too
hard a workout in a day you arrived in the pool already fatigued, or
vice versa, having a light training in a day you are rested and full of
energy. My experience sometimes.

So I am wondering if repeating the same workout and/or having the
workouts pre-established would be better or worse psychologically in a
big group of swimmers.

One word: Focus. Keep them focused. Let them know before hand what they are
focusing on for that session, like the push, the stretch, the legs,
whatever. Give them one thing to focus on then fatigue is not a problem. On
a day you feel absolutely tired, try it. Focus on one thing only and work
it. Blast it and you will see how alive you feel after. The days you feel
energetic also keep it focused and you will feel accomplishment. If the
focus is there it makes discovering the how so much more interesting.

Marcel Meijer said:

One word: Focus. Keep them focused. Let them know before hand what they are
focusing on for that session, like the push, the stretch, the legs,
whatever. Give them one thing to focus on then fatigue is not a problem. On
a day you feel absolutely tired, try it. Focus on one thing only and work
it. Blast it and you will see how alive you feel after. The days you feel
energetic also keep it focused and you will feel accomplishment. If the
focus is there it makes discovering the how so much more interesting.

Thanks, you gave me some ideas with *focus*!

I understood some beforehand level of planning and communication of the
plan is essential. The kind of skill a coach and swimmers must strive
to have.