I say Pi, You say 3.14159265 and so on, and so on . . .

[caronis]

I am a former Robotic Swimmer who has been grateful to alter my staid training to improve my results & (pleasure?).
I have followed the drills and have followed some of the training plans.
I have criticisms of the way many competitive swimmers set up their training plans.
Firstly, I think in terms of laps rather than distance. This is partially because I swim at times in different length pools and would rather think in terms of how many laps. This is not a huge issue since I can just cross out the numbers in a plan and replace them with a lap count instead. I may just do that because I would rather base my workout on say swimming 50 total laps, rather than try to calculate how many laps I need to swim a mile and base my workout on that. This is personal preference, but I'm wondering how many others feel that way too.
Secondly, I feel that there is too much of tendency in the swimming world to constantly change a workout plan every time one goes into the pool. It seems to me that this is done because . . . it's always been done. The ol' swimming' establishment. Why not keep the same workout for an entire week, if not longer, and just tweak it a bit each week. When I lift weights, I like that my program is consistent, so that I can hone in on what I need to do in the workout right from the start and also . . . so that I can clearly see and feel my progress because my workouts have a base consistency to them.
When I go to swim and have to decipher a new workout every time . . . after each lap I'm standing in the pool, lifting up my goggles to read, thinking, "What's next?"
I actually have additional criticisms regarding the typical swim program, but I will silence both my tongue and spirit because as a former RoboSwimmer . . . I have no soul.

[andyinnorway]

Originally Posted by caronis

Secondly, I feel that there is too much of tendency in the swimming world to constantly change a workout plan every time one goes into the pool. It seems to me that this is done because . . . it's always been done. The ol' swimming' establishment. Why not keep the same workout for an entire week, if not longer, and just tweak it a bit each week.

You make a good point here, I guess its correct to change your workouts if its in pursuit of a mindful goal. Ultimately, where increased speed is a goal, we are all trying to take less strokes at a faster turnover.

If I wish to increase my SR and keep my SPL constant, or maintain my SR and reduce my SPL over a given distance then I need some specific varied training to accomplish that, but that would be personal to me and my swimming ability,

I do question the approach of many swim clubs to have all their swimmers change sets 15 times a week and yet still require them all to complete the same sessions regardless of individual requirements.

[caronis]

I prefer to follow training routines and programs that have been established by others who have already thought out an ideal and proven regimen. It's not laziness as much as it is not wanting to "reinvent the wheel". Also . . . the cost of experience is pricey. It's cheaper to rely on others experiences in order to avoid many errors and pitfalls.
I think, however, that a problem is that my background and goals are different than the majority of motivated swimmers in these types of forums. I think most people here are Triathletes or they are people with competitive swim backgrounds. And I think it creates a couple of types of biases when it comes to swim training.
I"ll mention one here. There is pretty much a complete focus on developing the freestyle stroke. Every other stroke is ignored or banished to the area of warmup or cool down periods.
For me, I think that the other 3 strokes have tremendous value. One for the fitness component of being more muscularly balanced and also for developing greater feel and fluency in the water in different positions. However, every swimming training I have seen is completely oriented to the freestyle.
I also am mostly oriented to freestyle, but I feel the value I get from doing butterfly training is immense. Maybe it won't help you out in the Triathlon so much, but I think the lessons gained in rhythm, strength, and grace truly make you a better athlete all around.