Help Us...Start a Heart Near You...!!!

If you wish to give your support to 'Big Ricks' Swimming The English Channel To Help Save Lives challenge in aid of The British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK, then please log onto our Virgin Money Giving Page; 

            Big Ricks Channel Swim 2011 Virgin Money Giving

                Every Penny Raised will go to help save Lives.!
                    ' Lets Beat Heart Disease Together '

Its Happy Hour Again..!



Big Ricks Team  Were proud to take part in the World Wide
 ' Swim For Your Heart Day 2011;'

This week started with a bang ( well a team 24,000K swim), as  Big Ricks Team  Were proud to take part in the World Wide ' Swim For Your Heart Day '....We Have to give a Big thank to Antonio Argûelles. who runs The Martí Foundation in Mexico...who kindly sent us Swim For Your Heart Swimming Hats, which made us all feel like we were really taking part in the event, Antonio had over 1400 swimmers taking part in a swim on the 14th February  in Mexico all in the aid of the Heart Foundation...!!.. Check out the website...we made the front page. www.swimforyourheartfeb14.com

                                      Swim For Your Heart Anthem

Okay, lets update the channel news this week . We Have to start with the great news about Big Ricks sponsorship, Thanks to great work done by Richard ,Rob and little by Paul..! the amount raised is now over £ 6250.0.! How amazing is that..We as a team can not thank everyone enough for their amazing support, it really does mean everything to us all..it give us the added motivation to train harder and to prove all the doubters wrong who have told us that its impossible for a team so old to swim the English Channel in under 10 hours..!! well with you continued support we hope to prove them wrong.! 

Speaking of training hard, this week has been the hardest week so far..with all the team swimming over 20,000 metres ( 12 miles) this week, which believe me, is no mean achievement for any swimmer old or young.! Saturday`s happy hour time trail did go a little Pete Tong.!, firstly it lasted over hour and 15 minutes long, and yes we did do it none stop, but not all front crawl..and mile of it was done doing Kick only.!!which resulted in all of us hurt and in pain when we finished.! i will spare you the details, so just lets say it was a very productive  swim.!  and gives us a lot of hope for the next 2 months in the pool , before the real work starts when  the open water/sea training starts on the  1st weekend of may in Dover.!!!

The team just loved  swimming their monthly

  Happy Hour Time Trial on Saturday morning...!!!

If you wish to give your support to 'Big Ricks' Swimming The English Channel To Help Save Lives challenge in aid of The British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK, then please log onto our Virgin Money Giving Page;

            Big Ricks Channel Swim 2011 Virgin Money Giving

                Every Penny Raised will go to help save Lives.!
                    ' Lets Beat Heart Disease Together '

This Weeks Session's


Wednesday 16/2/11
Warm up

1000 FC  Build from easy to medium/fast throughout the swim (1000)

Main set

15 X 200 FC    Off 3.00 minutes(3000)

Sub set    Fins

6 X 200 FC Kick                                                         20R

Swim Down

400 gentle F/C

Tuesday 15/2/11
Warm Up 600 F/c stroke drills
Main Set 20 x 100 F/C
4 x 100.. ( 2 x 100`s off 1.20 , 2 x 100`s  1.40 )
4 x 100.. ( 2 x 100`s of 1.20 , 2 x 100`s   1,35 )
4 x 100.. ( 2 x 100`s of 1.20 , 2 x 100`s   1,30 )
4 x 100.. ( 2 x 100`s of 1.20 , 2 x 100`s   1,25 )
4 x 100.. ( 4 x 100`s of 1.20  )
Kick Set..4 x 100 kick with fins..10r
warm Down 400m

Sunday 13/2/11
Warm up. 600M f/c ( every 4th len swim head up)
Pre Main 9 x 100 kick and swim with fins.(no kick board )
3x100 ( 1st len fly kick,2nd len fly full stroke ,3rd len kick ,4th fly full stroke )
3x100  same but on F/C
3x100  same but Backstroke
Main Set 3x300 of 4.15
100 ez.
warm down. 400 stroke drills

Saturday 12/2/11.
Warm Up. 400m gentle F/c
Main Set.. 1hr 30 min TIMED SWIM.!!

Wednesday 9/2/11
Warm Up and Main Swim...
800 f/c, 2 x 400 Kick (with fins), 800 f/c , 400 kick, 800m f/c, 200 kick, 400 f/s 15r (4200)
Swim Down..400m Gentle swim..

Tuesday 8/2/11 

Warm up: 400 FC gentle.
Test Swim: 60 minute timed swim, this needs to be an all out effort swim.
(Distance swam to be recorded and used as an indication of improved fitness)
Swim down: 400 mixed strokes 

Big Ricks 1st Team Awards Of 2011

Big Ricks team Top..!

It's been a great start to 2011 for Big Ricks Team.. Let's start with the training, less than 2 months ago..most, if not all of the team would find it hard work to swim 1500m none stop.!! and if they did,  that would have been the end of the session!! 


However, 5 weeks into the New Year things have changed, all the team can now manage a 5000m session no problem,  the big test comes this Saturday (12/2/11), because it's our February timed 'Test Swim', this month it is a massive 1 hour 30 minute straight swim (that will  be a 6000m plus swim). Coach 'Nemo' Paul has 100% faith that we can all do it !..If we, as a team, do manage it, then it will give us great confidence that we are well on the way to the fitness required  for us to be able cope with the time and distance we need to be able to swim as individuals come the Channel swim in July. All we then have to worry about is the cold (our and every Channel swimmers biggest worry!), but let's leave that little problem until late April when the open and sea training can be begin.

Top Effort Richard 

Now it's time to announce 'Big Ricks Team' 1st award of the New Year, however these are not your normal type of awards!!!!!!. Let's start with the 'Gold Award' winners..! both guys have done so much to raise funds for BHF and Cancer Research. Firstly, Richard has raised some amazing offline donations this year already, we can't thank Richards' many clients at AF Blakemore & Sons enough for their amazing support they have given Richard and hence the team.

Amazing Support
 Nick & Vic

The second award goes to Nick and Victoria and their company ' Henwood Court Financial Planning Ltd ', who have kindly offered to support the British Heart Foundation (and Big Ricks Team) as the companies 2011 charity. It's an amazing  gesture Nick and Vic.. and we as team cannot Thank You enough for your ongoing support.

Okay enough of the good awards....!! the next 2 awards are for Basher..!.  Paul was a clear winner in both categories..!! at least once a month Paul will loose his cool with the guys for any number of reasons! and as a result  he will send out his normal 'grumble' email.!! (which no-one will read.!!) The Team say 'Paul, before you even think of having a grumble please take your chill pill, you worry to much' !!! Paul's second award is 'The teachers Pet Award' or perhaps 'Coaches Pet' would be a better description..!! You are spending way to much time sucking up to coach Marsh, when you should be spending your time swimming.!!! 

More gems to come in the weeks and months ahead.!! who will win the 'Chunky Monkey' and 'Biggest Baby' awards, I wonder???

who will be the 1st winner of
Ricks Chunky Award..??

If you wish to support 'Big Ricks' English Channel challenge in aid of The British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK,then please log onto our Virgin Money Giving Page;

  Big Ricks Channel Swim 2011 Virgin Money Giving

This weeks Sessions:

Monday 7/2/11

Warm Up: 400m every 3rd length b/s
Pre main: 6 x 100 kick broken in 1st length fly, 2nd back, 3rd F/C 15R
(fins, but no kick boards)  
Main Set: 3 x 1200.
1st  1200..(400 of 6 min, 2 x 20, 40 of 3 min, 4 x 100 of 1.30)
2nd 1200..(4 x 100 0f 1.30, 400 of 5.45 2 x 200 of 2.50)
3rd 1200..(2 x 200 of 2.40, 4 x 100 of 1.25, 400 of 5.30) 2 minutes rest between each 1200
Swim Down: Gentle 400 choice..


Sunday 6/2/11
Warm Up: 400 stroke drills.
Per Main: 9 x 100 (3 x100 fly, 3 x 100 back, 3 x 100 F/C) 15R
(kick fins, no boards) 
Main Set 16 x 100 f/c
1st  set 4 x 100 (2  100s of 1.40, 2 100s of 1.35)
2nd   "  4 x 100 (2 100`s of 1.35 2 100s of  1.30)
3rd    "  4 x 100 (2 100s of 1.30, 2 100s of 1.25)
4th     "  4 x 100 (2 100s of 1.25, 2 100s of 1.20) 30r after each set
Warn Down: 400 Choice.


Thursday 3/2/11
Warm Up:1000 warm up (300, 200, 100 and 3 4 x 1 medleys) 15r 
Pre Main..8 X 100s Kick with fins..!(4 x 100 f/s, 4x100 fly..1st and 3rd length under water) 20r
Main Set. 20 x100 going off 1.30 per 100
Warm Down 400 gentle choice stroke


Monday 31/1/11,
Warm Up 1600m (300, 200, 100 3 4x1 medleys, 100, 200, 300)
Pre Main 1000m Kick with fins and boards. (3x100, 3x2, 3x1, 3x2, 3x100) last length of each set 100% 
Main Set: 3 x 400 0f 5.30..  swim within yourself..75% effort
Warm Down 400 gentle Backstroke

Warm Down 400m Gentle any stroke

Swimming The English Channel To Help Save Lives...!!

   If you wish to support 'Big Ricks' English Channel challenge in aid of The British Heart          Foundation and Cancer Research UK,then please log onto our Virgin Money Giving Page;

                               Big Ricks Channel Swim 2011 Virgin Money Giving

The Worlds Best Gives His Support..!

Big Ricks 'Basher' Bates;
Paul has his mind on swimming even when he is skiing in the Alps.!

Things really are starting to fall into place, after weeks of seemly doing loads of ground work which lead  nowhere, this week has been totally different. Our British Heart Foundation flyer is almost ready to printed, we have to thank Warren and Charlotte at the BHF for all their hard work and understanding over the past weeks. Thanks to them we now have something that we all think demonstrates perfectly the reason why 'Big Ricks' team are swimming the English Channel..!

On the sponsorship front that to is also on the move, thanks mainly to Richard, we hope to have some great news by the end of the week in terms of amounts. We, as a team, cannot thank everyone enough for your support, no matter how much every penny will go to help save lives.!! It's that simple..

We have some more great news this week, Thomas Lurz has agreed to lend his support to 'Big Ricks' Team, for those of you who don`t about Thomas, well he is arguable the best open water swimmer in the world today, he is a multiple World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist from the 2008 games.


Thomas has been voted 'World Open Water Swimmer' of year on three occasions. We are very lucky as a team to count on the support and advice of Thomas and we thank him for taking time out of his busy training schedule to help us..

Thomas Lurz
The worlds No1 Open Water Swimmer

All things Channel are going great, The British Heart foundation flyer has been finished, so hopefully that will be printed of ASAP . all the training is going to plan..all the team are starting to  get   fit and fast..all the hard work we are doing in and out of the pool really is showing.!! its great to see...and gives us a lot of hope for the months to come   that we really can achieve our swim goal and get under the magical  10 hour mark for the Channel..!!!!!! 

Basher still makes time to swim 
while on Holiday.!!

  If you wish to support 'Big Ricks' English Channel challenge in aid of The British Heart          Foundation and Cancer Research UK,then please log onto our Virgin Money Giving Page;

                               Big Ricks Channel Swim 2011 Virgin Money Giving

This Weeks Sessions....

Monday 24/1/11

Warm Up: 600..( 3x200..1st 200 Freestyle, 2nd 200 backstroke,3rd 200 choice stroke)

Main Set: : 3600..(6 x 600..1st 600 Straight, 2nd 600 (3x200) ,3rd 600 straight , 4th 600 (6x100) ,5th 600 straight , 6th 600 ( 300x200x100) ) have  almost no rest after each swim..only 10 seconds at most.!!. try to swim at even pace, well within our selves.., looking to double this set this set to 12x600 by end of January 2011.

Swim Down:..Easy paced 400..still thinking of stroke technique even though its our warm down swim.

Thursday  27/1/11

Warm up:..600..( 3x200..1st 200 freestyle , 2nd 200 freestyle Pull, 3rd 200 freestyle )

Main Set...Pyramid ..(100,200,300,400,500,400,300,200,100) working at a good pace..its meant to be a  hard swim don`t be scared of it. working on 1min 30sec per 100..

Swim Down:...nice 6x2..backstroke 1st length choice 2nd length 

Saturday 29/1/11

Warm Up: .. 600 easy paced..thinking bi lateral breathing, thinking a strong long stroke, 

Main Set: ..7x400( 2x400, 4x200,3x4,4x100,6x2) again working at a good pace, maybe 80%.only resting for 5 seconds after each swim..its our way to keep record of the distances we are doing and trying to make it a little more interesting than just doing a 2800m stright off..

Swim Down: Nice easy 6x1 choice..