100 Days of Swimming the 50 Free with Sam Hoekstra

·58 min·5 clips

A coach decides to swim a 50 free all-out for 100 days straight after seeing an Instagram poll.

This episode of 'Inside with Brett Hawke' features an interview with Sam Hoekstra, a swim coach undertaking a personal experiment: swimming a 50 freestyle at 100% effort for 100 consecutive days. Hoekstra explains the experiment originated from an Instagram story poll questioning the efficacy of easy versus all-out 50s. He set strict guidelines: no warm-up, cool-down, or additional training, aiming to isolate the stimulus of the sprint. As an aquatics director and head coach at Byron Center High School in Michigan, Hoekstra had pool access but was relatively untrained, focusing on family and work. He details the mental difficulty of committing to a true max effort daily, especially after the novelty wore off. A key moment was swimming on the day his child was born, facilitated by a former swimmer. Hoekstra discusses his athletic background: a former collegiate sprinter at Michigan and Louisville with personal bests of 19.9 in the 50 free and 43.8 in the 100 free. He credits coaches like Mike Bottom, Mark Hill, Ryan Wochomurka, and Chris Lindauer for instilling a sprint mindset. The conversation explores the critical role of mental engagement in sprinting, illustrated by a story where Hoekstra was ejected from practice for lack of focus. Technical improvements are highlighted: through video analysis of every swim, he lengthened his stroke, worked on underwaters, and adjusted his head position. Despite illness and a new baby, his times dropped from 22s to consistent 20-points, and he nearly matched his lifetime best in a long course 50. The episode also touches on club coaching philosophy, advocating for quality over quantity in training hours. Hawke and Hoekstra analyze sprint nuances, debating the importance of a fast start versus a strong finish, and anticipate the mental games at the upcoming Paris Olympics. Hoekstra plans to continue swimming after day 100, possibly tapering and shaving for a best time.

As heard by us

A 100-day sprint that turns repetition into patience and purpose.

Sam Hoekstra's 100-day challenge gives the conversation its structure, and Brett Hawke keeps returning to the numbers that make it tangible. Hoekstra starts at 22 seconds, works into the 21s, and plans to map the full progression when the run is complete.

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Why you'd press play

A 100-day swim challenge that turns repetition into real time drops.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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