The Swim Workout
Warm-up1,2001 x 400 (:20 Swim and drill mix. Do drills for technique practice for one length, then swim for one length, then repeat.
4 x 100 (:20 Kick. Alternate easy effort and moderate efforts.
8 x 50 (:20 Pull. Alternate easy effort and moderate efforts.
Take a bit of extra rest, sip some water or sports drink, and get ready for the main set.
Main Set1 x 200 (:30 Swim. Each of these swims is done at three effort levels. Start steady, faster than easy but not much faster. Then increase to a moderate effort at the 1/2 way mark, then to almost max effort for the last 50.
1 x 400 (:30 Swim. Start steady, increase to moderate at 1/2 way, increase to max for the last 50.
1 x 600 (:30 Swim. Start steady, increase to moderate at 1/2 way, increase to max for the last 50.
1 x 800 (:30 Swim. Start steady, increase to moderate at 1/2 way, increase to max for the last 50.
1 x 1,000 (:30 Swim. Start steady, increase to moderate at 1/2 way, increase to max for the last 50.
1 x 100 Swim. Easy loosen to end the workout.
TOTAL DISTANCE = 4,300
Click on the "print" icon on the upper right to get a copy formatted for printing so you can print it and take the workout with you to the pool
About Swimming Workouts
This workout is designed to take between 75-minutes and 90-minutes. If that is too much time or distance, then cut things out, but do not always cut out the same thing every workout. And never skip the loosen at the end of the workout. Use that as one last bit of technique work before you leave the swimming pool at the end of the workout.
After the description of the set there is a number in a half-parentheses, like this - (:30 - that is how much rest you get after each swim. For example, 6 x 100 (:30 means you are to swim a 100 (yards or meters), rest 30-seconds, then repeat five more times.
There is nothing special about these swim practice sessions other than what you bring to them. Lots of freedom here. You control how hard or fast you swim and what swim strokes you want to use while swimming the workouts. Normally the amount of rest per swim will limit your top-end speed on a workout, but that does not mean go as fast as you can all of the time. A few guidelines:
- The more rest you get, the faster the swim.
- The early parts of a workout should always be easy to moderate and very deliberate.
- Use your best swimming technique.
- Stop the workout if you are too tired, go for it again in the future.You get to be a better swimmer by recovering from the workouts you do, not by doing more and more swimming without resting and recovering from that swimming.
- Have fun with the workouts.
- Change the strokes you are doing from time to time, try new things, and don't get caught in a rut.
Each workout has:
- a warm-up
- stroke drills or swimming technique work
- kicking
- pulling
- a main set
- a loosen or cool-down