Swim Workouts for Swimmers - 50s - Fast, Faster, Fastest

Looking for a way to check your fitness progress in the swimming pool? Want a swim workout that is going to push you to the limit? This set of 50s with decreasing rest might be just what you are looking for in a swim workout. You can repeat this workout every two to four weeks, keep track of your average pace per 50 in each round. Keeping the same speed with less rest or getting faster both equal improvement.

The Swim Workout

Warm-up
1 x 200 Swim at an easy effort, take a short rest
4 x 100 (:20 Swim descend 1-4 = first 100 is easy, 2nd 100 faster, 3rd 100 faster, 4th 100 faster
8 x 25 (:20 Swim stroke technique drill work at an easy effort
3 x 100 (:20 Kick descend 1-3 = first 100 is easy, 2nd 100 faster, 3rd 100 faster
2 x 50 (:30 Kick Fast!
3 x 100 (:20 Pull, descend 1-3 = first 100 is easy, 2nd 100 faster, 3rd 100 faster
2 x 50 (:30 Pull Fast!

Take a minute or two extra rest, sip some water or sports drink, and get ready for the main set.

4 x 25 (:45 Swim - all as fast as possible
1 x 50 (1:00 Swim easy, get ready for the 50s
2 x 50 (:30 Swim Fast - you are trying to hold the fastest sustainable pace for each set of 50s
2 x 50 (:25 Swim Fast
2 x 50 (:20 Swim Fast
2 x 50 (:15 Swim Fast
2 x 50 (:10 Swim Fast
2 x 50 (:05 Swim Fast
1 x 50 (1:00 Swim easy
2 x 50 (:05 Swim Fast
2 x 50 (:10 Swim Fast
2 x 50 (:15 Swim Fast
2 x 50 (:20 Swim Fast
2 x 50 (:25 Swim Fast
2 x 50 (:30 Swim Fast
1 x 100 Swim easy cool-down
TOTAL DISTANCE = 3,100
(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 Work Outs

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

More Reading for Swimmers on Swim Workouts:

• Aerobic Swimming Speeds - How Fast Should I Swim?
• Swimming Technique Help
• More Swimming Workouts for Swimmers

Swim on!