Swim Workouts for Swimmers - 800-400-200-100-50

The Swim Workout

1 x 200 (:20 Swim as desired
4 x 50 (:20 Swim Descend 1-4 = start easy, get progressively faster on each swim
8 x 25 (:20 Stroke Drill
1 x 200 (:20 Kick as desired
4 x 50 (:20 Kick Descend 1-4
1 x 200 (:20 Pull as desired
4 x 50 (:20 Pull Descend 1-4
Take a little extra rest and get ready for the main set
1 x 800 (:40 Steady effort, stop at 1/2 way and get your split time
1 x 400 (:30 Goal time is 5-10 seconds faster tha you were at 1/2 way in the 800
1 x 200 (:20 Faster pace than the 400
1 x 100 (:10 Faster pace than the 200
1 x 50 Fastest pace you can swim!
1 x 200 Easy Cool-down

TOTAL DISTANCE = 3,150

About Swimming Workouts

This swimming workout starts with a good effort 800, but you take a very short stop 1/2 way through it to get your time to use as a goal for the next swim, a 400. You try to swim faster through the workout as the distance you swim decreases. During the warm-up there are several sets descending of 50's; you swim at an easy effort on the first 50, a little faster on the second 50, faster on the third, and fastest on the fourth.

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 six 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!

Mat