The Swim Workout
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4 x 100 (:15 Swim as desired
8 x 25 (:20 Drilling - Focus on swimming technique work.
4 x 100 (:20 Pull - focus on the arms/pull. Options: use a float between legs.
2 x 200 (:20 Kick - focus on the legs/kick. Options: hold a float/kickboard with arms, wear flippers.
4 x 25 (:45 Swim Fast efforts
1 x 400 (:30 Swim the last 100 at a faster pace
1 x 400 (:30 Swim the third 100 and the last 50 at a faster pace
1 x 400 (:30 Swim the second 100 and the last 50 at a faster pace
1 x 400 (:30 Swim the first 100 and the last 50 at a faster pace
1 x 400 (:30 Swim the first 100 and the last 100 at a faster pace
1 x 400 (:30 Alternate efforts by 50's - moderate 50, faster 50
1 x 200 Easy loosen swim, mix in some technique drills
TOTAL DISTANCE = 4,100
About's Swimming Workouts
This workout makes you think about changing speeds during a swim, but also aims to get you to be able to learn how to pace yourself through a longer swim so that you still have some energy in reserve to pick up the pace at the end. It is designed to take between 85-minutes and 95-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.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
- drilling (swimming technique work)
- kicking
- pulling
- a main set
- a loosen or cool-down
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.
Swim On!
Mat
More Reading for Swimmers on Swim Workouts: