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Swim Workouts for Swimmers - 200 to 50, Shorter = Faster

By Mat Luebbers, About.com

The Swim Workout

    2 x 200 (:30 swim as desired, include some technique work
    8 x 25 (:20 Drilling (swimming technique work)
    4 x 100 (:20 Pull - focus on the arms/pull, try to take the same or less strokes on each successive 100. Options: use a float between legs.
    8 x 50 (:20 Kick - focus on the legs/kick, try to go faster on each successive 50 from 1st through 4th, then start over from 5th to 8th. Options: hold a float/kickboard with arms, wear flippers.
    Take about 30-seconds extra rest
    4 x 25 (:45 Fast efforts
      Take about 30-seconds extra rest.
    3 x 200 (:30 Descend 1-3*
      Take about 30-seconds extra rest if desired.
    3 x 150 (:30 Descend 1-3
      Take about 30-seconds extra rest if desired.
    3 x 100 (:30 Descend 1-3
      Take about 30-seconds extra rest if desired.
    3 x 50 (:30 Descend 1-3
    1 x 100 Easy Effort (:30
    NICE WORKOUT!
    TOTAL DISTANCE = 3,100
*Aim to swim each successive swim faster than the previous swim - I call this descending, in this case descend from the first to last swim would be written descend 1-3. The first swim should be at an easy to moderate pace, the second at a moderate to fast pace, and the third at a fast to best effort pace.

About's Swimming Workouts

This swimming workout features a series of swims that get shorter as the workout progresses. The workout challenges swimmers to swim faster as the swimming distances get shorter. Swimmers can vary this same workout by mixing in different strokes, changing the amount of rest between swims, and by changing the amount of rest between each set of swims.

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.

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:

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

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