Remember, all workouts should include:
- 5-10 minutes of easy swimming and kicking to warm-up
- 5-10 minutes of technique work
- 5-10 minutes of easy swimming (and more technique work) to cool-down
- Week -3
Workout 1 - Test Swim
- All Distances - 10 x 100 on :10 seconds rest
Workout 2 - Long Swim
- Olympic Distance Triathlete - 10-minute straight swim
- 1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlete - 20-minute straight swim
- Ironman Distance Triathlete - 30-minute straight swim
Workout 3 - Technique & Power Swim
- All Distances - 12 x 50 max/min on 1:00 rest
- Week -2
Workout 1 - Interval Swim
- Olympic Distance Triathlete - 3x(4x50)
- 1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlete - 3x(150 + 4x50)
- Ironman Distance Triathlete - 3x(200 + 4x100)
Workout 2 - Long Swim
- Olympic Distance Triathlete - 30-minute straight swim
- 1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlete - 45-minute straight swim
- Ironman Distance Triathlete - 60-minute straight swim
Workout 3 - Technique & Power Swim
- All Distances - 12 x 50 max/min on 1:00 rest
- Week -1
Workout 1 - Interval Swim
- Olympic Distance Triathlete - 2x(4x50)
- 1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlete - 2x(150 + 4x50)
- Ironman Distance Triathlete - 2x(200 + 4x100)
Workout 2 - Long Swim
- Olympic Distance Triathlete - 15-minute straight swim
- 1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlete - 20-minute straight swim
- Ironman Distance Triathlete - 45-minute straight swim
Workout 3 - Technique & Power Swim
- All Distances - 12 x 50 max/min on 1:00 rest
- Race Week
Workout 1 - Technique & Power Swim
- All Distances - 12 x 50 max/min on 1:00 rest
Workout 2 - Long Swim
- Olympic Distance Triathlete - 10-minute straight swim
- 1/2 Ironman Distance Triathlete - 15-minute straight swim
- Ironman Distance Triathlete - 20-minute straight swim
Workout 3 - Technique & Power Swim
- All Distances - 6 x 50 max/min on 1:00 rest
That's it. Decide where to put your training emphasis for your next big event - but put enough into the swim to give yourself a good bike and run.
Good luck, stick to your paces determined by your test swim, and do some kind of technique swimming work every workout. You can add other sets - like kicking and pulling - to round out the main sets if you desire - but these workouts should be enough to get you through a triathlon swim with energy to spare.
Swim On!
