swimming
1485 TRI CLUB SWIM SESSIONS
SESSION ONE – AEROBIC ENDURANCE (1)
Warm Up - 300m easy swimming, alternating strokes and using pull bouy on some lengths.
Main Set - Swim freestyle steady pace, approx 1500m pace.
6 x 200m (30 sec rest between each 200m). As fitness improves build this set up to 8 and then 10 reps.
50m easy
6 x 50m (DPS – see note below) going up the pool and then sprint back (30 sec rest between each 50m)
Cool Down – 150m easy, alternating strokes – aim to reduce heart rate and rid body of any lactate. Stretching after session is advised.
DPS = Distance per stroke – try to make your body streamlined and use the glide at the front of the stroke and the push back, to reduce the amount of strokes per length.
1485 TRI CLUB SWIM SESSIONS
SESSION TWO – AEROBIC ENDURANCE (2)
Warm Up - 300m easy swimming, alternating strokes and using pull bouy on some lengths.
Main Set - Swim freestyle – try to keep a constant pace and if possible time each rep. Swim at a pace slightly faster than 1500m pace, but more importantly, at a pace that you can sustain for each rep.
4 x 100m (20 sec rest between each 100m)
1 min rest
4 x 100m (20 sec rest between each 100m)
1 min rest
4 x 100m (20 sec rest between each 100m)
1 min rest
50m easy
10 x 25m alternating sprint & DPS – see below (15 sec rest between each 25m). Count the strokes on the DPS and think about pushing back and gliding at the front end. The sprints should be flat out.
Cool Down – 150m easy, alternating strokes – aim to reduce heart rate and rid body of any lactate. Stretching after session is advised.
DPS = Distance per stroke – try to make your body streamlined and use the glide at the front of the stroke and the push back, to reduce the amount of strokes per length.
1485 TRI CLUB SWIM SESSIONS
SESSION THREE – PYRAMID SESSION (1)
Warm Up - 300m easy swimming, alternating strokes and using pull bouy on some lengths.
Main Set - All freestyle – pace is faster on shorter sets and slower on longer sets:
50m
10 sec rest
100m
20 sec rest
200m
40 sec rest
400m
60 sec rest
200m
40 sec rest
100m
20 sec rest
50m
Cool Down – 200m easy, alternating strokes – aim to reduce heart rate and rid body of any lactate. Stretching after session is advised.
SESSION FOUR – PYRAMID SESSION (2)
Warm Up - 300m easy swimming, alternating strokes and using pull bouy on some lengths.
Main Set - All freestyle – pace is faster on shorter sets and slower on longer sets:
Swim 400m – rest 3 mins
Swim 2 x 200 – rest 2 mins
Swim 2 x 100 – rest 1 min
Swim 2 x 50 – rest 30 sec
Cool Down – 200m easy, alternating strokes – aim to reduce heart rate and rid body of any lactate. Stretching after session is advised.
1485 TRI CLUB SWIM SESSIONS
SESSION FIVE – SLOW INTERVAL TRAINING
Notes - Designed to improve aerobic endurance. Involves swimming at speed of approx 60 – 70% of best pace for the distance. Speed of swims is limited by the short rest periods. Heart rate after each swim will be approx 160 – 170, but the recovery rate will be in the range of 150 – 160.
Warm Up - 300m easy swimming, alternating strokes and using pull bouy on some lengths.
Main Set - Examples of sets – all freestyle – choose one for each session:
30 x 50m (10 – 15 sec rest)
15 x 100m (10 – 15 sec rest)
8 x 200m (10 – 20 sec rest)
8 x 400m (15 – 30 sec rest)
4 x 800m (15 – 30 sec rest)
Cool Down – 200m easy, alternating strokes – aim to reduce heart rate and rid body of any lactate. Stretching after session is advised.
OTHER SWIM SETS
2000 mtr session..
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400 mtrs warm up
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drill session
100 mtrs as 50 mtrs single arm ......50 mtrs swim
100 mtrs as 50 mtrs chicken wings....50 mtrs swim
100 mtrs as 50 mtrs catch up.........50 mtrs swim
100 mtrs as 50 mtrs fist.............50 mtrs swim
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400 mtrs swim either 4x100 or 2x 200 mtrs
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drill session as before
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sprint session
100 mtrs as 4x 25 mtrs on 30 second turn around
100 mtrs steady swim
100 mtrs as 4x 25 mtrs on 30 secon turn around
100 mtrs steady..
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2000 mtr session
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400 mtrs warm up
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8x50 mtrs even sace
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3x100...as-
75 mtrs drill 25 mtrs swim
50 mtrs drill 50 mtrs swim
25 mtrs drill 75 mtrs swim
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4x 100 mtrs swim
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3x100 as-
75 mtrs drill or kick 25 mtrs swim
50 mtrs drill or kick 50 mtrs swim
25 mtrs drill or kick 75 mtrs swim
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200 mtrs cool down..
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Swim: Swim Smart
Balancing work, family and training is a constant battle, maximise your swim training… on limited time
How much pool time is sufficient to elicit the improvements you desire depends on your ability and background. More is not necessarily better. The amount of training you do should be determined by your swim technique and skill factor. If you can control the stroke and find it easy to do repeats then you’ll benefit from progressive overload in volume and intensity.
However, if your technique is lacking, more time needs to be spent swimming at slower speeds to engrain the correct stroke pattern and breathe timing. Evidence suggests those with limited technique who try to swim further and faster without addressing their stroke skills actually go slower. As a guide to who should do what, the following determines training levels for various abilities of triathlete…
Novice triathlete
Three sessions/week
Total distance: 5-7km.
Two sessions focusing on technique for 20-40mins with reps of 25m and 50m. Emphasise distance per stroke and developing efficiency, rhythm and timing. Optimise effort so that swim speed progresses with less not more effort.
One session working on pace for 30-60mins. Break the 1.5km race distance into parts. For example, work on sets like 15 x 100m, 10 x 150m, 5 x (150m + 100m + 50m) with varying rests to suit your needs. The aim is to keep the rest to a minimum between swims – 15-20secs would be good, increasing to 20-30secs or more if you begin to lose control. Aim to develop a sound technique platform that can stand up to the rigours of racing.
Improving age-grouper
Three to four sessions per week
Average total distance: 7-12km.
One session focusing on technique for 40-60mins with reps of 25m and 50m. Emphasise distance per stroke and developing efficiency, rhythm and timing. Optimise effort so swim progresses with less not more effort. Add in larger stroke control sets of three x (8 x 50m). Maintain same number of strokes on all swims.
One session working on pace for 30-60mins. The aim is to learn how to hold pace without your technique deteriorating. Try sets with gradually increasing speeds, like 8 x 100m increasing over sets 1-4, then start again for sets 5-8. Take 30secs between swims.
One to two sessions working on improving endurance. Try longer, low-intensity swims mixed with short, high-intensity swims. For example, one session might be 3 x 400m holding pace on all three at 40/50 beats below max heart rate (HR), while the other session might be 5 x 200m holding race pace on all five reps at 30 beats below max HR.
Check your swimming efficiency by checking your time for all swims. If the time and effort are consistent you are on your way to improving. If not, take longer rests and focus more on technique and the speed will come. Aim to practise holding technique during more demanding sets to reduce effort while increasing speed.
Top-level age-grouper
Three to five sessions per week
Average total distance: 7-15km.
One to two sessions focusing on improving technique at the beginning and end of the sessions. Approx 60-75mins in duration. Use sets that encourage you to hold your stroke length while gradually increasing your speed. For example, try 16 x 50m at 60 or 70secs done as: 1-4 – hold even stroke count; 5-8 – reduce stroke count by 1-2 each 50m; 9-12 – hold the reduced stroke count and reduce time by 1sec on each 50m; 13-16 – add your stroke count and time for your 50m together to get an efficiency rating. Aim to reduce the score.
One session working on longer reps at lower intensity. Sessions to be 75-90mins. Sets such as 3 x 800m, 1km + 500m + 250m, 4 x 500m, 2 x 1,500m are ideal. Use these sets to get into a good rhythm; the key is to maintain pace at approximately 50 beats below max HR. This encourages efficient swimming at slower speeds; any faster and stroke and pace are likely to be affected.
One to two sessions focusing on improving technique at the beginning and end of the sessions. Approx 60-75mins in duration. Use sets that encourage you to hold your stroke length while gradually increasing your speed. For example, try 16 x 50m at 60 or 70secs done as: 1-4 – hold even stroke count; 5-8 – reduce stroke count by 1-2 each 50m; 9-12 – hold the reduced stroke count and reduce time by 1sec on each 50m; 13-16 – add your stroke count and time for your 50m together to get an efficiency rating. Aim to reduce the score.
One session working on longer reps at lower intensity. Sessions to be 75-90mins. Sets such as 3 x 800m, 1km + 500m + 250m, 4 x 500m, 2 x 1,500m are ideal. Use these sets to get into a good rhythm; the key is to maintain pace at approximately 50 beats below max HR. This encourages efficient swimming at slower speeds; any faster and stroke and pace are likely to be affected.
One to two sessions working on improving your anaerobic threshold. Threshold training is performed at approximately 30 beats below max HR. By completing sets that encourage you to hold your HR and pace, you’ll undoubtedly accelerate your swimming performance and improve your efficiency simultaneously. A good threshold set is 30 x 50m on a set turnaround such as 50-60secs (for example, swim 50m in 40secs, have 20secs rest). Hold pace and stroke count on all 30 reps. Another set, like 10 x 150m, is useful to stretch your control over a slightly longer distance.
Key pointers: avoid long intervals at this level because you tend to lose speed and efficiency; keep rests to between 15-20secs on all reps; aim to improve swim efficiency and speed so you don’t lose time to fellow competitors in the swim section. It’s not necessary to have an outstanding swim, just one that keeps you in contention for the lead. Swimming efficiency is the high priority.
Elite-level triathlete
Four to six sessions per week
Average total distance: 20-30km.
Elite-level triathletes tend to migrate to competitive swimming clubs and follow a middle-distance-type programme. This helps develop the speed and endurance required for faster swim sections. All races tend to start very quickly and, in order to keep with the main group, more speed work is integrated into the programme. Swimming efficiency is critical because any extra effort will prevent the athlete competing at their full potential on the run.
Still pushed for time?
It’s completely understandable that not everyone can get in the water as often, or as long, as they’d like. So here are some ways in which you can maximise your training times while still keeping a degree of swimming-specific fitness:
Warm-up routines
Blow-flow exercises, like arm swinging, are invaluable. These exercises keep shoulders mobile and encourage a full range of motion when applied to the swim stroke. If you do a simple routine three times a week you’d quickly notice the difference in your swimming. An example of such a routine follows (repeat each exercise for 10-15secs):
Right arm circles then left arm circles in a forward direction. Then repeat backwards.
Double arm forwards and backwards.
Figure of eight single arm swings across the body – right-arm, then left.
Opposite arm swings – right arm forward, left arm in a backward direction.
Use any other arm-swinging exercise requiring a full range of motion. There are hundreds.
Stretching
Stretching is very important for triathletes wanting to improve their swimming. Use the warm-up routine to start and progress into more specific shoulder, triceps, chest, back, neck, lats and leg exercises. There are many different ways to stretch, but as a guide you should ease into stretch positions and hold each stretch for 10secs, and then ease out of the stretch before repeating twice more.
Remember: stretching involves controlling your breathing and maintaining good posture, which are excellent for improving your swimming. Don’t be afraid to make up some exercises as long as you’re lengthening muscles are under control. You can use a Swiss Ball for extra variety in your routines or a stretch cord to incorporate some resistance to each stretch. See the Stretch Cords Routine box above for some valuable stretch cord exercises.
Dry-land swimming
If all else fails and you’re stuck for training time, try dry-land swimming in front of a mirror. Stand with one foot forward and the other back, lean forward and work through the stroke as if you were in a pool. The movements you make out of water are almost identical to the movements you make in the water. Watching yourself you’ll be amazed at the inaccuracies that you’re able to observe.
Keep smooth movements through the recovery of the stroke and aim to co-ordinate the timing of the breathing. It’s obviously difficult to feel the propulsive phases of the stroke but ensure your hands sweep under the body in a keyhole-type shape.
Pool problems
You don’t have to have the newest and flashiest facilities to improve. Good water-time is the key to seeing results in the fastest time. If you only have access to a 15m pool or an odd-sized pool then use it to its best advantage. Adapt sessions to suit and make it work for you. '\'\"
Up the motivation, increase the speed: each swim should have a goal
Stretch Cords routine
Stretch cords are a great way to maintain specific muscular endurance and can be used just about anywhere.
Stretch cords come in different strengths, and it’s a good idea to start with the light resistance cords because they can leave you stiff and sore if you’re not used to them.
A simple stretch cord routine you can all do is:
Fly pull – 10 x 20-30secs with 15secs recovery (see pic).
Front crawl pull – 10 x 20-30secs with 15secs recovery.
Fly pull (lying on your back) – 10 x 20-30secs, again with 15secs recovery.
Triceps extension – 10 x 20-30secs with 15secs recovery.
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