Swimming 800m reps is a great way to develop your threshold pace of swimming. They are perfect for Ironman and Olympic distance triathletes or people doing longer Ocean Swims.
Each Saturday I will post a Swim Session, most weeks I will load three options up for you to do. Option A is for swimmers who are after a workout between 1,000 & 2,000 metres. Option B is for swimmers who are after a workout between 2,000 & 3,000m and Option C will be greater than 3,000m.
Option A
- 200m WU;
- 4x 50m (25m Drill/25m Swim);
- 800m;
- 4x 50m 20sec RI;
- 200m CD (1,600m)
Option B
- 400m WU;
- 8x 50m (25m Drill/25m Swim);
- 2x 800m 45sec RI;
- 4x 50m 20sec RI;
- 200m CD (2,800m)
Option C
- 600m WU;
- 8x 50m (25m Drill/25m Swim);
- 3x 800m 45sec RI;
- 8x 50m 20sec RI;
- 200m CD (4,000m)
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) covering 200m (Option A) or 400m (Options B) or 600m (Option C). During the warm-up feel free to stop and stretch as needed. It doesn’t need to be a continuous swim.
Next up are four (Option A) or eight (Options B and C) repetitions of 50m Drill/Swim, where you do a drill for the first 25m of the repetition and then normal swimming for the next 25m swimming. Feel free to use fins whilst doing the drill/swim set. Do the drills below, once through for Option A and twice through for Options B and C:
I wrote an article about Swimming Drills a few weeks ago. Click here to read and watch it.
Take your fins off for the next sets.
Each option then moves onto a set of 800m reps. Option A only has one, Option B has two, and Option C has three. Take a 45-second Rest Interval after each rep. Try and keep your pace nice and consistent across all the reps.
Next up is a set of ’50s. There are four to complete for Options A and B and eight for Option C. These are sprints and after each rep take a 20-second Rest Interval (RI) prior to the next rep.
Then it is time for a 200m Cool Down (CD). Unlike the previous sets which have to be freestyle, the cooldown (like the warm-up) can be any stroke you wish to swim. You can also stop and rest after any length. I encourage you to stop and stretch during the cool-down.
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729. Make sure you sign up for my informative newsletter.
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12 weeks to an Iron-Distance swim PB 25/50m
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