Saturday Swim Session: Endurance and Drills

Continuing on the winter theme of working on building your fitness and enhancing your technique during the off-season.  This week’s session develops both.

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

• 400m Warm Up;
• 8x 50m Drill;
• 100m Easy swim focusing on Tech;
• 8x 50m Drill;
• 100m Easy swim focusing on Tech;
• 200m Cool Down (1,600m)

Option B

• 400m Warm Up;
• 16x 50m Drill;
• 100m Easy swim focusing on Tech;
• 10x 50m Drill;
• 100m Easy swim focusing on Tech;
• 200m Cool Down (2,100m)

Option C

• 1,000m Warm Up;
• 16x 50m Drill;
• 200m Easy swim focusing on Tech;
• 16x 50m Drill;
• 200m Easy swim focusing on Tech;
• 200m Cool Down (3,200m)

Start the workout with a Warm Up covering of either 400m (Option A & B) or 1,000m (Option C). During the warm-up feel free to stop and stretch as needed. It does not need to be a continuous swim, but the more continuous you make this the greater the endurance benefit you will get from it.

Next up is a set of eight (Option A) or sixteen reps (Option B and C) of 50m utilising a drill. Feel free to use fins whilst doing this drill set. Do the drills below twice through for Option A for four times through for Options B and C:

1. Kick On Side (left side)
2. Kick On Side (right side)
3. 6/1/6
4. 6/3/6

After the drills, take your fins off and swim 100m (Option A & B) or 200m (Option C) focusing on technique.

The next set involves eight (Option A), ten (Option B), or sixteen (Option C) reps of a 50m drill. Go through the following drills twice (Option A), two and a half times (Option B), or four times (Option C). Feel free to put your fins back on.

1. Kick On Side (left side)
2. Kick On Side (right side)
3. 6/1/6
4. 6/3/6

Then take your fins off and swim 100m (Option A & B) or 200m (Option C) focusing on technique.

All three workouts have a 200m cool down. Feel free to pause and stretch when needed and /or include stretching as part of each break until the distance is covered.

If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.

I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi Coaching.

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.

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If you enjoyed this workout, I published a similar session 6 months ago.

Saturday Swim Session: 300’s

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