Finishing the workout with faster reps helps to develop your finishing speed for races. This session is 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.
In last week’s workout, I got you to finish the session with some sprints to develop your speed at the end of your open water swims. In today’s session, you build your pace so that you finish with your fastest effort at the end.
Saturday Swim Session: 100’s then 50’s
Option A
- 200m WU;
- 8x 25m Drill;
- 4x 300m Build 1-4, 30sec RI;
- 200m CD (1,800m)
Option B
- 400m WU;
- 12x 25m Drill;
- 6x 300m Build 1-3, 30sec RI;
- 200m CD (2,700m)
Option C
- 600m WU;
- 12x 25m Drill;
- 8x 300m Build 1-4, 30sec RI;
- 200m CD (3,500m)
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) covering 200m (Option A), 400m (Option 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 is a drill set of eight (Option A) or twelve (Options B and C) repetitions of a 25m Drill. Feel free to use fins whilst doing the drill set. Do the drills below; twice through for Option A and three times through for Options B and C:
I wrote an article about swimming drills previously. Click here to read and watch it.
Coach Ray’s Top 3 Swimming Drills to Get You Swimming Smooth
Following the set of drills take the fins off and complete four (Option A), six (Option B), or eight (Option C) repetitions of 300m with a 30-second Rest Interval (RI) between reps. These are done in a Build fashion, by getting faster as you build through the set. Start off with the first rep and swim at a moderate pace. For the second rep swim it at a fast pace. The third rep should be done at a faster pace. If doing Options A or C which are Build 1-4, for the fourth rep conduct this at your fastest pace. Option B which is Build 1-3, for the fourth rep revert back to a moderate pace, the same as in Option C for the fifth rep. Then continue to Build through the next three (Option B) or four (Option C) reps as you did for the first three or four respectively.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 200m. 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 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 12 months ago.
Saturday Swim Session: Broken 800’s
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