A good way to develop your stamina is to swim longer reps. 300m reps work well because it is a unique distance, that will require you to judge your pacing. This will challenge you cognitively as well as physiologically. 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.
I’ve written these sessions for a 33⅓ metre pool, but a lot of the older style pools are 33⅓ yards long (100 feet), so simply interchange the metres for yards and do the session.
Option A
- 200m WU;
- 6x 67m (33m Drill/33m Swim);
- 3x 300m descending set 40sec RI;
- 200m CD (1,700m)
Option B
- 400m WU;
- 6x 67m (33m Drill/33m Swim);
- 5x 300m descending set 40sec RI;
- 200m CD (2,500m);
Option C
- 800m WU;
- 6x 67m (33m Drill/33m Swim);
- 7x 300m descending set 40sec RI;
- 200m CD (3,500m)
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) covering 200m (Option A), 400m (Option B), or 800m (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. There are six repetitions of 67m Drill/Swim, where you do a drill for the first 33m of the repetition and then normal swimming for the next 33m swimming. Feel free to use fins whilst doing the drill/swim set. Do the drills below once through:
I wrote an article about swimming drills previously. Click here to read and watch it.
Take the fins off prior to the next set.
The first main set is made up of three (Option A), five (Option B), or seven (Option C) reps of 300m (nine lengths of a 33⅓ metre pool). As this is a building set, the aim is to swim each rep quicker than the previous. If doing option B or C, make sure you pace yourself well enough to leave enough in the tank for the last few reps. Between each rep take a 40-second Rest Interval (RI).
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.
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