Building your ability to sustain your threshold pace in a swim is an important capability for triathletes and open water swimmers. These sessions further develops that ability by progressing the intensity as you work through the workout, but maintaining the Rest Interval (RI). The session gets tougher, as you work through it. This session will benefit triathletes of all distances, as well as other open water swimmers.
Each Saturday I will post a Swim Session, and 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.
Read this article here for an explanation of Swim Intensity.
The inspiration for these workouts comes from an article by Doug Stern in an old issue of Triathlete from August 1996. I don’t know who Julie is, whether she is a fictitious athlete utilised by Doug for the purposes of the article or an actual triathlete.
Option A
- 400m WU Level II;
- 10x 50m Level III 15RI;
- 10x 50m Level IV 15RI;
- 10x 50m Level V 15RI;
- 100m CD Level II (2,000m)
Option B
- 600m WU Level II;
- 14x 50m Level III 15RI;
- 14x 50m Level IV 15RI;
- 14x 50m Level V 15RI;
- 200m CD Level II (3,000m)
Option C
- 800m WU Level II;
- 20x 50m Level III 15RI;
- 20x 50m Level IV 15RI;
- 20x 50m Level V 15RI;
- 200m CD Level II (4,000m)
For the Warm Up (WU) start with a 400m swim (Option A), 600m (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.
Follow this with three sets of 50m efforts. Each set of 50’s is progressively more intense.
The first set of 50’s are done at Level III and are made up of ten (Option A), fourteen (Option B) or twenty (Option C) reps of 100m. Take a fifteen second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep.
The second set of 50’s are done at Level IV and are also made up of ten (Option A), fourteen (Option B) or twenty (Option C) reps of 100m. Take a fifteen second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep.
The final set is done at Level V and there is no change to the number of reps done in this set, ten (Option A), fourteen (Option B) or twenty (Option C) reps of 100m. Take a fifteen second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 100m (Option A) or 200m (Options B & C). Unlike the previous sets which have to be freestyle, the Cool Down (CD) (like the Warm Up (WU)) 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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Prior to using this plan, you should be able to swim 400 metres or yards continuously, 1,500 metres or yards total within a workout.
