The ability to swim at and maintain your threshold pace is a critical component of fitness for triathletes and long-distance open water swimmers. This session mixes faster reps and balances it with continuous swimming mixed with kick. This is a great session for triathletes and open water swimmers to do to build their steady state speed.
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.
The inspiration for today’s workouts come from a Beginner’s Guide to Triathlon published by Triathlon Plus and was free with Issue 42 in the Summer of 2012. The workout comes from Doug Hall of RaceOffRoad.co.uk.
Option A
- 400 WU (200 F/S, 200 Pull);
- 400 Hard;
- 8x 50 Easy Pull, 30RI;
- 400 CD (Alt 100 K, 100 Pull) (1,600)
- 10min Stretching
Option B
- 400 WU (200 F/S, 200 Pull);
- 2x
- 400 Hard;
- 8x 50 Easy Pull, 30RI;
- 400 CD (Alt 100 K, 100 Pull) (2,400)
- 10min Stretching
Option C
- 800 WU (200 F/S, 200 Pull);
- 3x
- 400 Hard;
- 8x 50 Easy Pull, 30RI;
- 400 CD (Alt 100 K, 100 Pull) (1,600)
- 10min Stretching
For the Warm Up (WU) start with a 400m swim (Options A & B), 800m (Option C). Alternate between 200 Freestyle and then 200 using a Pull Buoy.
The first set is a single rep of 400m swum as fast as you can maintain for the full distance.
Next up is a set of eight, easy 50m reps swum with a Pull Buoy. Take a 30 second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep.
For those doing Option A, move to the Cool Down (CD) at this point. Options B & C repeat the 400m Fast, and then 8x 50m Pull Buoy a total of two and three times through respectively.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 400m. Alternate between 100m Kicking and 100m Pull Buoy.
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.
