The opening leg of an Ironman 70.3 is an important part of the event. If you swim well you can set yourself up for a good bike and run. Being able to swim efficiently and smoothly will enable you to stay fresh and get onto the bike in a good position. This series of workouts will set you up for success.
Normally 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. This series of workouts, the sessions are all targeting athletes looking to improve their Ironman 70.3 swim with limited time. There are three sessions, and I encourage you to do two to three of them each week.
Read this article here for an explanation of Swim Intensity.
Session 16
- 400 WU;
- 8x 50 Drills/Swim;
- 10x 25 10RI;
- 10x 50 10RI;
- 10x 75 10RI;
- 200 CD (2,500)
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) covering of 400m. 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 eight 50m repetitions made up of 25m Drill, then straight into 25m normal swimming. Feel free to use fins whilst doing this set. Do the drills below twice through:
The pause referred to above is a stop of about 10 seconds. It’s a chance to grab a drink, review the programme and think about the next drill you will do. If you need 15-20 seconds or longer you are welcome to take it because the rest duration isn’t physiologically critical to the aim of this set. Having a wee break is neurologically critical though, so make sure you don’t just roll straight from one rep to the next.
There are three main sets.
The first set is made up of ten, 25-metre sprints with a ten-second Rest Interval (RI).
The second set is also made up of ten reps, but of 50-metre efforts also with ten-second Rest Interval (RI).
The final set is also ten-reps, this time 75-metre efforts with a ten-second Rest Interval (RI).
Complete the workout with a 200m Cool Down (CD). Feel free to pause and stretch when needed and/or include stretching as part of each break until the distance is covered.
Session 17
- 600 WU;
- 8x 25 Pick Up 10RI;
- 2000 TT;
- 200 CD (3,000)
For the Warm Up (WU) start with a 600m swim. 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 Pick-Up set. This set simply means that you pick up the pace as you swim through each repetition. Start each rep nice and slow for a few strokes, then swim a few strokes at a moderate pace, then a few at a fast pace, a few faster, then getting faster still, finishing the rep at a maximum sprint as you lunge for the wall. Complete eight reps of 25m. After each repetition have a Rest Interval (RI) of 10 seconds.
Swim 2,000m as fast as you can. Use this as a benchmark to see how your fitness is progressing. Aim for a consistent pace with a slightly faster second half as a negative split.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 200m. 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
Session 18
- 800 WU;
- 8x 50 Drills/Swim;
- 4x 400 30RI;
- Pull Buoy & Paddles
- Paddles
- Pull Buoy
- Swim
- 200 CD (3,000)
For the Warm Up (WU) start with an 800m swim. 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 eight 50m repetitions made up of 25m Drill, then straight into 25m normal swimming. Feel free to use fins whilst doing this set. Do the drills below twice through:
The pause referred to above is a stop of about 10 seconds. It’s a chance to grab a drink, review the programme and think about the next drill you will do. If you need 15-20 seconds or longer you are welcome to take it because the rest duration isn’t physiologically critical to the aim of this set. Having a wee break is neurologically critical though, so make sure you don’t just roll straight from one rep to the next.
The main set is made up of four, 400m reps. Take a 30 second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep. Swim the first rep with both Pull Buoy and Paddles. The second rep is swum with Paddles only. The third set is with Pull Buoy only. The final rep is swimming only with no training aids. Aim to swim this final rep as fast as possible.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 200m. 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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