Developing a Swim Training Schedule for Triathlon

One of the most difficult portions of training for a triathlon for many athletes is developing a training schedule that effectively addresses each of the event’s three components. Follow the tips below to ace your training regimen for the swimming portion of the triathlon.

The Overview– Each swimming session should include a warm up, a cool down and some technique work to improve your stroke’s efficiency in the water.

Open Water– While training in a pool is certainly helpful, ensure that you include open water training so that you can learn how to properly navigate water currents

The Wetsuit– If you plan on wearing a wetsuit during your competition, make sure that you practice swimming with one on in the open water. The weight, current and overall feel of your strokes will change when you are wearing a wetsuit. Make sure that you are completely comfortable wearing the wetsuit while swimming and that you can transition out of it when transitioning to the bike.

Workout Variations– Include some easy swimming workouts intended to build endurance, some where you work hard to reach your threshold, and some interval training. The combination of these 3 workout types will give you the best overall training for your big day. Triswimcoach.com offers a variety of workouts and workout plans to train for the swim portion of the race.

Transition Workouts– In addition to your focused swimming training days, include days where you transition to and from swimming to running or cycling (sometimes called “brick workouts”).

While each triathlete has their favorite part of the race, it is important to train the most in your weakest area. This tends to be swimming for many beginner and newbie triathletes! Keep this in mind as you prepare for your upcoming races.