Triathlon Swim Training Workout

It seems that a lot of people are confused about exactly what they should be doing in terms of their swim workouts.
Most of the guides out there don’t get very specific. And online, it’s tough to find pool workouts structured to help improve one’s open water or triathlon swim.

So below, I’ve got a breakdown of a swim workout. This should help clear up confusion, and allow you to get creative with your workouts, within a triathlon swimming template!

Enjoy,
Kevin

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
-Buddha

Dissecting a swim workout

300 Warm Up
300 yards or meters. 12 lengths in a 25 yard or meter pool. During a warm up, you should be going at a moderate pace, working on bilateral breathing, mixing in strokes other than freestyle, and really stretching out your stroke.

6×75’s
Odds: K/Fist/Swim
Evens: Stroke
This means 3 lengths 6 times. Rest :10-:15 after each 75-yard swim. Odd number 75’s (#’s 1, 3, 5) will be Kicking on your side on the first length (K), then swimming with your fists on the second length, followed by a length of freestyle. Even number 75’s (#2, 4, 6) will be a stroke other than freestyle. You may use fins on the odd number 75’s, but make sure they are the shorter kind, like Zoomers.

15×100’s
#1-5) on Cruise
#6-10) on Cruise-:05
#11-15) on Cruise +:05
15 100-yard or meter swims on an interval. “Cruise” means an interval you can make 100’s on with about 5-10 seconds rest in
between each. For example, if you did your 100’s on 1:50, and your time on the 100 was 1:40, you get 10 seconds rest. “Cruise -:05” means to take 5 seconds off your interval. In the example above, you would be doing the middle set of 100’s on 1:45, and the last set on 1:55.

6×50’s Free Golf Rest=:20
Swim a 50 free and count your strokes. Also, check your time on the pace clock when you finish. Add those 2 numbers together to get your “score”. For each 50, try to lower that score by making your stroke more efficient (and faster). For example, if I did a 50 in 35 seconds and it took me 38 strokes, my score would be (35+38)= 73. Shoot for 72 on the next round by gliding a little more, focusing on hip rotation, and pull, without losing speed. Keep dropping your score as far as you can go, and don’t be tempted to just kick harder to bring your score down!

Warm Down: 200
Start out your warm down at about 75% effort and drop down from there. Warm downs are a good chance for you to again practice bilateral breathing and stretch out your stroke, focusing on technique, and lowering the lactic acid content in your muscles.

Sincerely,
Kevin Koskella
www.triswimcoach.com