Here are swim workouts that will make the swim the most fun of the bike run. Swim workouts will increase your speed, endurance, and technique. The swim leg of a triathlon tends to bring the most distress in new triathletes. These swim workouts for triathletes will help ease your fears and make you faster and more comfortable in the water.
If you’re competing in a sprint triathlon, to long-distance events like the Ironman, our swim training, which range from 1500 to 4,500 meters or yards, is perfect for any level of triathlete.
Triathlon Swim Workouts in PDF
To improve your heart rate while swimming, planning your workouts is crucial. Mere mindless laps won’t do the heart rate trick.
I’ll provide nine ready-to-go swim workouts. You can print these and stick them on the wall to pace yourself through simple yet effective triathlon training swim sessions. Our swimming workouts below will enhance your endurance, speed, and technique – three disciplines and critical areas that will make you an excellent swimmer.
Triathlon Swim Workout Instructions
These swim workouts suit Sprint Distance, Olympic, and IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons. The seven workouts of all six kicks presume a minimum 500-meter non-stop swim capability. The shortest exercise is 1200 meters with frequent breaks, whereas the longest swim workout has 3800 meters.
Please review the training plan and zones table below before hitting the pool. Using the training plan with 5 simple training zones to break up moderate pace of the workouts into different intensities, you can avoid the trap of training at only one pace.
To your swimming skills, strategically planning your workouts is a must. You need to do more than just show up at the pool race day and swim aimlessly. That’s why in this blog,
I’ll provide you with seven expertly crafted swim workouts. Please print them and stick them on the end of the lane for easy reference. These straightforward triathlon and swim training sessions will boost your endurance, speed, and technique. These are vital for improved swimming.
Swim Tips & Gear
You can swim in the pool time either Yards or Meters, depending on what you prefer and the type of pool you use. Just assume the distances are in Yards (if you use yards) x 100 or Meters x 100 (if you use meters).
You will need a kick float and a pull buoy. Your swim coach may also benefit from a pull buoy, a pair of fins, and a swimmer’s snorkel. These swim toys can help keep you buoyant while practicing the swim technique drills. Or it can help you swim faster and further/easier if you’re relatively new to triathlon swimming.
Our Top 9 Triathlon Swim Workouts
I recommend you check out our Triathlon Swim Workout Free PDF download designed to take you to the pool.
Sprint Triathlon Swim Workouts
Sure, here are 3 swim workouts for training for a sprint triathlon. The sprint distance is the perfect beach start for beginner triathlon training.
Speed Workout
- Warm-up: 200m easy swim freestyle
- Main set:
- 8 x 100m freestyle on race pace, with 20 seconds rest between each
- 6 x 50m freestyle on all-out effort, with 10 seconds rest between each
- Cool-down: 200m easy swim
This workout will help you improve your water speed and power. The fast pace and short rest periods will force you to work hard, and your effort level maintains your speed, while the all-out effort sets will help you to build your anaerobic capacity.
Endurance Workout
- Warm-up: 400m easy swim
- Main set:
- 4 x 200m freestyle on a steady pace, with 30 seconds rest between each
- 3 x 300m freestyle on a steady pace, with 1-minute rest between each
- Cool-down: 400m easy swim
This workout will help you improve your stroke rate and endurance in the water. The longer distances and extended rest periods will allow you to conserve energy and focus on maintaining your technique, gaining power and rhythm while still building your aerobic capacity.
Technique Workout
- Warm-up: 200m easy swim
- Main set:
- 8 x 50m freestyle with a focus on good technique, with 20 seconds rest between each
- 6 x 25m drills, with 10 seconds rest between each
- Cool-down: 200m easy swim
This workout will help you to improve your technique in the water. The focus on good technique and the drills will help you correct any flaws in your body, head, body position together, and stroke, while still getting a good workout.
These are just a few examples of swim workouts that you can do to train for a sprint triathlon. You can adjust the distances, repetitions, and rest periods to fit your fitness level and goals. Listening to your body and taking breaks when you need them is essential. With consistent training, you will be well on your way to completing the swim portion of your sprint triathlon!
Olympic Distance Triathlon and Half Ironman Distance Swim Workouts
Sure, here are three swim workouts for training for the next triathlon, an Olympic distance or a 70.3 triathlon:
Speed Workout
- Warm-up: 400m easy swim
- Main set:
- 6 x 200m freestyle on race pace, with 1-minute rest between each
- 4 x 100m freestyle on all-out effort, with 30 seconds rest between each
- Cool-down: 400m easy swim
This workout will help you to improve your speed and power in the water. The short rest periods will force you to work hard and maintain your speed, while the all-out effort sets will lower intensity and help you to build your anaerobic capacity.
Endurance Workout
- Warm-up: 800m easy swim
- Main set:
- 3 x 400m freestyle on a steady pace, with 2 minutes rest between each
- 2 x 500m freestyle on a steady pace, with 3 minutes rest between each
- Cool-down: 800m easy swim
This workout will help you to improve your endurance in the water. The longer distances and longer rest periods will allow you to focus on maintaining your technique and rhythm while still building your aerobic capacity.
Technique Workout
- Warm-up: 400m easy swim
- Main set:
- 8 x 50m freestyle with a focus on good technique, with 1-minute rest between each
- 6 x 25m drills, with 30 seconds rest between each
- Cool-down: 400m easy swim
This workout will help you to improve your technique in the water. The focus of the workouts listed below is good technique, and the drills will help you correct any flaws in your stroke while still getting a good workout.
These are just a few examples of swim workouts that you can do to train for an Olympic Ironman distance triathlon or a 70.3 triathlon. You can adjust swimming workouts’ distances, repetitions, and rest periods to fit your fitness level and goals. It is essential to listen to your body and take breaks when needed. With consistent training, you will be well on your way to completing your Olympic distance or 70.3 triathlons!
Swim workouts for training for an Ironman triathlon training
Speed Workout
- Warm-up: 600m easy swim
- Main set:
- 4 x 400m freestyle on race pace, with 2 minutes rest between each
- 2 x 200m freestyle on all-out effort, with 1-minute rest between each
- Cool-down: 600m easy swim
This workout will help you to improve your speed and power in the water. The short rest periods will force you to work hard and maintain your speed, while the all-out effort sets will help you to build your anaerobic capacity.
Endurance Workout
- Warm-up: 1000m easy swim
- Main set:
- 3 x 600m freestyle on a steady pace, with 3 minutes rest between each
- 2 x 800m freestyle on steady pace, with 4 minutes rest between each
- Cool-down: 1000m easy swim
This workout will help you improve your stroke rate and endurance in the water. The longer distances and extended rest periods will allow you to focus on maintaining your technique and rhythm while building your aerobic capacity.
Technique Workout
- Warm-up: 600m easy swim
- Main set:
- 8 x 50m freestyle with a focus on good technique, with 1-minute rest between each
- 6 x 25m drills, with 30 seconds rest between each
- Cool-down: 600m easy swim
This workout will help you to improve your technique in the water. Focusing on good technique and the drills will help you have great technique and correct any flaws in your stroke while still getting a good workout for the upper body.
These are just a few examples of swim workouts that you can do to train for an Ironman triathlon. You can adjust the distances swim speed, repetitions, and rest periods to fit your fitness level and goals. It is essential to listen to your body and take breaks when needed. With consistent training, you will be well on your way to completing your Ironman triathlon!
Swim Drills to Improve Technique
Sure, here are a few swim drills that can help you improve your freestyle swimming form:
- Closed-fist freestyle: This drill helps you to focus on using your forearms and not just your hands to pull through the water. To do this drill, ball up your hands into fists and swim freestyle as you usually would. You will notice that your stroke becomes more powerful and efficient.
- Forearm paddles: This drill helps you to develop a high elbow catch, which is essential for a good freestyle stroke. To do this drill, attach forearm paddles to your hands and swim freestyle as you normally would. The paddles will help you to keep your elbows high and your forearms in the water.
- Catch-up drill: This drill helps you to improve your timing and catch in the freestyle stroke. To do this drill, start by swimming freestyle normally. When you reach the end of your stroke, bring your other arm forward to catch the water, but do not pull through. Instead, let your first arm recover and then catch the water with that arm. Continue alternating arms in this way.
- Single-arm freestyle: This drill helps you to focus on each arm individually and improve your balance and coordination. To do this drill, swim freestyle using one arm at a time. Start with your dominant arm and then switch to your non-dominant arm.
- Kick on the side: This drill helps you to improve your kick and body position. To do this drill, simply lie on your side in the water and kick with your legs. Keep your body in a straight line and your head in a neutral position.
These are just a few of the many swim drills that can help you improve your freestyle swimming form effectively time. Experiment with different drills and find the ones that work best for you. With consistent practice, you will see improvement in your technique and speed.
Here are some additional tips for improving your freestyle swimming form:
- Keep your head still and your eyes looking forward. This will help you to maintain good body alignment and prevent you from dipping your head underwater.
- Keep your elbows high and your forearms in the water. This will help you to generate more power and efficiency in your stroke.
- Pull through the water with a long, smooth stroke. Try to pull only a little hard or too fast.
- Recover your arms smoothly and efficiently. Don’t let your arms slap the water.
- Breathe regularly and smoothly. Don’t hold your breath or take big gulps of air.
With the right arm, consistent effort level in practice, and good technique, you will swim freestyle like a pro in no time!
Additional Help
Here are some resources on getting help with your swim form:
- YouTube: Many great swim coaches on YouTube offer free videos on swim technique. Some of my favorites include:
- Swim Smooth: This channel is run by Paul Newsome, a former Olympic swimmer and swim coach. He has a wealth of knowledge on swim technique, and his videos are very easy to follow.
- Total Immersion: This channel is run by Terry Laughlin, a swim coach and author of several books on swim technique. His videos are more advanced than Swim Smooth but are still very informative.
- Online courses: Several online courses can help you improve your swim form. Some of the most popular courses include:
- Swim Like a Fish: This course is taught by Paul Newsome of Swim Smooth. It covers all aspects of swimming technique, from the basics to the advanced.
- Total Immersion Swim Clinic: This course is taught by Terry Laughlin of Total Immersion. It focuses on the “catch” and “pull” of the freestyle stroke.
- Sole Swim Solutions Frank Sole brings a wealth of expertise to his coaching. His extensive background working with professional and Kona qualifying triathletes, as well as age-group competitors, allows him to tailor training regimens to athletes’ unique talents and limitations.
- Private swim coach: If you want personalized help with your swim form, you can take private lessons from a swim coach. If you are local, I would be happy to work with you.
- Check out USA Swimming’s list of coaches. This is the best way to get feedback on your technique and ensure you do things correctly.
- Join Master’s Swim Club today and take your swimming to the next level. With experienced coaches, a supportive environment, and structured drills designed to maximize your performance, Master’s Swim Club will give you the tools you need to become a more competitive swimmer whether you’re looking for a great way to stay in shape or want to compete against the best swimmers in the country.
- Join Our Triathlon Club Today!
