The correct swim sessions twice weekly are enough to improve a MOP swimmer.

I’d be interested in hearing how you’d structure that for two sessions a week to improve. And maybe if you’re feeling generous recommend a third if time allows.

Thanks!

I would introduce skills in session 1, with maybe a bit of leg work, and a short main set to reinforce. Maybe 2500 yards total for beginners.

Session two would be nothing new, reinforcement of session one skills, with a longer main set with more straight up swimming. This session would be 3000-4000 yards, even for beginners, so it could be broken into two sessions or completed as one long workout.

A 3rd session would be even less drills and activities, an even more swim focused main set, and the whole thing could be either long, or what I call a "High Density" swim... lots of goodness packed into 1500-2000 yards.

To see specifically what that looks like, I have an example HERE. Read for 15 minutes, watch a couple videos, and give it a try.

Most BOP - MOP swimmers are much better served with at least one session largely devoted to skill development and increasing their physical vocabulary. Two sessions are generally enough to make significant improvements.

Buy a vasa swim Erg if it is in your budget and do two swims per week. That is just my opinion. I swim at least 3 times a week and will do atleast 2 days of the vasa 30-60 minutes.

That's just me. 2 hours of driving to get to a pool is a lot

thanks - this looks good

Almost found myself in a similar situation but the job fell through. Consider this: Is there a motel with an indoor pool in the community? If so, buy a swim tether to supplement your actual traditional pool swimming. At least you're in the water doing something. Combine that with the swim stretch cords, your 2 days of pool swimming and you can make it work. If you got the $$$ invest in a VASA.

---

#swimmingmatters
Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.
The Doctor (#12)

we are so small that no - local places do not have pools - until you get to where the Y is.....sigh.
I do have cords to use out of the pool, not a vasa but....

Full disclosure - I am the founder of Vasa, Inc.

Your questions are well-founded and there are many solutions to this dilemma. Most important is to find a way to maintain consistent quality swim training, either in water or on land or a combination of the two. Consistent swim training, especially if done with emphasis on improving both your sustained power and efficiency with better technique, will find you at the start line feeling confident because you will be prepared. IMO, that matters much more than improving your actual swim time. If you are prepared physically and mentally, it will make your race go that much better, and it is likely you'll have more gas in the tank for the bike and run.

That approach has worked extremely well for thousands of Vasa customers, both athletes and the coaches who know how to get the most out of it. On the Vasatrainer dot com blog, there is an article by Cortney Martin by the title of "Vasa Swim Erg Training Saves time, Money... and a Mother's Sanity"

In that article, there is a Cost Calculator tool that is useful for working out the math in dollars and time-savings.

Recently, a well-known coach and Ironman athlete said this about swim training during one of his podcasts - and here is an excerpt from the transcription. He sums up, in a humorous and pragmatic way, the reality so many triathletes face with regards to swim training. I hope you will find it useful as you sort out the best solution for you.

"Every swim workout has four parts - travel to, travel from, workout, and then changing back into street clothes. Depending who you are, the time of day, and where you are in relation to work, you can very easily spend just as much time traveling to and from the pool and getting dressed as you do in the water.
Imagine this in a different context. If I told you we were going to meet for a run today, but before we can run for 45 minutes, we have to spend 45 minutes just standing in place. Just standing there for 45 minutes, waiting, and you’re not allowed to text (because you’d be driving or changing, both places where you can’t use phones). You have to stand there and wait for 45 minutes and then run 45 minutes. You would probably go insane. You’d probably want to punch me in the face or something. Well get in line people! There’s a lot of those folks. But seriously, that’s what it is like to swim, and it’s just something that we do. It’s the cost of business. However, having something like a Vasa swim ergometer means that in your basement, garage, workout room, pain cave or whatever you want to call it, you have a device that you can use in street clothes, pre or post bike or run workout, and can be instantly swimming with power if you choose the ergometer option, or just swimming laps and working on your technique. In fact, you can do short swims that are 10-15 minutes focused on technique, just enough to stay sharp but not so much that it’s costly, that will add to your overall swim repertoire. That’s what I do right now. I’m new to the machine and I’m doing 500-750 yards, about 10-15 minutes a day, except for the days that I actually swim. As a result, I’ve added two extra swim workouts to my week, doing it in 10-15 minute chunks. And it’s only one minute away from my kitchen! The technique is awesome, the time savings are phenomenal. You still have to swim - you’re going to have to make it to the water at some point - but in terms of return and investment for swim strength and swim specificity, you can’t beat that! When most people think about swimming inside we think about improving your swim as something as a year three or beyond issue because the bike is so important and run durability is something we work on all the time, but truth be told, swim is the most costly activity we undertake, and if you can solve that issue - whether that means moving closer to a pool or getting an endless pool or getting something like a Vasa - it’s a no-brainer to solve that issue."