Offseason Pool Workout Distance

Triathlon Forum
1

I am in the middle of the offseason, so I am swimming in a pool twice a week (swimming is my weakest part).

Once a week I do some intervals, once a week i do a straight swim. In both cases, I up my distance 50 meters, and I am up to 2600 meters. Is there a point where I am going to far? Or I don’t need to keep going. I am training for an olympic triathlon. I would think that the farther I can go the better, but I don’t want to get into to overdo it just to do it. Clearly I want to go further than 1500 meters, but I know that at a certain point, it’s just overkill.

2

Are you worried about being able to complete the swim? Or are you concerned with going faster?

Conventional wisdom would be to drop the straight swim and do a more structured approach. If you can do 2600 straight, you don’t need to worry about being physically capable of completing the swim.

If you can get in more than 2x per week, I’d recommend you do that.

3

Going too far?

That depends on if you are using the off season to maintain or get better.

4

Going too far?

That depends on if you are using the off season to maintain or get better.

To get better.

I have only been swimming for about a year, this September I did a sprint triathlon, my first triathlon ever.

So really I want to improve my time, as well as just make sure I can finish a race. I’m 30 and in pretty good shape, so I don’t think I will have any issues finishing, but i just want to finish, time is secondary.

I would swim as long as possible if I could, I’m just fighting the mental side of it, these long swims are getting rough.

Basically I want to know how far is going to be good enough for a straight swim when training for a tri. I don’t want to do just 1500, just simply because being in the pool is easier than the waves I will see in Lake Michigan and so I can do the rest of the race, although if I am coming at this from the wrong way, let me know.

Thanks.

5

Are you worried about being able to complete the swim? Or are you concerned with going faster?

Conventional wisdom would be to drop the straight swim and do a more structured approach. If you can do 2600 straight, you don’t need to worry about being physically capable of completing the swim.

If you can get in more than 2x per week, I’d recommend you do that.

Main goal is to finish, a better time will of course be better, but I just need to finish.

Right now, I do the long swim and a ladder swim, this week the ladder was a 300m warmup then 600-500-400-300-200-100 with some rest in between each step and trying to go faster each step, then a 200m cool down.

I was planning on doing a 2650 straight swim, but did 2000m as I think i might be overdoing it with the 2650, and I wanted to get more info before going back to that long of a swim

I actually have considered adding another day of swimming, to go 3 times a week, the extra day will be some sort of interval swim.

But yah I guess my idea is I like the long swim, but I want to do one that will prepare me for the 1500m in a Lake Michigan in August, which means very high waves, and then the rest of the race.

My thought is that I would want to go farther than just the 1500m, so my body can adjust to the waves and still have energy for a bike and run, but I am not sure I need to go 2600m, which can get mentally draining, so I am wondering if there is a sweet spot for a distance for a long swim (today I actually only did 2000m, just to keep it easy until I get more info).

FWIW I am 30 years old and in pretty good shape. I did my first sprint tri this fall and finished in 1:16 (the swim was only 400m, so add a few minutes), and right now when I am in the pool, I swim 100m in about 2:10 or so, when I am doing those longer swims.

Thank you for your help!

6

This will sound counter intuitive, but to get faster (what I consider better) you should go shorter and faster. After my warm up, I do nothing longer than 50 meters, and unless it’s a drill, I do it hard.

Tonight’s swim was

500 w/u
10x50 band
10x50 kick
5x50 strong 25 followed by all out 25
2x25 cool down

I was in the pool just over 45 minutes, slightly over 30 minutes of swim time.

7

This is good, some other routes I’ve used are:

The waterproof book called “workouts in a binder” I just follow its schedule.

Workouts from the Matt Fitzgerald’s books. (I’m using now)

Workouts from USMS.

Saved workouts from my old coach.

Workouts from the fish threads.

8

You are 10 months away from your race. You don’t need to do a lsd swim. Swim short, swim fast, swim often.

My routine right now is 5-6 swims a week of about 2-3k each. I’m a simple guy, so I keep it pretty simple.

Monday : 30x50 fast 20s rest
Tuesday : 1700 of drills
Wednesday : 30x50 fast 20s rest
Thursday ; 1700 of drills
Friday : 30x100 fast 20s rest
Saturday : 6x400 moderate 30s rest

Sometimes I may drop a 50s day…if I can’t do 6x. The 50s and 100s are done usrpt style. Lots of other posts on usrpt if you are interested.

I also have a local coach that I see about once a month.

As I get closer to race day, I will focus on longer repeats (400-800) and adding an actual open water swim once the weather gets better.

I don’t know that the above is the best plan, but it is working pretty well for me right now.

9

This will sound counter intuitive, but to get faster (what I consider better) you should go shorter and faster. After my warm up, I do nothing longer than 50 meters, and unless it’s a drill, I do it hard.

Tonight’s swim was

500 w/u
10x50 band
10x50 kick
5x50 strong 25 followed by all out 25
2x25 cool down

I was in the pool just over 45 minutes, slightly over 30 minutes of swim time.

This sounds like something I could do, thanks, but just to clarify, what does “band” mean?

I am guessing “kick” is kickobaord?

When are the resting parts? How long do you suggest?

10

This is good, some other routes I’ve used are:

The waterproof book called “workouts in a binder” I just follow its schedule.

Workouts from the Matt Fitzgerald’s books. (I’m using now)

Workouts from USMS.

Saved workouts from my old coach.

Workouts from the fish threads.

I will look these up, thanks

11

You are 10 months away from your race. You don’t need to do a lsd swim. Swim short, swim fast, swim often.

My routine right now is 5-6 swims a week of about 2-3k each. I’m a simple guy, so I keep it pretty simple.

Monday : 30x50 fast 20s rest
Tuesday : 1700 of drills
Wednesday : 30x50 fast 20s rest
Thursday ; 1700 of drills
Friday : 30x100 fast 20s rest
Saturday : 6x400 moderate 30s rest

Sometimes I may drop a 50s day…if I can’t do 6x. The 50s and 100s are done usrpt style. Lots of other posts on usrpt if you are interested.

I also have a local coach that I see about once a month.

As I get closer to race day, I will focus on longer repeats (400-800) and adding an actual open water swim once the weather gets better.

I don’t know that the above is the best plan, but it is working pretty well for me right now.\

Thank you! What is usrpt stand for?

12

Kick is a kick drill. Most use a board and fins, I do it with neither on my back. It’s up to the person.

Band is swimming with your legs banded together. Not for the beginner, and many will disagree, but a great drill if you can do it. The beginner version is using a pull buoy.

13

Ultra short race pace training.

I always explain that it’s like weigtt training for swimming.

Pick a pace that you can do about 12 of in a row. Maybe 50s for a 50 or 1:45 for a 100. I’m just making up numbers. It depends on what you can do today.

Do a warmup. Then do as many reps at the pace as you can do without slowing down. As soon as you can’t hold the pace, rest and Sit one out. Then start again. Do as many more as you can at the same pace. Again when you cant hold the pace, stop and rest. After the third failure you are done for the day. Do a short cool down, and go home.

When you can do 20+ in a row without failing increase your goal pace by 2s or so for the next session.

14

Jason is right on the money. Straight swims are not going to make you faster. Swimming is not running or cycling, technique breaks down and you slow down. Even a so called long swim should be interval based to allow for swimming longer with better technique.

15

Lots of good advise on here from some good swimmers. I’ll echo what others said in that doing a long straight set (ie 2000 yards without a break) isn’t as good as breaking up the yardage (ie 20x100 on an interval that gives you 10-15s rest).

In terms of improvement, I’ve benefited from going to the pool more frequently. Ie doing 40 minutes three times a week versus 60 minutes twice a week. Going more often helps makes the neuromuscular connections in your brain as you get a better feel for the water by not waiting so long between sessions. Of course getting to the pool during times that there are open lanes Cain be a pain, so something is better than nothing.

Finally, for workouts check out the Guppy Challenge. I think this years challenge should be starting up in a couple weeks. Dan (aka Slowman aka the owner of Slowtwitch) writes a weekly article with 3-4 workouts and technique tips and what not to think about. Here is s link to week 1 from last year:

https://www.slowtwitch.com/Training/Beginners/Guppy_Challenge_Week_1_6131.html