Tips & sample workouts to help you make quick progress when getting back into the indoor pool.
Variety is also important in swimming
The term “lapcounting” was probably coined because many swimmers in the indoor pool do length after length – and always at the same continuous pace. There is nothing at all wrong with this from a health point of view, because both muscles and the circulatory system are worked. But: A continuous swimming tempo does not bring any progress. In fact, it reinforces any faulty patterns and makes them even more pronounced. When returning to the indoor pool in the fall, you should therefore make two resolutions above all: More variety, more speed.
Let’s assume you want to train between 1.5 and 2km. Instead of covering the distance in one stretch at a moderately strenuous, steady pace, it makes sense to divide the distance into individual segments with short breaks and to set specific goals for the individual segments. In a 25 m pool, groups of 10 lengths (250 m) are practical, but it is also possible to change the pace every 50, 100 or 200 meters.
It is important to remember that technical exercises should not always be swum at the same pace. After you have learned a new technical drill, you should increase your speed and swim it regularly at the new pace. Short breaks are important so that you can recover between the individual exercises.
Below are two sample workouts that can serve as a basis for how to design your winter swim workouts with a focus on “getting faster in a controlled way.”
1500 METER sample training technique/breathing
- 200m easy swim in different styles (crawl, breaststroke, backstroke)
- 4x 100m: 25m technical exercise slow, 25m crawl easy, third 25m technical exercise faster, followed by 25m crawl brisk. Every 100m choose a new technical exercise. After 100m 15sec break – 100m kicking.
- 100m: 25m two-breath, 25m three-breath, 25m four-breath, 25m two-breath
- 100 m: 25m five breaths, 25m two breaths, 25m six breaths, 25m two breaths
- 100m stroke of choice easy
- 2x 200m: All freestyle 50m easy, 50m medium, 50m all out, 50m easy. 30sec rest.
- 100m easy swimming cool down
1800 METER pattern training tempo/variation
- 200m easy warm up of choice
- 100m breaststroke with freestyle kick – 100m breaststroke with dolphin kick
- 100m single arm freestyle with dolphin kick (50m per arm)
- 3x 200m: 50m crawl medium, 50m fast, 50m easy, 50m maximum. 30 seconds rest each time
- 100m easy back stroke
- 200m: 4 x 25m easy, 25 speed up to maximum
- 100m Backstroke kick
- 300m: 3 x 100m crawl fast, 30 seconds rest
- 100m easy cool down
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If you want more organized swim workouts that are specifically targeted for your goals. Make a plan with 2PEAK to get regular swim training sessions. If you have questions about your 2PEAK swim workout, check out our swimming glossary here.