This series of workouts is straight forward pace work, building up from 10 to 40 x 50s, aiming to hold a steady pace for all of them. Do the progression from #1 workout to #8 workout, one each week, over 8 weeks, and you will build up to swimming 2,000 at a steady, strong pace.

• Week #1 - 10 x 50
• Week #2 - 15 x 50
• Week #3 - 20 x 50
• Week #4 - 25 x 50
• Week #5 - 10 x 50
• Week #6 - 30 x 50
• Week #7 - 35 x 50
• Week #8 - 40 x 50

Swim on!

The Swim Workout

Warm-up 1,200 NOTE: It is OK to shorten this warm-up to fit the main set within your amount of time to swim
4 x 100 (:20 Swim and drill mix. Do swim drills for technique practice for one length, then swim for one length, then repeat.
8 x 50 (:10 Kick. First 25 of each at a moderate effort, remainder of each at an easier effort.
2 x 200 (:20 Pull. First and last 50 of each at a moderate effort, the remainder of each at an easier effort.

Take some extra rest if needed, sip some water or sports drink, and get ready for the main set.
Main Set
4 x 50 (:20 Swim. Desc 1-4. That means the first one is done at an easy to moderate effort, and each of the following ones is done at a slightly faster effort. Get a feel for your pace compared to effort.
35 x 50 (:15 Swim. The goal is to keep these at a steady, sustainable speed. Not easy, but not so hard that you cannot maintain the pace.
1 x 100 (:20 Swim. Do these at a easy effort, include some drill work for at least one 25 per 100.

1 x 100 Swim. Easy Cool-down.

TOTAL DISTANCE = 3,350

Click on the "print" icon on the upper right to get a copy formatted for printing so you can print it and take the workout with you to the pool

About Swimming Workouts

This workout is designed to take between 75-minutes and 90-minutes. If that is too much time or distance, then cut things out, but do not always cut out the same thing every workout. And never skip the loosen at the end of the workout. Use that as one last bit of technique work before you leave the swimming pool at the end of the workout.

After the description of the set there is a number in a half-parentheses, like this - (:30 - that is how much rest you get after each swim. For example, 6 x 100 (:30 means you are to swim a 100 (yards or meters), rest 30-seconds, then repeat five more times.

There is nothing special about these swim practice sessions other than what you bring to them. Lots of freedom here. You control how hard or fast you swim and what swim strokes you want to use while swimming the workouts. Normally the amount of rest per swim will limit your top-end speed on a workout, but that does not mean go as fast as you can all of the time. A few guidelines:

• The more rest you get, the faster the swim.
• The early parts of a workout should always be easy to moderate and very deliberate.
• Use your best swimming technique.
• Stop the workout if you are too tired, go for it again in the future.You get to be a better swimmer by recovering from the workouts you do, not by doing more and more swimming without resting and recovering from that swimming.
• Have fun with the workouts.
• Change the strokes you are doing from time to time, try new things, and don't get caught in a rut.

Each workout has:

• a warm-up
• stroke drills or swimming technique work
• kicking
• pulling
• a main set
• a loosen or cool-down

More Reading for Swimmers on Swim Workouts:

• How Fast Should I Swim?
• How Often Should I swim?
• Swimming Better To Do List
• More Swimming Workouts for Swimmers

Swim on!