Workout Wednesday: Swim Speed & Resilience Session

2300m Sustained Swim Speed & Resilience Workout

This workout is designed to help develop speed at the 1500m Race Effort. This small threshold and above set will require you to focus on maintaining good form when you are fatigued.

Gear Required: Pull buoy, Kickboard, Hand Paddles [Optional]

Warm-Up (800m)

1. 200 FR Easy (20)

   - 200m of easy Freestyle swimming to loosen up, focus on good form and finding your swim rhythm

2. 4x 50m Alternating Drills (15)

   - 2 rounds of the following: - 50m as 25m Fist Swimming Drill / 25m Freestyle at Steady effort focus on catching with full forearm as paddle - 50m as 25m Underwater Swim Drill / 25m Freestyle at Steady effort focus on extending and high elbow catch position

3. 8x 25m FAST Kick (15)

   - 8 rounds of the 25m of Fast kicking with a board 3.

4. 4x 50m Pull Hard [Paddles Optional] (15)

   - 4 rounds of the 50m of a hard Pull effort, focus on high elbow catch and using your forearm to hold water. Paddles are optional to help increase the resistance of each stroke.

Main Set (1100m)

1. 6x 100m FR at 95% 1500m Race Pace Effort (10)

   - Using your target 1500m Race Effort, complete these 6x 100m efforts of Freestyle just below your target pace. Consistency is key here, try to hit the same effort on the first effort as the 6th effort. 

2. 8x 50m FR at 105% 1500 Race Effort (20)

   - This time complete the efforts at approximately 105% of your target race effort, try to increase your stroke rate while maintaining as much power as you can in each stroke.

2. 4x 25m FR at Sprint Effort (40)

• On this set, you’re going for near maximum effort. Shoot for a very hard effort and push yourself to get as much speed as you can. Focus on good form and don’t let up until you hit the wall.

Cool Down (400m)

1. 200m FR Easy Effort

   - 200m of steadily decreasing effort. Focus on good form and smooth movements.

1. 200m Choice Recovery Effort

   - In sets of 50, alternate between your choice of strokes trying not to swim Front Crawl. Breaststroke, Backstroke, Side stroke, etc. 

Total: 2300m

Tips

• Breathing: Focus on bilateral breathing to maintain balance and symmetry in your stroke.

• Technique: Keep good form, especially when fatigued. Focus on a strong, efficient pull and streamlined body position.

• Rest: Use the rest intervals to recover fully so you can maintain speed and intensity during the main sets.

• Hydration: Make sure you stay hydrated by drinking water before and after the workout! Use our Hydration Calculator to help you determine how much water you should be bringing to your workouts!