Triathlon Swim Training Plan
Take your pool swimming to the next level
Free Triathlon Training Swim Plan
To feel comfortable in the swim for a triathlon my recommendation is to swim twice a week. Even though you may not win a triathlon in the water, you can gain a huge advantage by being most energy efficient in the water so you can expend your energy in the bike and run where you can really gain speed.
Why is swimming great cross training? You use your entire body to swim so any extra time you spend in the pool not only are you getting a good workout you are also working towards being a more effective swimmer.
This plan is written for a 500m swim goal in mind. If you are training for a half Ironman you should extend the workout (do the main set 2-3x).
For more drills and ideas follow me on instagram @swimadventureminnesota
12 weeks to 500m swim (you may swim these sets in a yards or meters pool)
Warm up and cool down:Do whatever stoke feels comfortable to you: Some options include Freestyle (crawl), Breaststroke, Backstroke and Kick on your back
Baseline Pace: Put a medium amount of effort in and keep track of how long it takes to do a 50. In the pool we see most beginner swimmers take :50- 1:30 per 50. It’s a wide range.
Rest: the amount of rest between repetitions- this will normally be between :10-:30
Descend: Get faster on each one (descend your time)
Pool Swim Plan: 500m Swim
Week 1:
Workout 1:
100 easy pace warm up
Main Set:
4 x 50: time each 50 for a baseline pace
8x 25: try and keep the same pace
100 cool down
Workout 2:
100 easy pace warm up
Main Set:
4x 50: Baseline pace- take :15 seconds rest each 50
4x25: Baseline pace- take :15 seconds rest each 50
200 cool down
Week 2:
Workout 1:
200 easy pace warm up
Main Set:
2x 100: baseline pace Take :30 rest each 100
4x50: Baseline pace take :10 rest ech 50
100 cool down
Workout 2:
200 easy pace warm up
Main Set:
4 x100: baseline pace, Take :30 rest each 100
4x 25: Descend, take :15 rest each 25
100 cool down
Week 3:
Workout 1:
200 easy pace warm up
Main Set:
8 x50: baseline pace, take :15 rest each 50
200 cool down
Workout 2:
200 easy pace warm up
Main Set:
2x100 baseline pace, take :30 rest each 100
4x50 Descend, :15 rest each 50
8x25 Descend, :15 rest each 50
100 cool down
Week 4:
Workout 1:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
2 x 250: Swim for time. Compare the 1st and 2nd
200 cool down
Workout 2:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
5x 100 on :20 rest. Try and swim slightly faster than baseline
200 cool down
Week 5:
Workout 1:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
3X200: easy pace, keep track of your time. 1:00 rest between
100 cool down
Workout 2:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
6x50 Descend, take :20 rest per 50
200 cool down
Week 6:
Workout 1:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
20 x25, take :15 rest per 25. Try and stay at a steady pace
200 cool down
Workout 2:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
5x 100 Descend, take :30 rest per 100
200 cool down
Week 7:
Workout 1:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
200 Base pace, :30 rest
2x 100 :15 rest per 100
4x 50, :10 rest per 50
100 cool down
Workout 2:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
400 push the pace
200 cool down
Week 8:
Workout 1:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
2x 250 time trial- were you faster than week 4?
300 easy cool down
Workout 2:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
4x100 with :30 rest
8x50 with :15 rest
200 easy cool down
Week 9:
Workout 1:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
6x50 Descend :20 rest per 50
100 easy
4x 50 Descend :15 rest per 50
200 cool down
Workout 2:
300 easy warm up
Main Set:
500 Baseline pace
200 cool down
Week 10:
Workout 1:
300 warm up
Main Set:
4x200 Descend at :30 rest each
200 cool down
Workout 2:
300 warm up
Main Set:
8x100 at :20 each- push the pace
300 cool down
Week 11:
Workout1:
300 warm up
Main Set:
300 easy pace
200 medium pace
100 fast pace
200 cool down
Workout 2:
300 warm up
Main Set:
2 x250- check your pace- are you a little faster than last time?
300 cool down
Week 12:
Workout 1:
300 warm up
Main Set:
400 base pace
200 cool down
Workout 2:
300 warm up
Main Set:
400 base pace
200 cool down