Tri Training NZ

Saturday Swim Session: TTs

Time Trials are a great way to gauge your performance and give the body and mind a training stimulus that replicates an event.

Each Saturday I will post a Swim Session, most weeks I will load three options up for you to do. Option A is for swimmers who are after a workout between 1,000 & 2,000 metres. Option B is for swimmers who are after a workout between 2,000 & 3,000m and Option C will be greater than 3,000m.

Option A

  • 200m Warm Up;
  • 4x 50m Drill/Swim;
  • 1,000m Time Trial;
  • 200m Cool Down (1,600m)

Option B

  • 300m Warm Up;
  • 8x 50m Drill/Swim;
  • 1,500m Time Trial;
  • 200m Cool Down (2,600m)

Option C

  • 800m Warm Up;
  • 8x 50m Drill/Swim;
  • 8x 25m Pick Ups, 10sec RI;
  • 1,500m Time Trial;
  • 200m Cool Down (3,100m)

Start the workout with a Warm Up covering 200m (Option A), 300m (Option B), or 800m (Option C). During the warm-up feel free to stop and stretch as needed. It doesn’t need to be a continuous swim.

Next up is a set of four reps (Option A) or eight reps (Option B and C) 50m Drill/Swim, where you do a drill for the first 25m of the repetition and then normal swimming for the next 25m swimming. Feel free to use fins whilst doing the drill/swim set. Do the drills below once through for Option A or twice through for Options B and C:

  1. Kick On Side (left side)
  2. Kick On Side (right side)
  3. 6/1/6
  4. 6/3/6

Take your fins off for the remaining sets.

The next set is only in the Option C workout.  Skip this one if you are doing Option A or B. It is a set of eight reps of 25m Pick Up with 10 seconds Rest Interval (RI). A Pick Up is where you increase the pace or speed you are swimming at over the length. Start off with a few strokes at a steady or moderate pace, then pick the pace up for a few strokes that are fast, a few more strokes that are faster, pick the pace up to your fastest pace and then finish the length sprinting the last few strokes. So over the course of the length or repetition you “Pick the pace Up”.

The next set is the Time Trial (TT). Option A is 1,000m and Options B and C are 1,500m. Swim these as fast as you can maintaining a consistent pace for the duration. Don’t sprint at the start and fade at the end.  Keep it nice and steady.

All three workouts have a 200m cool down. Feel free to pause and stretch when needed and /or include stretching as part of each break until the distance is covered.

If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.

I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi Coaching.

I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.

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If you enjoyed this workout, I published a similar session 6 months ago.

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