Sets of Broken 200s help you train both endurance and speed within the same session. This session is perfect for Ironman and Olympic distance triathletes or people doing longer Ocean Swims.
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 WU;
- 8x 50m (25m Drill/25m Swim);
- 2x (200m, 30sec RI; 4x 50m 10sec RI)
- 200m CD (1,600m);
Option B
- 400m WU;
- 8x 50m (25m Drill/25m Swim);
- 4x (200m, 30sec RI; 4x 50m 10sec RI)
- 200m CD (2,600m);
Option C
- 600m WU;
- 8x 50m (25m Drill/25m Swim);
- 6x (200m, 30sec RI; 4x 50m 10sec RI)
- 200m CD (3600m);
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) covering 200m (Option A), 400m (Options B), or 600m (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 drill set of eight repetitions of 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, twice through:
I wrote an article about swimming drills previously. Click here to read and watch it.
The next series of sets involves swimming sets of Broken 200s. Each Broken 200 involves swimming 200m as fast as you can with a 30-second Rest Interval (RI) before completing a set of four 50m sprints with a ten-second Rest Interval (RI). This completes the first rep. Straight after the last ten-second Rest Interval (RI) for the 50s, you are into the next full 200m rep!!! No rest for the wicked. If you are doing Option A, complete two full reps. If you are doing Option B complete four reps and for Option C you’ve got six reps to complete.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 200m. Unlike the previous sets which have to be freestyle, the cooldown (like the warm-up) can be any stroke you wish to swim. You can also stop and rest after any length. I encourage you to stop and stretch during the cool-down.
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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Get my 24 week Ironman Swim PB Training Plan with 25% off
When you cross the finish line of your Iron-distance Swim, you will have swum faster than you have in previous attempts.
Designed for Intermediate Iron-distance Athletes who are looking to compete in an Iron-distance event, the primary goal of this training plan is to prepare you to set a PB for the Swim during YOUR next Iron-distance event.
Starting 24 weeks before the YOUR next Iron-distance event, this plan progresses through phases to build you to your peak performance. Each week typically contains three swims each week. You will build up to: 4,000 metres swimming in a single session. Although not necessary, I recommend using a swim monitor (eg. Garmin Forerunner 735, 920 or 935) to track your sessions in the pool.
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Prior to using this plan, you should be able to complete a swim of 1,500 meters or yards continuously, and 3,000 metres or yards total within a workout.
When purchasing, use the discount code “web25” to claim your 25% discount.