The 50s are a great way to develop your speed, especially when done in large numbers. 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);
- 8x 50m Build 1-4 on ½ T Time + 10sec;
- 8x 50m (alt odd reps Fast, even reps steady) 10sec RI
- 200m CD (1,600m);
Option B
- 600m WU;
- 12x 50m (25m Drill/25m Swim);
- 12x 50m Build 1-4 on ½ T Time + 10sec;
- 12x 50m (alt odd reps Fast, even reps steady) 10sec RI
- 200m CD (2,600m);
Option C
- 1,000m WU;
- 16x 50m (25m Drill/25m Swim);
- 16x 50m Build 1-4 on ½ T Time + 10sec;
- 16x 50m (alt odd reps Fast, even reps steady) 10sec RI
- 200m CD (3,600m);
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) covering 200m (Option A), 600m (Option B), or 1,000m (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 (Option A), twelve repetitions (Option B), or sixteen repetitions (Option C) 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 for Option A, three times through for Option B, and four times through for Option C:
I wrote an article about swimming drills previously. Click here to read and watch it.
Coach Ray’s Top 3 Swimming Drills to Get You Swimming Smooth
After the set of drills takes the fins off.
There are two main sets for this workout both of them full of the 50s.
The first set is eight (Option A), twelve (Option B), or sixteen (Option C) repetitions of 50m. With each rep build your speed for four reps and then drop your pace back a little. Do the first rep at a moderate pace, the second at a fast pace, the third at a faster pace, and then the fourth at your fastest pace. Your fifth (or ninth, or thirteenth) rep will be back to a moderate pace as you build through the next four reps. Swim these on half your T-Time plus ten seconds, eg. if your T-Time is 2:00, half of that is 1:00 then adding ten seconds means you start each rep every 1:10. For more info on T-Times click here.
The second set is also a set of eight (Option A), twelve (Option B), or sixteen (Option C) repetitions of 50m. Take a ten-second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep. Swim odd-numbered reps (1, 3, 5, 7, etc…) as fast as possible and the even-numbered reps (2, 4, 6, 8, etc…) at a steady pace.
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.
You can repeat this session in a few weeks’ time and track your progress by measuring how much faster you are now swimming the distance.
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 12 months ago.
Saturday Swim Session – Can’t Beat a 1,500m Time Trial
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