Including some threshold work can be of great benefit as it puts significant pressure on you to maintain your technique whilst challenging your cardiovascular system to improve. Scott Molina recommends a session similar to this once per week during your off season and perhaps two to three times per week during the session. This session is good for Olympic distance and Ironman 70.3 triathletes, as well as open water swimmers. It can also be a great addition during the off season for pool swimmers.
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.
The inspiration for today’s workout comes from One-Hour Workouts – 50 Swim, Bike & Run Workouts For Busy Athletes written by Scott Molina, Mark Newton & Michael Jacques. This particular workout comes from Scott Molina.
Option A
- 300m WU (include single arm drills and 100m Kicking No Board);
- 6x 50m (25m Pick Up/25m Easy) 20RI;
- 2x 300m 20RI;
- 300m Pull/Padd;
- 300m Kick (all 4 strokes);
- 200m CD (2,000m)
Option B
- 300m WU (include single arm drills and 100m Kicking No Board);
- 6x 50m (25m Pick Up/25m Easy) 20RI;
- 4x 300m 20RI;
- 300m Pull/Padd;
- 300m Kick (all 4 strokes);
- 200m CD (2,600m)
Option C
- 300m WU (include single arm drills and 100m Kicking No Board);
- 6x 50m (25m Pick Up/25m Easy) 20RI;
- 6x 300m 20RI;
- 300m Pull/Padd;
- 300m Kick (all 4 strokes);
- 200m CD (3,200m)
Start the workout with a Warm Up (WU) made up of 300m. Include some single arm drills and at least 100m Kicking without using a kickboard.
The first set is made up of six, 50m reps. Within these reps swim the first 25m as a Pick Up, start off at a slow pace and progressively build your pace and effort so that you are sprinting the last few strokes to the wall to complete the length, then immediately turn and swim nice and easy for the next 25m. Take a 20 second Rest Interval (RI) between reps.
Next up is a set of two (Option A), four (Option B) or six reps of 300m. Swim these at your Ironman 70.3 pace pace and take a 20 second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep. Aim to swim the middle 100m with a significant drop in your pace (two to four seconds per 100m). You’ll be going slightly above, then slightly below your threshold. This will help you learn pace management. Also aim to count your strokes regularly within this set and contrast them with your stroke count in the following set.
The following set is 300m using both a pull buoy and hand paddles. Within this set aim to take four few strokes per 50m than you were using during the 300m reps in the set previously.
The final set prior to the Cool Down (CD) is 300m of kicking. Within this rep incorporate all four different strokes (including butterfly).
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 200m. Unlike the previous sets which have to be freestyle, the cool down (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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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.
Share this post so your friends can benefit as well.
Get my 12 week Intermediate Ironman 70.3 & Olympic Triathlon Swim Training Plan with 25% off
When you cross the finish line of your triathlon Swim, you will have swum faster than you have in previous events.
Designed for busy triathletes targeting an Olympic distance or ½ IM event who are looking to compete in an IM event, the primary goal of this training plan is to prepare you to Swim faster during YOUR event.
Starting 12 weeks before the YOUR event, this plan progresses through phases to build you to your peak performance. Each week contains two swims. You will build up to 2,700 metres swimming in a single session so you can get the sessions done quickly. Although not necessary, I recommend using a multisport watch 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 800 meters or yards continuously, and 2,000 metres or yards total within a workout.
When purchasing, use the discount code “web25” to claim your 25% discount.
The 20 Most Popular Swim Sessions from www.CoachRay.nz
With over 200 articles covering swim workouts published when this ebook came out, I condensed it down to the Top 20 most popular swim workouts. As viewed by people like you, the readers of my website.
One-Hour Workouts is a collection of 50 swim, bike, and run workouts from top triathlon coaches that anyone can fit into a lunch hour–including warm-up and cool-down.
If they could, most endurance athletes would love to set aside more time for training. But work, family, and real life too often get in the way of the cardinal rule for endurance athletes: never miss a workout.
One-Hour Workouts is the perfect solution for athletes who are pressed for time. These 50 workouts are tightly focused so that athletes can get a quality training session in just one hour. Athletes can choose from base, tempo, or speed workouts in each sport to match their training plan’s goal for the day.
Former professional triathlete Scott Molina (The Terminator), Mark Newton, and Michael Jacques give athletes smart workouts that will complement their existing training and keep season goals on track even in the busiest of weeks.