Swim Coach

Saturday Swim Session – 80/20 Swim Mixed Intervals #1

A mixed Interval swim provides a range of intensities in order to enhance your fitness. This session is good for triathletes, as well as open-water swimmers.

Each Saturday I will post a Swim Session, and 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.

These workouts come from Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden‘s book 80/20 Triathlon.

Option A

  • 500m W/U;
  • 5x 100m 15RI;
  • 250m Swim;
  • 5x 50m 20RI;
  • 250m C/D (1,750m)

Option B

  • 250m W/U;
  • 10x 100m 15RI;
  • 500m Swim;
  • 7x 50m 20RI;
  • 250m C/D (2,350m)

Option C

  • 250m W/U;
  • 500m Swim;
  • 10x 100m 15RI;
  • 150m Swim;
  • 7x 50m 20RI;
  • 500m Swim;
  • 250m C/D (3,000m)

For the Warm Up (WU) start with a 500m (Option A) or 250m (Options B & C) swim. During the warm-up feel free to stop and stretch as needed.  It doesn’t need to be a continuous swim.

Next up for Option C only is a steady 500m swim, maintain a consistent effort.

The main set is made up of five (Option A) or ten (Options B & C) reps of 100m swim these at a hard intensity and take a fifteen-second Rest Interval (RI) between reps.

Next up is a steady 250m (Option A), 500m (Option B), or 150m (Option C) swim, maintaining a consistent effort.

The sprint set is made up of five (Option A) or seven (Options B & C) reps of 50m, taking a twenty-second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep.

Prior to the Cool Down (CD) for Option C only a steady 500m swim, maintain a consistent effort.

For the Cool Down (CD) swim 250m. 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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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 4 weeks to a Faster 1,500m Training Plan with 25% off

As you follow the programme you will find yourself swimming 1,500m faster. Now whether that is a PB or not will depend on how fast you have swum in the past, but it will definitely be faster at the end of the 4 weeks than it is now. With this programme people improve on average by nearly 2 minutes, with some people improving by over 10%.

Designed for triathletes who have limited time to train but can squeeze two short 2km sessions each week. The primary goal of this training plan is to prepare you to swim 1,500m faster than you did at the start of the programme.

Starting whenever you want, this plan starts off with a 1,500m Time Trial and then sets your intensity for the following few weeks so it will work regardless of what your ability is. Each week involves swimming two 2km sessions, with space in the programme for you to complete running and cycle training as well.

When purchasing, use the discount code “web25” to claim your 25% discount.

Prior to using this plan, you should be able to complete a 1,500 metres continuous swim, 2,000 metres total within a workout.

Purchase of this plan gives you access to my fortnightly coaching calls where you can ask me any training or racing-related questions.

When purchasing, use the discount code “web25” to claim your 25% discount.

80/20 Triathlon: Discover the Breakthrough Elite-Training Formula for Ultimate Fitness and Performance at All Levels

A breakthrough program for triathletes – beginner, intermediate, and advanced – showing how to balance training intensity to maximize performance – from a fitness expert and elite coach.

Cutting-edge research has proven that triathletes and other endurance athletes experience their greatest performance when they do 80 percent of their training at low intensity and the remaining 20 percent at moderate to high intensity. But the vast majority of recreational triathletes are caught in the so-called “moderate-intensity rut”, spending almost half of their time training too hard – harder than the pros. Training harder isn’t smarter; it actually results in low-grade chronic fatigue that prevents recreational athletes from getting the best results. 

In 80/20 Triathlon, Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden lay out the real-world and scientific evidence, offering concrete tips and strategies, along with complete training plans for every distance – sprint, Olympic, half-Ironman, and Ironman – to help athletes implement the 80/20 rule of intensity balance. Benefits include reduced fatigue and injury risk, improved fitness, increased motivation, and better race results.

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