Tri Swim Coach

Saturday Swim Session – 80/20 Swim Mixed Intervals #2

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 more excellent 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;
  • 10x 25m 10RI;
  • 250m C/D (1,750m)

Option B

  • 500m W/U;
  • 5x 200m 15RI;
  • 250m Swim;
  • 10x 25m 10RI;
  • 500m C/D (2,500m)

Option C

  • 500m W/U;
  • 5x 200m 15RI;
  • 250m Swim;
  • 10x 25m 10RI;
  • 500m Swim;
  • 500m C/D (3,000m)

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

The first set is made up of five reps of 100m (Option A) or 200m (Options B & C), take a fifteen second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep.

Next up swim a 250m continuous swim.

Follow that with a set of ten, 25m reps with a ten second Rest Interval (RI) between each rep.

If you are doing Option C prior to the Cool Down swim another 500m continuous swim.

For the Cool Down (CD) swim 250m (Option A) or 500m (Options B & C). 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.

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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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This programme will build your swimming fitness and develop your confidence and speed in the water even more.

Designed for Beginner & Intermediate triathletes and swimmers looking to improve their swimming fitness.

Being 8 weeks in duration, this plan progresses you from being comfortable completing sessions between 600 & 800m in distance through to 1,600m in distance over the 8 weeks. This programme has 3 swim sessions and a flexibility session each week.

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Prior to using these plans, you should be able to complete swim sessions of 600m in distance.

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.

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