Allan Pitman was a legendary Australian Ironman coach (as well as a competitor). This session helps build your sustained aerobic pace and is great for long distance open-water swimmers and Ironman triathletes.
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.
Read this article here for an explanation of Swim Intensity.
The inspiration for these workouts comes from an article on Train Smooth, you can read it here.
Option A
- WU
- 2x
- 200 F/S,
- 50 Band;
- 2x
- 200 90% 10RI,
- 200 95% 10RI,
- 100 Band 20RI;
- CD
- 8x
- 12½ Kick,
- 12½ F/S; (1,700)
Option B
- WU
- 3x
- 200 F/S,
- 50 Band;
- 3x
- 200 90% 10RI,
- 200 95% 10RI,
- 100 Band 20RI;
- CD
- 8x
- 12½ Kick,
- 12½ F/S; (2,450)
Option C
- WU
- 4x
- 200 F/S,
- 50 Band;
- 6x
- 200 90% 10RI,
- 200 95% 10RI,
- 100 Band 20RI;
- CD
- 8x
- 12½ Kick,
- 12½ F/S; (4,200)
For the Warm Up (WU) start with two (Option A), three (Option B) or four (Option C) reps of a 200m Freestyle, followed by 50m with a swim band. Take a short rest between each sub-rep.
Next up is a set of two (Option A), three (Option B) or six (Option C) reps. Each rep has three sub-reps The first 200m rep is done at 90% of what your fastest 200m. Take a ten-second Rest Interval (RI) prior to the next rep. The second rep is done at 95% of what is your fastest 200m, take another ten-second Rest Interval (RI) prior to the last rep. The third rep is swum with a swim band, and has a twenty-second Rest Interval (RI) after it prior to the next rep.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim involves a total of eight reps each of 12½m kick, followed by 12½ freestyle for a total of 200m.
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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Download the Garmin (.FIT) files for this workout for FREE
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.
When purchasing, use the discount code “web25” to claim your 25% discount.
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.
