Simple steps to write a great swim workout

Writing a workout can seem like a daunting task. It doesn’t have to be. Here are some simple steps that you can use to start writing workouts that get the job done.

Create clear goals

The biggest mistake triathletes make is creating workouts that are too complicated and too unfocused. You want to make sure you have a simple, crystal-clear goal that you want to accomplish. 

When you do, it’s much easier to write a workout because if you know what you want to accomplish, you can write sets that accomplish that goal. 

Too many triathletes try to accomplish too many different goals in one workout, and that results in the achievement of none of their goals!

I like to break workouts down into three key goals. The first is endurance, where you’re trying to develop comfortable, sustainable speed. It’s about longer rather than faster. 

The next is the opposite, speed. It’s about practising going faster over short distances with more rest. 

Finally, we have racing sets, where you’re swimming at race intensities with similar amounts of fatigue compared to what you’ll experience in a race. While it can be tough to do, just pick one, and you’ll guarantee you’ll accomplish it. 

Pick your workout goal based upon what you believe you need to accomplish to achieve your competitive goals.

Write a main set

Once you know the goal of the workout, the next task is to write the main set. How do you do that? Again, keep it simple. 

If you’re doing an endurance workout, you want longer repetitions, shorter rest periods, and slower speeds. If you’re focused on speed, it’s the opposite- short repetitions, longer rest periods, and faster speeds. 

For racing sets, it’s somewhere in between. You want to be swimming at race effort over distance that are long enough to challenge you, but short enough to be manageable. 

Same thing with rest periods, short enough and long enough. For these concepts, don’t sweat the details. Just write a set, see how it goes, and adjust.

Transition to the main set

The next task is to make sure you write a set to prepare you for the main set. In most cases, you don’t want to just jump into it. The concept is simple. Take a look at what you have to do in the main set and work backwards from there. 

You’ll be starting off from rest, and the goal is to get closer and closer to the type of effort the main set requires. If it’s speed work, keep it short and slowly increase the speed until you’re swimming fast. 

If it’s endurance work, keep it smooth and give yourself a chance to find your rhythm. If it’s racing work, slowly get your hard rate up until you’re ready to go. It’s all about starting from nothing, and then building toward what you need to accomplish.

Do it!

You’ve established a clear goal, you’ve written a main set that will help you accomplish that goal, and a set to help you prepare for the goal. Now, you just need to do it. Good luck!

Top image credit: Colin Henderson