Weekend Swim Workout: Rough Water Preparation

Race day offers no guarantees. Whether it’s mechanical, nutritional or weather-related, you should always prepare for the worst-case scenario. Water conditions at the race are no different. It can be pancake-flat during the course preview, but blustering winds create white caps on race morning. This swim workout can bring some of that unknown to the pool.

A:

500 warm-up (no walls—turn at the “T,” no push-off)
10×50 on 1:10 (Tennessee Tumblers*)
500 swim (with 3 people abreast)
10×50 on 1:05 (3 butterfly strokes off every wall)
500 pull (25 FAST, 75 smooth; repeat)
10×50 on 1:00 (start each 50 from a dive)
500 swim (somersault in middle of every lap)
10×50 on :55 (with 3 people abreast)
200 choice cool-down

Total: 4200

B:

400 warm-up (no walls—turn at the “T,” no push-off)
8×50 on 1:30 (Tennessee Tumblers*)
400 swim (with 3 people abreast)
8×50 on 1:20 (2 butterfly strokes off every wall)
400 pull (25 FAST, 75 smooth; repeat)
8×50 on 1:15 (start each 50 from a dive)
400 swim (somersault in middle of every lap)
8×50 on 1:05 (with 3 people abreast)
100 choice cool-down

Total: 3300

C:

200 warm-up (no walls—turn at the “T,” no push-off)
6×50 with 15 sec rest (Tennessee Tumblers*)
3×100 pull with 10 sec rest (descend 1–3)
8×2:00 challenges
100 easy/choice
300 swim (each 50, climb out of the pool, complete 3 push-ups, dive back in)
100 cool-down

Total: 2100

*Kick with body entirely underwater from far flags to the wall, turn underwater, push off and kick underwater back to the flags—no breathing.