One-Hour Workout: Descending Swim Intervals

As triathletes in the Northern Hemisphere find themselves on the other side of the holidays, but still hemmed in by cold, it’s important to break up the monotony of indoor workouts with sets that still use a bit of speed. Though the season may seem far away, it’s still important to prevent stagnation during the winter months – both physically and mentally. The combined use of longer repeats and shorter, faster intervals, in this mixed-system workout, will serve you well during nearly any time of the year.

Though you’ll be moving pretty quickly in certain parts of this set, there is a good amount of active and passive recovery, so no need to block out lots of recovery before or after this set. If you’re in the first few weeks of your training, feel free to use paddles on the intervals under 100 for a little strength and speed boost. If you’ve been training for a month or two, try paddles on the longer intervals over 100 for a more challenging set overall.

Descending swim intervals warm-up:

200 swim easy
4 x 100 as (50 drill, 50 swim)
4 x 50 as build 1-4, 15 seconds rest; 8/10 Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) on #4

Main set:

250 at RPE of 5/10, 20 seconds rest
200 at RPE of 6/10, 20 seconds rest
100 at RPE of 7/10, 15 seconds rest
50 at RPE of 8/10, 15 seconds rest
25 at RPE of 9/10, 25 seconds rest

200 at RPE of 6/10, 20 seconds rest
100 at RPE of 7/10, 15 seconds rest
50 at RPE of 8/10, 15 seconds rest
25 at RPE of 9/10, 25 seconds rest

100 at RPE of 7/10, 15 seconds rest
50 at RPE of 8/10, 15 seconds rest
25 at RPE of 9/10, 25 seconds rest

50 at RPE of 8/10, 15 seconds rest
25 at RPE of 9/10, 25 seconds rest

Cool-down:

200 pull buoy with band
100 swim

Total: 2,350