One-Hour Workout: Swim Sprint Speedwork
This swim set teaches the body how to sustain a faster speed for longer; a skill important to triathletes.
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This week’s swim workout comes from coach Tess Mattern of MP Multisport in Fort Collins, Colo. Tess is the assistant coach for the Colorado State Triathlon team, and works as the swim specialist and nutritionist for MP Multisport. Tess swam for Emory University and transitioned to triathlon as an athlete and coach five years ago. “This workout is appropriate for the sprint athlete, or an athlete needing some speedwork,” Mattern says. “It teaches the body how to sustain a faster speed for longer; a skill important to triathletes.”
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One-Hour Workout: Swim Sprint Speedwork
Warm-up (500)
Repeat 4x: 100 free, 25 backstroke
Set #1 (600)
Do twice through:
50 kick, build
2×50 pull, 8 fast strokes off of each wall
3×50 swim, 25 fast/25 easy
Set #2 (1500)
16×25 on an interval 5 sec faster than your “comfort zone.” (Ex. on :25)
100 easy
16×25 alternating one on an interval 10 sec faster than the interval you just did, and one on an interval 10 sec slower than what you just did. (Ex. one on :15, one on :35)
100 easy
16×25 on an interval 5 sec faster than the first round. (Ex. on :20)
100 easy
Cool-down (400)
100 drill
100 kick
100 backstroke
100 choice
Total yardage = 3000