Weekend Swim Workout: Fast-Paced Swim + Deck Strength

For most triathletes, January is all about building a solid foundation for the season ahead. That means base-building and strength training. This Weekend Swim Workout combines both. Inspired by our free four-week Multisport Mobility Bootcamp, this session from coach Sara McLarty puts you to work on the pool deck, alternating between swim sets and strength work.

After warming up with fins, you’ll check off a set of in/out 50s, which is great practice for race day. In addition to getting your heart pumping (like a swim start), diving in and climbing out will help you to get used to how it feels exiting the swim, going from horizontal to vertical in a very short space of time. You’ll follow this up with pushups – make sure you’re doing them correctly with this guide from strength coach Matt Pendola, and modify if needed by using the diving platform – and kick sets. You’ll have another swim-only block, then close it out with a circuit alternating between bodyweight exercises and 25 swims. (For more on how to do these bodyweight exercises correctly, check out these tutorials from our friends at Oxygen:

• Squats
• Planks
• Reverse lunges
• Bicycle crunches

RELATED: What Is Your Gym Age (And How Can You Grow Up)?

Weekend Swim Workout: Fast-Paced Swim + Deck Strength

Warm-up:
10×100 w/ fins (on 1:30/1:40/1:50)

Pre-Set:
8×50 (on 1:00-1:20)
Start with a dive, swim a 25/climb out dive in, swim back

5 x [10 pushups (modified if needed), 50 kick]

Main Set:
6x100s, building speed with each 25 (on 2:00-2:30)

16×25 (on :50-1:00) as:
1-4 5 squats/25 Swim
5-8 3o-second plank/25 Swim
9-12 5 reverse lunges (per side)/25 Swim
13-16 10 bicycle crunches

Cooldown:
100

Looking for more swim-spiration? Check out our complete archive of Weekend Swim Workouts from Coach Sara McLarty.