Weekend Swim Workout: Pre-Season Fitness Tester
Check in with your swim fitness this winter by completing this “test set” workout three weeks in a row.
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Pick a day of the week that you can replicate everything from practice time to training partners for the best results. Complete the same set the following weeks, on the same interval. The goal of this pre-season swim test: to tell if you’re improving by completing more 200s each time.
A:
300 choice swim, 200 pull, 100 kick 6×50 on 1:05 (25 non-free/25 free) 6×50 on :55 (descend 1-3, then 4-6)
200 test set:
200 swim (moderately strong, check your time)
Add approx. 10 seconds to calculate interval for next section
? x 200 swim (keep going until you no longer make the interval)
100 recovery
400 pull easy
200 kick cool-down
Total: 2,000+
B:
200 choice swim, 200 pull, 100 kick 4×50 on 1:30 (25 non-free/25 free) 6×50 on 1:10 (descend 1-3, then 4-6)
200 test set:
200 swim (moderately strong, check your time)
Add approx. 20 seconds to calculate interval for next section
? x 200 swim (keep going until you no longer make the interval)
100 recovery
300 pull easy
100 kick cool-down
Total: 1,600+
C:
200 choice swim, 100 pull, 100 kick 3×50 with 20 sec rest (25 non-
free/25 free)
3×50 with 15 sec rest (descend 1-3)
200 test set:
200 swim (moderately strong, check your time)
Add approx. 30 seconds to calculate interval for next section
? x 200 swim (keep going until you no longer make the interval)
50 recovery
200 pull easy
100 kick cool-down
Total: 1,250+
Coach Sara McLarty has spent more hours in the water than Aquaman and Ariel combined. While the former pro triathlete hasn’t grown gills yet, she does know a thing or two about fast swimming.