Weekend Swim Workout: Four-Bys

This weekend swim workout is brought to you by the number four. This workout from coach Sara McLarty is broken down into “four-bys” – that is, four by 200, four by 50, four by 150…you get the gist. Though the task is different for each four-by, the objective is the same: to maintain the same strength and technique for the fourth round as you did the first. By breaking your workout down into smaller four-by chunks now, you’ll be laying the foundation for consistency across longer sets later in the season.

Choose a workout below that fits your fitness level and schedule, then dive in!

RELATED: A Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming

A:
600 warm-up (200 swim/50 kick/50 non-free, repeat)
4×50 @ :45 (build to FAST!)
4×200 @ 3:00 (swim, strong)
4×50 @ :45 (25 FAST/25easy)
4×250 @ 3:40 (pull, all strong)
4×50 @ :45 (25 easy/25 FAST!)
4×250 @ 4:00 (150 free/100 IM)
400 cool-down (100 swim/50 kick/50 non-free, repeat)
*4400 total*

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B:
600 warm-up (200 swim/50 kick/50 non-free, repeat)
4×50 @ :60 (build to FAST!)
3×200 @ 4:00 (swim, strong)
4×50 @ :60 (25 FAST/25easy)
3×200 @ 4:00 (pull, all strong)
4×50 @ :60 (25 easy/25 FAST!)
3×200 @ 4:15 (150 free/50 non-free)
400 cool-down (100 swim/50 kick/50 non-free, repeat)
*3400 total*

RELATED: Do You Know Your Swim Gears?

C:
600 warm-up (200 swim/50 kick/50 non-free, repeat)
4×50 w/ :10 rest (build to FAST!)
3×150 w/ :30 rest (swim, strong)
4×50 w/ :10 rest (25 FAST/25easy)
3×150 w/ :30 rest (pull, all strong)
4×50 w/ :10 rest (25 easy/25 FAST!)
400 cool-down (100 swim/50 kick/50 non-free, repeat)
*2500 total*

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