How can we train effectively and what can we do to improve our speed without compromising our technique and overall performance? Nicola Butler has your guide

In this issue we are focusing on swimming careers and a range of shorter distance goals within swimming. So how does this link with swimming in the pool? Most events this summer will be host a specific distance in open water, either through a triathlon, or a single open water swim. Some sprint triathlons still use an indoor pool or outdoor lido for their swim section, with a distance goal of around the 400m mark. Many single open water events will offer a series of shorter distance swims ranging from 250m – 1k through a series of loops or a long section.

You may also be training to become a Beach or Open Water Lifeguard, which requires you to swim 400m in a set time. With such a range of distances and goals, how can we train effectively and what can we do to improve our speed without compromising our technique and overall performance?

Speed: a simple formula that explains a lot

Swimming performance in both the pool and open water really does boil down to a simple formula:

Propulsive Force – Resistance = Acceleration

Propulsive force is the forward momentum you create with your arms and legs. Ideally, you need to generate more forward force or reduce resistance to go faster. Most swimmers focus on more power excessive pull and greater effort. Smarter swimming starts with minimising drag. The objective is to create less resistance to achieve more speed from the same amount of effort.

To swim faster and at speed, reducing drag is more effective than trying to increase power.

Now, to improve overall speed, let’s look at how drag occurs in the water and what drills, solutions and sets we can do in the pool to reduce this for shorter distance swims:

Friction drag: This is the water sliding across your skin or suit. It’s minimal, but at high speeds it matters. Solution – shaving key limbs, removing jewellery, wearing tight suits/swimwear and bullet hats.

Form drag: This is the shape of your body in the water. If your head is lifted and hips are dropped, then you’re pushing more water than needed. A long, narrow body moves faster in the water. Drill – practice tight pencil like positions in the water from pencil dives through to simple push and glides off the wall.

Wave Drag: This occurs at the surface. When you push water, you displace it and this results in waves. When you swim at speed, more waves are created. To minimise surface disruption, you must remain more streamlined in the water.

Set & top tips: Short distance sprint training

W/up – 200-400m: Easy as 50fc / 50bk

10-20 x 25m FC power sprints / rest 30 secs: Start from the wall and push off as hard as you can. Aligning the body into a narrow, pencil-like shape, extending arms overhead with hands stacked and locked, head tucked down, and core engaged to maintain a straight line. DO NOT KICK until you resurface (this is a drill). Then sprint as fast as you can with leg kick until you reach the wall. Try not to breath a lot over a 25m sprint. This drill set also helps you to practice sprinting from standstill or in deep water, which replicates many 400m swims/mass starts.

C/dwn – 200-400m: Easy choice stroke

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Simon Griffiths analyses the value of changing pace on long distance swims

In an open water swimming event, there are moments when it is advantageous to speed up.

Most obviously, if you race, your ability to sprint at the end may determine if you get to the finish line before your rivals. That’s true whether you’re aiming for a podium finish or trying to beat your friends and training partners.

But there are other scenarios too. If you’re using drafting* as a strategy, the person or people you are following may change pace suddenly. You will need to respond in kind if you want to hold your energy-efficient position in their wake.

Alternatively, if someone is drafting you, you may want to accelerate and break away from them.

At the start of races – this is perhaps more prevalent in triathlon than swimming – many people start out fast to try to establish a strong position in the pack. If you want to go with them, you need to be confident that you can sprint without completely exhausting yourself.

On long distance solo swims, you may think you could continue at a steady speed until you reach the end. But what if the tide is going to change and you need to reach a certain point before it does so or be swept away? Or what if you only have a short time window to cross a shipping channel? Given that there are multiple scenarios where you may need to change speed during a swim, it would make sense to practise it. Here are some suggestions.

Change of pace training sessions

1. Small group speed-play in open water

For this, you’ll need at least one other person of a similar speed to you. It’s better still in a group of four or five. If necessary, use some kind of handicap system to even out speeds. For instance, a slower swimmer could use fins or a wetsuit, while faster swimmers could wear drag shorts.

Take turns to be the ‘leader’. Swim together at a strong but comfortable pace for five minutes or so. The leader then changes speed for a few minutes and attempts to drop the other swimmers, who need to respond as best they can. As leader, you get to decide whether you want to gradually crank up the pace and break the will of your followers or go for a sudden sprint and catch them by surprise.

Regroup, change leader and repeat.

2. Pool training change of pace

Pick a training set with multiple repeats that you typically swim at an even pace: for example, 15 x 100m or 10 x 200m. Instead of doing these at a consistent speed, do the first one fast, pick a random one in the middle to do fast, and accelerate through the final three. Try to swim the others at a steady speed.

Notice how changing pace makes you feel and what impact it has on subsequent intervals. You need to pay attention to the clock on this one. Get to know yourself. Repeat this session several times to observe differences. If you start with an all-out sprint, how much does it affect your later swims? If you push hard in the middle, can you still accelerate at the end?

Getting a feel for these things will help you gauge your efforts in a race or challenge.

The matchbox analogy

I can’t remember where I came across this. It may have been from swimming and triathlon coach Fiona Ford in a cycling context. But it works for swimming (except that wet matches don’t light!).

Imagine your total energy potential for a swim is like a box of matches that you steadily burn through. If you speed up, you burn through them faster. For a sprint, you may burn three or four at the same time. When your box is empty, it’s game over.

Your energy is finite. Through practice, learn how its consumption varies with effort. Use your resources wisely.

Know yourself

Are you a swimmer who can sustain an effort close to maximum speed for long distances or one whose sprint speed is much faster than their steady pace? While this is trainable to an extent, you probably find you have a natural tendency one way or another. Make use of this in races. If, like me, you are relatively slow over long distances but can muster a decent sprint, try to conserve energy until the end. Draft as much as possible and unleash your speed over the final few metres. On the other hand, if you can sustain a high speed, your optimum tactic may be to grind the sprint out of the sprinters.

For those who are new to open water swimming or unfamiliar with the term, drafting is swimming in the slipstream of another swimmer, usually behind or close to their hip, and saving a significant amount of energy.

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Swim coach Nicola Butler introduces the tapering phase, which gives your body time to fully recover, repair damaged tissues and adapt to the demands of training before event day

Following on from last issue where we focused on training hard, fast and more powerfully in the build-up phase, now it’s time to reflect, visualise and change the dynamic of training before we head into the main event. This is where the pool can help you to successfully focus on more specific technique, injury prevention and into a productive taper phase

What does ‘taper’ mean?

Tapering refers to the gradual reduction in training volume and intensity, particularly in mileage, in the weeks before event day (depending on your plan and type of event). It gives your body time to fully recover, repair damaged tissues and adapt to the demands of training. The goal is to allow the body to recover from accumulated fatigue and prepare for peak performance, leading to faster swim times and increased power.

To effectively taper, you’ll need to ramp up your training in the 6-8 weeks before your event or specific race. This means longer workouts, shorter intervals, dynamic hypoxic drills, and heavier strength training out of the pool.

Key points to tapering effectively with the pool in mind

• Reduce training volume by decreasing the amount of time and distance you swim in open water and swap for a controlled session in the pool
• Use the warmth of a heated pool or naturally warm lido to stop, slow down and focus on race specific drills, which can be replicated in your upcoming event
• Fine tune your technique and race-day strategies
• Increase the amount of rest to allow your body to repair and rebuild
• Keep well hydrated at all times and allow for quality sleep patterns
• Prepare mentally by practicing race visualisation and focus on your personal goals

Sample workout (4 weeks out)

Aim: Refine stroke and specificity, decrease strength training load
W/up: 1 x 300m easy as 100m free / 100m choice / 100m kick
Main set: Repeat x 2-3 (aim for at least 15 secs rest after each exercise)

• 6 x 100m pull and hand paddles – focus on catch – descend speed 1-6
• 100m choice kick with fins
• 4 x 25m choice drill (catch up, zip up or finger trail)
• Cool down: 1 x 300m steady pull focusing on bilateral breathing techniques

Sample workout (2 weeks out)

Aim: Adjusting volume, frequency and intensity
W/up: 1 x 200m easy as 100m free / 100m choice
Main set: Aim for at least 15 secs rest after each exercise:

• 2 x 200m pull as 50m easy / 50m faster
• 4 x 50m choice kick as 1-4 increasing speed
• 8 x 100m free: Fins only focusing on core strength, body position and long stroke
• 4 x 25m freestyle sighting drills: Sight once every length as you head towards the last set of flags and sprint finish each
• Cool down: 1 x 300m steady pull focusing on bilateral breathing techniques

Kit corner: ’tis the season for allergies

Do you suffer withhay fever whenswimming in open water or congestion after tumble turning in chlorine? Unfortunately, many people suffer with both! The most useful piece of kit to help reduce the symptoms of allergies when swimming is a quality nose clip. The best ones tend to be in the competition Speedo range and are priced around £7 in a choice of grey or flesh colour. Not only are these reasonably priced but they also last a long time, save hours of discomfort and are so small that they can fit in any small bag pocket.

On the flipside, wearing a nose clip can be less efficient because the nose is shut down and the overall physical efficiency in the water decreases. So, it’s a decision to make during the correct time in your training cycle and consider whether the pros outweigh the cons.

Top tip: Barbie Arms!

A great coach named Stuart Hacker once used the term ‘Barbie arms’ when teaching freestyle and it’s a phrase that is now commonly used amongst many swimming coaches. Imagine you have barbie arms… swimmers often try to pull water with their hands and drop the wrist in the process. This often leads to losing grip and slipping the water. So next time you are in the pool working on your technique, you have good reason to pretend to have barbie arms for the session!

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Our new contributing coach Nicola Butler has passion for the pool and a lifetime of sporting prowess and experience. This month Nicola shares why it’s important to have a purpose for each pool session, and how to boost your speed and power in the water

Lacking speed and power in open water? The pool could be the answer…

At the beginning of 2025, I rediscovered my love for the pool after spending over 20 years out of competitive pool swimming. I was still coaching clients in the pool and enhancing their overall training regime with pool power sessions, open water endurance and strength and conditioning but I was deliberately missing the pool out of my own training regime after what I can only explain as having a personal negative energy and approach to the pool after spending my whole childhood training morning and night… up tumble, down tumble….! So, with my first master’s competition looming at the end of the month, how did I change my way of thinking, get back up to physical and mental speed in four months and enhance my open water swimming performance through being back in the pool?

Have a purpose or a plan for each pool session (mental performance)

If you just turn up to your local pool, hop in a lane and swim up and down a few times a week, the only thing benefiting is the leisure centre! Before each session, try and think of the reason you got out of bed at the crack of dawn and what you want to achieve from the session. It could be to improve technique, fitness, speed or simply completing a valid session that your coach has written but ask yourself – could I have gone faster, did I really try my best, what did I learn from the session?

If you dedicate your mind and body to purposeful training during your pool session time and finish knowing you achieved your objectives, then every session becomes more rewarding and enjoyable each time. This adapted approach to pool training will really aid your overall performance in open water sessions, too, making each session feel purposeful and beneficial. This is how I approach every pool session now. It’s not about ‘just turning up’ it’s about putting the effort into achieving those goals and targets to improve personal physical and mental performance. Obviously having a written session helps, a good community around you or a coach on deck for motivation so check out your local swimming club for a master’s section or online coaching.

Make every session varied yet focused (physical performance)

With the open water swimming season underway, why bother with the pool you ask? We can spend hours in open water looping 400m, 800m, 1km … and really boost our aerobic fitness but what about our anaerobic fitness and speed/power in the water? This is where the pool can really help improve overall performance in open water swimming, especially for those who may be doing an open water swimming competition.

Here is an example of how to train in the pool for sections of open water races that we really struggle with such as mass starts and sprint starts/finishes You can complete this session on its own or include it with some additional aerobic/technique work that you may already have planned:

1000m speed and power session – pull buoy, fins and clock/watch needed

• 200m with pull buoy breathing rhythm every 3,5,7 strokes continuously – last 50m power pull hard
• 8 x 50m as 30m SPRINT (power push and glide, no breathing for first 5m and last 5m in and out of the wall then cruise steady for last 20m) REST 20 secs and repeat
• 4 x 25m as Underwater FC kick with fins (no fins optional) – hold your breath for as long as you can underwater each length kicking as hard as you can. Rest 15 secs and repeat • BROKEN 100m – as 4 x 25 SPRINT with only 10 secs rest at each end – max effort
• 200m with pull buoy breathing rhythm every 3,5,7 strokes continuously – first 50m power full hard.

Top tip: Shallow water swimming – sharpens your catch

If you are on holiday, in a leisure pool or in the shallows of a gradual sloping beach then use the shallow water to force a bend in the elbow. This helps and encourages you to initiate a high elbow catch too.

Kit corner: pull buoy

If you haven’t got a pull buoy in your pool kit bag, then grab one straight away! They are easily purchased online at a range of shops. They retail between £8-£20 depending on the brand and size. You just need regular size to begin with. Here is why this is an essential piece of kit:

• The main purpose of a pull buoy is to increase buoyancy in the lower body, keeping your legs higher in the water. This allows you to focus on building upper body strength and refining arm technique. It can also help replicate the buoyancy from wearing a wetsuit in open water.
• You can focus on certain training techniques such as practicing proper hand placement, arm extension and pull, which all aid over all power and speed.
• Whilst maintaining a smooth rhythm and body position, natural rotation of the body can occur during each breath.
• Helps with utilising the core as the body works with the pull buoy to help strengthen and stabilise the body.

Nicola’s passion for sport, health and fitness began from a very young age. She works, trains, coaches and swims on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and operates Peak Fitness and Training and Peak Open Water Sports across the East Coast. You can contact her at: peakopenwatersports.com

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In May, inland water temperatures in the UK start reaching the point where longer open water swims are possible, if not yet comfortable. It’s a good time to take your training outside and start increasing your time in the water. Here are a couple of things you could try. 

An outdoor training session

When you swim outside, it’s tempting (and enjoyable) to settle into a steady speed. I often do. Your rhythm is no longer disrupted by frequent turns. There’s space. It’s a calming, zen-like experience. You swim peacefully and go home refreshed.

I wouldn’t blame you if you chose to swim like this every time you swam.

But if you want your swims to provide more effective training, you would benefit from adding structure. If you do this well, you might find you enjoy your session as much (or perhaps more) than doing a steady swim.

It’s best to create your own session to suit your goals and where you swim but here’s a suggestion to get you started.

Warm up: 5 to 10 minutes: Allow yourself time to adjust to the water temperature. Assuming you’re going to swim front crawl, make sure you are comfortable with your face in the water before increasing effort. Swim slowly. Pause if you feel yourself getting breathless. Cold water shock is still a threat at this time of year.

Sighting practice: 5 to 10 minutes: Navigation is a core open water skill. The straighter you swim, the quicker you’ll be. Swim at a steady pace and lift your head to look forwards every 4 to 10 strokes. Focus on keeping your head low (eyes above the water only) and maintaining your momentum. Try to fit the sighting action seamlessly into your stroke.

Main set: 10 minutes plus (depends on water temperature): Fartlek swimming: use buoys, landmarks or a timer on your watch as triggers to change pace. Swim between marks at one pace then smoothly accelerate or decelerate for the next section. Try to find at least three distinct gears (e.g. steady, fast, sprint).

Cool down: 5 minutes: Relax and look around. Swim on your back (if it’s allowed) and look at the clouds. If you’ve been wearing a wetsuit, take it off and enjoy the cool water on your skin.

A Channel swim relay qualifier

To take part in an English Channel relay swim, you need to prove your ability through a qualifying swim. The exact rules depend on which organisation you swim with. If you’re looking for challenge, even if you are not booked for a relay, it’s a good way to test your endurance and cold water tolerance.

May will be a good time to do this in many inland lakes as they will be approaching the required temperatures. Shallow lakes could already be too warm if we have a spell of sunny weather. Meanwhile, the sea in Dover in May will only be around 12oC – suitable for only the most cold-hardened swimmers.

For the Channel Swimming Association (CSA), you need to complete a 2-hour swim in water of 60o Fahrenheit (15.6o Celsius) or less. The Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation (CS&PF) asks for a 1.5-hour swim followed by a break of between 1 and 1.5 hours and a second swim of 1 hour, in water of 61oF (16oC) or less.

For a bigger challenge, you could attempt a 6-hour swim, which is the qualifier for a solo crossing.

These qualifying swims need to be completed without a wetsuit, in a standard swimming costume and wearing only a single swimming cap. Due to the risk of hypothermia, you should only undertake a swim like this under the supervision of someone with appropriate expertise and experience.

Early season swimming tips

The air and water can still be cold, even if the sun is shining. Cold water shock and hypothermia are risks at this time of year. Take care entering the water and be aware of your temperature. Bring extra layers for dressing afterwards. If you are preparing for a marathon swim, consider doing your endurance training in the pool for a while longer.

You may find your wetsuit feels tight when you bring it out of winter storage. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve put on weight. Neoprene can lose elasticity when stored but this should recover with use. Also remember that you are not accustomed to the wetsuit having not worn it for a few months. It should feel great again after a couple of swims.

Don’t go crazy. You have the whole summer ahead of you for longer swims. Take your time reacquainting yourself with outdoor swimming. Your neck and back may feel uncomfortable initially due to sighting. Swimming in cooler water or in a wetsuit may feel odd. You shouldn’t expect to pick up exactly where you left off at the end of last summer.

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Personal trainer Vivienne Rickman outlines how to dryland train for the upcoming season

As the days grow longer and temperatures get warmer, many of us are ready to move from bracing winter dips to longer, more sustained swims and may have even booked a swim event. While we’ve kept up our cold water exposure, our endurance, strength and technique may have taken a backseat over recent months. Combining your swim training with a structured dryland training plan, whether at home or in the gym, will help you make the most of the season ahead, regaining your fitness, power and efficiency.

Strength training

Swimming relies heavily on the shoulders, back, core and legs, so strength training should focus on building muscular endurance and preventing injury. Some key exercises to include:

Pull-ups and lat pulldowns – Not everyone can lift their body weight in a pull-up, so lat pulldowns offer a great alternative to strengthening the lats. Strong lats = strong front crawl pull.

TOP TIP – Activate your lats by pulling down from your armpits!

Dumbbell shoulder press & lateral raises – Swimmers are often plagued with shoulder injuries caused by the repetitive overhead movements in front crawl. Build strength and improve shoulder stability to master longer swims.

Seated Rows – Develop a strong, stable core and powerful back muscles. Use a seated row machine at the gym, keep your back straight and your shoulder blades together.

Lunges & Squats – Strengthen legs and glutes for better body positioning in the water. Try bodyweight only until you have your form correct, then add resistance such as dumbbells or a kettlebell.

Core stability

A strong core helps maintain an efficient body position, reducing drag in the water and improving our stability for those allimportant hip rotations we need. Add these to your routine:

Planks – Build endurance for better balance, try front and side planks.

Dead bugs – Engage deep core muscles for a streamlined position.

Russian twists & hanging leg raises – Improve rotational strength for an efficient stroke, try your Russian twists with feet on the floor to start. If you can’t manage a hanging leg raise, start with a dead hang (hanging from a pull-up bar), hanging strengthens the upper back, shoulders, core and forearms, those leg raises and pull-ups won’t be far away!

Cardiovascular training

Since long swims outdoors require sustained effort, cardiovascular training is essential. While regular swimming is great cardio, not everyone trains in the pool all winter. Give these a try:

Skipping – Aside from being great fun (who doesn’t love picking up a skipping rope?), this is a great activity for interval training.

Rowing machine – Rowing is a great all-over cardio workout. Its rhythmic, repetitiveness shares some similarities with swimming.

Kettlebell swings – Kettlebells are brilliant for improving strength, aerobic power and cardiovascular fitness. Ensure the power is coming from your legs and glutes, your shoulders and arms should not be doing any heavy lifting. Hinge at the hips to build momentum.

TOP TIP – Choosing a kettlebell – if you are new to kettlebells choose a lighter weight so that you can get familiar with how they feel and so you can practice swinging with good form.

Walking & jogging – A brisk walk or jog is a great way to improve our cardiovascular health.

Mobility & flexibility

Not being so active over winter can affect stroke mechanics and shoulder mobility. Daily stretching and mobility exercises – such as shoulder circles, thoracic rotations and hip openers – will help prevent injury and improve stroke efficiency.

By including strength, endurance and mobility exercises into your swim training, you’ll be prepared to step back into those long outdoor swims and events, feeling stronger, more prepared and ready for the season ahead.

Vivienne is an outdoor swimmer, health and fitness coach. She splits her time between the mountains of Snowdonia in North Wales, where she lives, and the South Coast where she grew up. Vivienne offers online fitness, nutrition and swim coaching programs. You can contact her at viviennerickman.co.uk

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A challenge session is one where you go above and beyond what you normally do in your regular training or do something very different. Simon Griffiths is your guide!

We usually think about training as the preparation for some race, challenge or adventure that we want to complete. We create a plan where we progressively increase the workload, while not forgetting to build in lighter training weeks for recovery.

But what if you currently don’t have a major swimming goal that you’re preparing for? Or what if formal events and challenges don’t interest you? Or what if you just want to change up your training every now and then for a mental reset?

How about substituting one of your regular swims sessions for a “challenge session”?

A challenge session is one where you go above and beyond what you normally do in your regular training or do something very different. It can take many forms and you can invent your own. In some circumstances, it may involve swimming less than you usually do – but the effort may be more intense. Here are some suggestions.

1. 100X100S

This is the classic challenge session. The aim is simple: swim 100m, 100 times. The total distance is 10km, the same as the Olympic marathon swim.

How you cut this, is up to you. You could run straight through. Say, 100x100m off 2 minutes (or a time suitable for your long distance swimming speed). So, if it takes you 1:45 to swim 100m, you would get 15s rest before starting the next one.

I prefer to break it into blocks of 10 – so 10x10x100m, with a different focus and perhaps a different turnaround time for each 10 100s. I might also schedule a bathroom break after 50.

If 100 100s is too much for your current fitness, set a different target – perhaps 50 100s or 50 50s. If 10km is your regular training distance, do more!

2. Critical Swim Speed Test

Measuring your critical swim speed (CSS) is a useful way to track your swimming fitness and to determine your training speeds. Paul Newsome provides lots of information on this over at Swim Smooth.

In essence, the test consists of a 400m time trial followed 5 or so minutes later with a 200m. You then subtract your 200m time from your 400m and divide the answer by 2 (or use an online CSS calculator) to work out your critical swim speed. Remember to include a suitable warm up and cool down before and after your time trials.

Although the distance is probably much less than you would normally do in a training session, a CSS test is mentally and physically taxing.

3. All the Olympic events (pool only)

There were 14 individual pool swimming events in the 2024 Olympics. For a tough training challenge, try swimming them all during a single session. You can choose the order. One way, might be to start with the longest first and work your way down, as follows.

• 1500m Freestyle (use as warm up)
• 800m Freestyle
• 400m Freestyle
• 400m Individual Medley (100m of each stroke in the order butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, front crawl)
• 200m Butterfly
• 200m Backstroke
• 200m Breaststroke
• 200m Freestyle
• 200m Individual Medley (50m on each stroke)
• 100m Butterfly
• 100m Backstroke
• 100m Breaststroke
• 100m Freestyle
• 50m Freestyle Total distance 4,550m.

If you struggle with any of the strokes, you can adapt. For example, you could try single arm butterfly or (for those with troublesome knees) breaststroke with dolphin kick.

4. The Michael Phelps Olympic Programme

For a shorter but still challenging alternative to the above, you could attempt the events that Michael Phelps won gold in at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

• 400m Individual Medley
• 200m Individual Medley
• 200m Butterfly
• 200m Freestyle
• 100m Butterfly.

If you want to add the swims he did in relays (where he also won gold), those are:

• 200m Freestyle (from the 4x200m relay)
• 100m Freestyle (from the 4x100m relay)
• 100m Fly (from the 4x100m medley relay)
  Total distance (including relays) 1500m (if that’s too little, do it twice!)

The above are all examples only. Feel free to create your own. Find a theme that inspires you. Talk some friends into joining in. You can also create challenge sessions to do outdoors. For example, if your lake has a 400m loop, how about 25 laps with a 30s rest after each lap for a total of 10km?

Prepare appropriately

Any of these sessions will challenge you. You should prepare accordingly. Ensure you do lighter training the day before or take the day off. Make sure you’ve eaten sensibly and are properly hydrated. For the longer sessions (especially the 100x100s) plan what food and drink you need during the swim to maintain energy levels. Finally, remember to allow time to recover afterwards.

A challenge session like one of these can be fun and memorable. I prefer to do something like this with friends and celebrate after with coffee and cake. But that’s not essential if you prefer to swim alone. Either way, make it an occasion. We’d love to hear about your “Challenge Sessions”. If you have one you’d like to share, email us at info@outdoorswimmer.com

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Pool-based training sessions can be confusing and intimidating if you’ve never swum in a club environment. Here’s a short introduction to pool training and how a session is structured. 

Why should I do training sessions rather than just swim? 

A training session is a way of using your time in the water efficiently to help you move towards your swimming goals. Swimming is a complex activity that requires a combination of strength, fitness and technique to do well. A structured training session should deliver more benefits more quickly than simply swimming steadily for the same amount of time. Ideally, each training session should be part of an overall training plan that’s designed to help you achieve your swimming goals. 

What does a training session consist of? 

Most sessions start with a “warm up” of between 5 to 20 minutes of low-intensity swimming. This may include drills or exercises to help improve your swimming technique. 

The warm up is followed by one or more “sets”. These are blocks of swimming designed for a particular purpose such as sprinting, skills or endurance. You may see them labelled as Set 1, Set 2 etc. or perhaps “prep set”, “main set” and “second set”. The combinations are limitless. These sets may take up 50 to 80% of the session time. 

Typically, you will finish a training session with a “cool down”. This is a period of slower swimming that helps bring your heart rate down and start your recovery. 

That sounds too complicated. Is it really so much better than just swimming? 

Just swimming can be useful for building endurance and mental resilience. It can also be relaxing and a good way to switch off from life’s pressures. However, it doesn’t give much scope for improving your technique or swimming at different intensities, both of which should increase your speed and fitness. A well-structured training session can be fun and give you a great workout. If you want to swim further or faster, you will achieve your goals quicker if you do the right training sessions. 

OK, you’ve convinced me. How do I get started? 

You can find plenty of suggestions for both swimming sessions and training plans with a series of sessions online, including on our website. However, getting started can be tricky if you are not familiar with the way swimming sets are described and the language used. It may also be hard to find sessions that exactly fit your requirements. That said, a good approach is to just dive in and try some training sessions. You will learn by doing. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get it exactly right to start with. You will also pick up ideas that you can use to create your own training sessions. 

Can you give me an example? 

It’s useful when starting out to have an idea of your comfortable long-distance swimming speed. As you get more experienced you will practise swimming at different speeds and learn how those feel, but comfortable is a good place to start and build from. This session will give you an idea of what that is. 

Pre-swim 

It’s a good idea, especially if you’ve been at a desk all day, to do some gentle mobility exercises before you swim. Try doing some arm swings, trunk rotations and leg swings and stretch yourself as tall as you can. Try to relax and calm your mind. 

Warm up 

Swim steadily for 5 to 10 minutes. Enjoy the sensation of being in the water. Swim slowly enough that you don’t get out of breath. Relax. 

Set 1 (or prep set) 

Swim 4 x 50m with 20 seconds rest after each 50m. Try to go faster on each swim so that your first 50m is the slowest and the fourth is your fastest. Note how long each 50m takes you. Can you make the difference between your fastest and slowest more than 15 seconds? 

Set 2 (or main set) 

Swim the following at a strong but comfortable pace on your main stroke. Try to maintain your speed as the distance increases. For example, if it takes you 2 minutes to swim 100m, it should take 4 minutes to swim 200m and 8 minutes to swim 400m. 

• 100m + 10s rest 

• 200m + 20s rest 

• 300m + 30s rest 

• 400m + 40s rest 

Keep a note of all your times and work out your pace per 100m for each swim. In training, swimmers often use pace per 100m as a benchmark and it’s a good measure to use to track improvement. If you find your pace decreases as you increase the distance, it suggests that you started too fast. Repeat the exercise another day and see if you can be more consistent. If you want to extend this set, you can swim a further 300m, 200m and 100m with the same rest intervals. 

Cool down 

Do 5 to 10 minutes of easy swimming. Include some backstroke and breaststroke. Swim as slowly as you need to bring your breathing and heart rate down. 

Stretch 

Try to spend 10 to 15 minutes stretching after your swim, either immediately at the pool or later when you get home. 

Is that it? 

In essence, yes. As you gain experience you will start including swims at different speeds and on different strokes. You will also learn swimming drills and exercises that you can do to help improve your swimming technique. There’s a lot to learn but don’t be put off. You don’t need to know everything before you start. You will learn as you go along. Good luck and enjoy the journey. 

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Swim Smooth coach Paul Newsome looks at how swimmers can maintain health and fitness in the off-season

As the swimming season winds down and cooler months begin to settle in, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your swimming journey and plan. Whether you’re a seasoned swimmer or someone who swims for fitness and health, this transitional period offers an opportunity to take stock of your progress, review your techniques and goals, and create a clear plan for the next phase of your swimming.

This month we will focus on the importance of reviewing your season, setting realistic goals and using recovery sessions to transition smoothly into your next phase of training. There are also two simple yet effective recovery sessions that can help you get back on track while aligning with this reflection and planning theme.

Taking stock: reviewing your season

Before planning your future training, it’s essential to reflect on what you’ve achieved this past season. Ask yourself these key questions:

• What were my major accomplishments? Did you hit any personal bests, complete a challenging open water swim, or simply maintain a consistent swimming schedule?
• Where did I struggle? Were there certain areas, like pacing or breathing, where you found yourself falling short?
• What was my overall health and fitness throughout the season? Consider any injuries or periods of fatigue and reflect on how they impacted your performance and enjoyment.

By evaluating both the highs and lows, you’ll gain clarity on where your strengths lie and what areas may need more attention in the upcoming months.

Planning ahead: setting goals and prioritising recovery

After reflecting on your season, it’s time to set your goals for the next phase. As the weather cools and the racing calendar thins out, now is an ideal time to focus on health, fitness and technique. A significant aspect of planning ahead involves recovery – both physical and mental. While it’s tempting to dive right into hard training sessions, it’s important to allow your body to recover and rebuild. Recovery doesn’t just mean taking time off; it can also involve incorporating lower-intensity sessions that help maintain fitness while reducing stress on your body.

Two easy recovery sessions

To aid in your transition from intense training to a more reflective and recovery-oriented phase, here are two easy recovery sessions. These align perfectly with taking stock of your performance and planning for improvements.

Breathing Session: Becoming Better at Bilateral Breathing

One of the simplest yet most effective skills to work on during this time is your breathing technique. Many swimmers struggle with breathing to their non-dominant side, which can lead to imbalances in their stroke and inefficiency in the water. This session is designed to help you get comfortable breathing to your least favorite side. It’s a low-intensity, technique-focused session that will improve your overall balance and stroke efficiency.

The session:

• Warm-up: 200m easy swim
• Main set: 5 x 200m focusing on breathing technique
• #1: Bilateral breathing (every 3 strokes)
• #2: Unilateral breathing (breath every 2 strokes to your non-dominant side)
• #3: Bilateral breathing
• #4: Unilateral breathing (dominant side)
• #5: Unilateral breathing (non-dominant side)

During this session, note how your speed compares when breathing bilaterally versus unilaterally. Are you more efficient breathing to one side? Use this time to build comfort and consistency, aiming for smoother, more balanced breathing to your weaker side. I often see swimmers breathing too late to their non-dominant side, so make sure you’re turning your head away from the advancing hand (ie, the right) as you’re about to breathe (ie, to the left). Getting to full extension with the right hand and then turning to breathe is too late and can really upset your comfort and rhythm – perhaps this is the single reason why you don’t like breathing to that side?

Pyramid Session: Simple Yet Effective

Sometimes, the best sessions are the simplest. This classic pyramid session is a perfect recovery workout that you can adjust to fit your fitness level, time and technique goals. It’s also highly versatile, making it ideal for swimmers looking to maintain fitness while easing back on intensity.

The session:

• Warm-up: 200m easy swim
• Main set: • 100m swim, focusing on form
• 200m swim, adding in a technical focus (eg, catch technique)
• 300m swim, building endurance
• 400m swim, maintaining consistent pacing
• 500m swim, adding in a drill focus (eg, kicking or sculling)
• Then, reverse the pyramid: 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m, adjusting focus as needed This session can be as easy or challenging as you like. If you have a swim partner, you can use the pyramid to practise structured drafting, which can make this session more interactive and fun.

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You can still work on your open water skills when you’re training in an indoor pool. Swimming coach Cassie Patten shares her favourite pool drill.

What are the best sets and drills for outdoor swimming for an hour-long pool session?
@danGoodway, via X

Cassie’s answer:

I love open water sighting drills. Swim half a length with your head up, focusing on crocodile eyes and pushing the water down to maintain the correct sighting position. The next length you would swim five strokes with your head up, focusing on crocodile eyes, and then five strokes down repeat this for the entire 25m. Finally, you would swim the entire length sighting every third breath. This is a progressive drill to enable your body to perfect the correct technique. Another idea is to swim an entire session without touching any walls. I turn at the flags and then just keep going. Only do this if there is space in the lane and it is safe to do so.

Cassie Patten is a British freestyle swimmer and Head Coach at Wavecrest Swimming. Cassie won bronze in the 10km open-water event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Read more advice from Coach Cassie.

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