Swim Distance Workout

This workout is from my January 2014 “Get Your Swim On” blog. It will help you start to swim longer distances at a less-than-relaxing pace, and makes the experience more fun than slogging back and forth by adding some variety.

1. Start with a 200 m warm up. Take a 30 second rest.

2. Next, we’re going to swim 400 m, or 8 laps. To help you count, on every fourth length you will flip onto your back and kick. So each time you kick a length you will have completed 100 m. Once you’ve kicked 4 lengths you have completed 400 m. Take a 30 second rest.

3. Swim a fast 50, at 80-85 percent effort. Take a 15 second rest.

4. Now we’re going to swim another 400, and this time we’re introducing the “negative split,” which means we’re swimming the second half of the distance faster than the first. So start out swimming the first 200 m at a decent but not too taxing pace, 70 to 75 percent effort. Once you finish the first 200, bang! Without stopping amp up your pace to something less comfortable that you can hold for the remaining 200 m, around 80 to 85 percent. Take a 30 second rest when done.

5. Swim another fast 50.

6. If you’d like a slightly longer workout, swim one more 400, or you could make it a 300 or 250 if you like, and every fourth length swim an IM or other stroke. Also see if you can descend slightly every 100.

7. Cool down with a 150 EZ.

Your distance if you skip step #6 is 1250 m, and with step #6 is 1650 m.

 

 

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