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Four easy swim workouts for beginners

Triathlete Sheri Lehmer swims underwater in pool at Juniper Swim and Fitness Center in Bend, Oregon

If you’ve recently signed up for your first triathlon this summer, it’s time to start training. Many new triathletes come into the sport without a swimming background and find it challenging to plan swim workouts that suit their level. For Workout Wednesday this week, we’ve put together four swim workouts geared towards the beginner triathlete who wants to start building up their endurance in the water. During these early weeks, it’s not as important to work on speed. With these short sets, focus on the drills and pacing yourself.

Workout #1

  • 30 – 40 minutes without stopping, building in speed towards the end. To maximize your efficiency in the water, learning how to flip turn will benefit triathletes who swim in the pool as part of their regular swim practices.
  • The last five minutes should be a hard effort

 

Workout #2

  • 200 easy
  • 4 x 25 swim at 80% effort
  • 4 x 25 pull
  • 3 x 100 swim at 75% effort
  • 3 x 100 pull
  • 100 easy

 

Workout #3

  • 100 easy
  • 4 x 50 drill. Recommended drills are finger-drag, catch-up and eight-beat. Switch up the drills for each 50. Optional to perform the final 50 as a sprint.
  • 100 swim, hard effort
  • 4 x 25 drill. See above.
  • 200 swim continuous
  • 100 easy

 

Workout #4

  • 200 easy warm-up
  • 100 pull
  • 100 drill
  • 100 swim, hard effort
  • 100 easy
  • Complete twice through
  • 100 easy