Get faster in the pool with band workouts

You’re going to hate us for this, but you should really try swimming with a band next time you go to the pool. Why are you going to hate us? Well, because it’s going to be hard. But, like most difficult things in the sport of triathlon, swimming with a band is going to make you stronger, faster, and more efficient in the water.

Why use a band?

As we already mentioned, you’re going to see massive gains in the pool if you commit to consistently using a band for your swims. You don’t need to swim with a band every workout (that would likely end with you quitting the sport altogether and becoming a duathlete), but tossing a band set into the mix once a week is a good idea.

The point of using a band is to eliminate your kick. You can use pull buoys for this, but there are a few reasons that bands are the better option. Firstly, you can cheat with a pull buoy. Even if you don’t realize it, you might still be kicking when doing pull sets. The kicks might not be the biggest or most propulsive, but at the end of the day, they are still kicks. With a band wrapped around your ankles, you won’t be able to kick, and you will be forced to rely completely on your upper body.

Another reason that bands are great is because your entire lower body is going to sink when using one (as opposed to the pull buoy which keeps your legs afloat). Why is this great? Because it will force you to improve your body position in the water. Without your kick to keep you streamlined and at the surface, you will need to rotate your torso and hips to help complete each stroke, which will translate to your regular, non-banded form. Using a band and pulling yourself through the water without kicking will also improve your upper-body strength, which is of course going to help you improve as a swimmer.

How to use a band

Using a band is very simple. Firstly, you don’t need anything fancy. If you have an old bike tube, you have a band. Cut the tube, tie the two ends together so it’s a smaller circle, and voila, you have your swimming band. If you get to the pool and find that the band is too large, you can fold it over itself to create a figure eight, then put your feet in the two smaller holes. The band should go around your ankles, then you’re ready to swim.

A band workout

Warmup (600m): 

• 200m any stroke
• 100m drill
• 100m pull
• 4x50m kick (build from 1 to 4) with 15 seconds rest between each lap

Main set (1,450m):

• 2x200m pull with band (30 seconds rest)
• 8x50m band (15 seconds rest)
• 10x25m band (10 seconds rest)
• 4x100m swim (no band, 15 seconds rest)

Cool down (300m):

• 300m choice

Total: 2,350m