Want to ace your next triathlon? Join a masters swim club

For many triathletes, the swim is the hardest part of training and racing. Of the three legs of triathlon, swimming requires the most technique, and it can be disheartening to see your times improving on the bike and run but remaining the same in the pool. Those times will come down eventually, it’s just a matter of putting in the work to perfect your stroke.

A great way to ensure that you’re doing the best things to improve as a swimmer is to join a masters swim club. We know it might be intimidating to join a group of seasoned swimmers, but at least hear us out—joining a masters club could be the key to your next swim PB.

In-person coaching

A main reason that masters swim clubs are great resources for triathletes is the fact you can get in-person coaching on a weekly basis. You might have a coach who sends you workouts, and that’s great, but many triathletes access coaching online. Because of this, their coach rarely sees them in action, so any problems the athlete has in the water go unnoticed. Joining a masters club will fix this, as the coach on deck will monitor your workouts and give you tips to improve your stroke.

All levels are welcome

The swimming and triathlon communities are very similar. Have you ever been to a group training session or race where your fellow triathletes make triathlon rookies or newbies feel unwelcome? Probably not. Triathletes are a very welcoming breed, and it’s the same with swimmers. They’re happy to have anyone join them in the pool, even if that newcomer is slower than them. It doesn’t matter what level of swimmer you are—you’ll be invited to join the masters swim club workouts with open arms.

Group motivation

Joining a swim club will give you newfound motivation to get to the pool and train. We know that in the middle of winter it can be quite tough to find the desire to get out of bed and drive off into the cold morning to hop into a chilly pool. Having a group that you swim with won’t necessarily make it more fun to wake up before the sunrise and brave the cold, but it certainly will make it easier. Knowing that the group is going to swim with or without you will drive you to get up and go, no matter how tired you might be.

Taking things up a notch

Odds are that you won’t be the fastest swimmer in the masters group. This is great news, because it means that you will always have someone to chase. When you swim solo, you might think that you are giving it your all, but after one lap with a faster swimmer in front of you, you’ll realize that you actually had more to give. Swimming with a masters group regularly will help you overcome those mental barriers and reach your full potential in the pool every session.