My 4 Favorite Swim Sets
Effective for beginners and beyond
I want to help you improve as a swimmer.
And these 4 swim sets will do it.
They’re simple sets that you can add into any workout.
I’m going to explain each set and why I like it (#3 is my favorite).
Here we go:
#1: 4 x 50 as 25 fist/25 swim on 20 sec rest
I like to do this as a drill set as a warm up in the beginning of any swim.
It’s very easy to do.
You swim one lap with your hands in a fist
Then you swim the next lap as normal swimming (open hand)
I love how swimming with a fist forces me to get a high elbow bend and use my forearm as a paddle (the #1 key to swimming).
Then the switch from fist to normal swim helps me feel the water (and how much water I’m pulling with my hand).
Pro Tip: this is all about drilling down good form. Speed isn’t a focus at all.
#2: 21 x 100 pull/paddles on 20 sec rest
I give this one to 70.3 athletes as an easy effort swim. There is no high intensity here.
I prescribe it as a full workout. But you could add a warm up set or something on the backend if you’d like.
I love this swim for 3 reasons…
Improving front end form
Using paddles forces good form and improves muscular endurance. The paddles will get caught in the water if your hands/arms move out of position.
Improving head and body position
Using the pull buoy keeps your lower body near the surface of the water. That makes it easier to keep your head down.
A sinking lower body and lifted head position are 2 common beginner mistakes that lead to slower swimming (and make swimming harder).
Pro Tip: visualize swimming “downhill” with these sets by letting the crown of your head lead your body
Keeping the effort easy
The long and consistent sets/rest time allows you to get into a nice rhythm. You should not be gassed out during this swim.
Pro Tip: visualize the paddles digging into the ground with each stroke
This will help with the elbow bend shown in the photo above.
#3: 8 x 50 descend 1-4, 5-8 on 15 sec rest
I love this workout for improving pace control and working up to high intensity sets.
The idea is simple:
Sets 1-4 get faster each set
Then you reset and repeat for sets 5-8
Doing descending sets is a great way to learn how to generate more power in your stroke (without just putting out more effort).
I like to compare swim power to running speed.
easy running and fast running should be the same stride - easy runs just push less power out the back
easy swimming and fast swimming should be the same stroke - easy swimming just pulls less water
Pro Tip: descending 3 seconds per 50 is a good goal
#4: 6 x 100 threshold on 15 sec rest
I like these because of how much they suck :)
They’re my favorite set for extended high intensity training in the pool.
The #1 thing I think about during this set is the #1 thing most swimmers suck at:
Maintaining good form when you start to fatigue.
These are exhausting. Fatigue is inevitable.
My goal is to maintain my pacing with a more efficient stroke rather than just forcing more effort (since I’m already near max effort).
Here’s what efficiency means for me:
high elbow bend
pulling a lot of water
not over-rotating when I breathe
When my form falls apart, I over-rotate and I fall into a straight arm pull (no high elbow bend). So these are the things I focus on.
Pro Tip: you want to maintain the same pace through all 6 sets
If your pace is slowing down by more than a second or two per 100, slow down a touch on your first sets the next time you try this.
Questions?
Any questions on these? Drop them in a comment below and I’ll help you out.
Thanks for reading.