Often times I get a lot of questions about my swimming. The most frequently asked question is “How do you train for long course triathlons?” In this post, I’m going to make a breakdown of what a typical session/workout looks like when I’m preparing for the 1.2 or the 2.4 mile swim of the long course races.
Warming up – This is very important not only when swimming but any time you exercise. With this being said, a thorough warm up will prepare you for the main set of the day. Doing a little bit of everything will activate all the muscles in your body and this will reduce the risk of injury while performing a tough set.
During my workouts, a typical warm up would look like this:
- Freestyle swim (200-500 yards)
- Kick with or w/o a board is ok (200-400 yards)
- Individual medley (200-600 yards)
- Pulling (200-400 yards)
- Easy swim (50-100 yards)
A good warm up should be 600-1200 yards & consist of a combination of the above described items.
The core – This is where you will put in the hard work that translates into better splits during your races and an overall increase in your endurance. After warming up, you should be able do two or three sets—one of these will be your main set of the day. Normally, I like to do some medley and pulling work before my main set, however, it is not a bad idea to do short distance sets to prepare for the pace work.
Example of sets performed during my workouts:
- Pulling (4x200’s, 10x100’s, 6x150’s) breath control can be done here.
- Kick (10x50’s, 4x100’s)
- Short distance set (30x50’s, 8x75’s)
- IM (8x100’s, 4x125’s, 8x75’s)
I try to make my main set between 1,000 to 1,600 yards (8x200’s, 10x100’s, 10x150’s). Being ready for your main set in crucial! The core of the workout should be at least 2,000 yards—after all you are preparing yourself to swim 1,900 or 3,800 meters. If you can’t fit in workouts that are 3,000 yards long, you will put yourself at risk for potential problems on race day.
The cool down – This is the most underestimated part of every workout, regardless of which discipline you are cooling down from. If you don’t take the time to cool down, you will pay the price later in the season. The cool down should be very easy; I like to do drills and an easy recovery swim.
All-time favorite cool down:
- 8x50’s swim
- 8x50’s (25 drill, 25 swim)
The typical swim session for me is about 3,800-5,000 yards. I like to start the season with workouts no longer than 2,000 yards and I increase the total yardage up to 5,000 as the season progresses.
If you have questions feel free to ask.
Cheers,
Jose
Warming up – This is very important not only when swimming but any time you exercise. With this being said, a thorough warm up will prepare you for the main set of the day. Doing a little bit of everything will activate all the muscles in your body and this will reduce the risk of injury while performing a tough set.
During my workouts, a typical warm up would look like this:
- Freestyle swim (200-500 yards)
- Kick with or w/o a board is ok (200-400 yards)
- Individual medley (200-600 yards)
- Pulling (200-400 yards)
- Easy swim (50-100 yards)
A good warm up should be 600-1200 yards & consist of a combination of the above described items.
The core – This is where you will put in the hard work that translates into better splits during your races and an overall increase in your endurance. After warming up, you should be able do two or three sets—one of these will be your main set of the day. Normally, I like to do some medley and pulling work before my main set, however, it is not a bad idea to do short distance sets to prepare for the pace work.
Example of sets performed during my workouts:
- Pulling (4x200’s, 10x100’s, 6x150’s) breath control can be done here.
- Kick (10x50’s, 4x100’s)
- Short distance set (30x50’s, 8x75’s)
- IM (8x100’s, 4x125’s, 8x75’s)
I try to make my main set between 1,000 to 1,600 yards (8x200’s, 10x100’s, 10x150’s). Being ready for your main set in crucial! The core of the workout should be at least 2,000 yards—after all you are preparing yourself to swim 1,900 or 3,800 meters. If you can’t fit in workouts that are 3,000 yards long, you will put yourself at risk for potential problems on race day.
The cool down – This is the most underestimated part of every workout, regardless of which discipline you are cooling down from. If you don’t take the time to cool down, you will pay the price later in the season. The cool down should be very easy; I like to do drills and an easy recovery swim.
All-time favorite cool down:
- 8x50’s swim
- 8x50’s (25 drill, 25 swim)
The typical swim session for me is about 3,800-5,000 yards. I like to start the season with workouts no longer than 2,000 yards and I increase the total yardage up to 5,000 as the season progresses.
If you have questions feel free to ask.
Cheers,
Jose