Swim Workouts for Triathletes

A triathlon is an athletic competition that consists of three legs: swimming, biking and running. The length of each leg usually depends on the competition one is joining. For example, the famed Ironman competition has a 2.4 – mile swim, 112 – mile bike and more than 26 – mile marathon.

Each leg is run without intervals or breaks. Among the legs, swimming proves to be the toughest for most existing and aspiring athletes.

Unlike running and biking, it does not only require strength and endurance but it also requires strategy. That is why several swim workouts for triathletes have been arranged by fitness experts and swimming instructors worldwide.

Swim workouts for triathletes are ideally done 15 to 20 weeks prior to the event. This time frame gives them just enough time to practice, enhance their skills and develop a discipline that is necessary for any athlete.

Training done during that 15 to 20 – week time frame progresses from easy to difficult. During the first phase of the training, the athlete must strive to develop the endurance to withstand physical exertion in long periods of time.

Here, a potential triathlete does not only learn the skill of swimming but he also needs to become familiar with the technicalities of the art as well. He comes up with his own style and technique that allows him to use each stroke to cover the longest distance possible.

This phase is mostly defined by long laps with only 10 to 15 seconds rest. As an added challenge, increments of 100 to 300 meters can be added to the total distance on a weekly basis.

As one’s skill and technique is developed, he will be ready to move on to phase two. During this stage, the striving triathlete experiments on strokes and means on how to reach the finish line the soonest possible time.

This means swimming in shorter laps while alternating strokes and checking which combination would work best for him. The next and the final stage of swim workouts for triathletes is the race simulation.

Simulation as implied is all about performing as if he is in the actual competition. Since swimming is the initial event in a triathlon, he should learn to swim without over working himself.

At the end of the first leg, the triathlete must make sure that he has enough energy to get him through the rest of the competition. And this can only be done if the athlete knows how to monitor his performance by keeping track of his time record and heart rate.

Remember that the three phases noted here are for swimming alone. Separate training needs to be done for biking and running. Even if done separately, the ultimate goal is to have these training routines come together and develop the potential triathlete in anyone.