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By Paul Regensburg of LifeSport Coaching
Aqua Sphere is teaming up with LifeSport Coaching to offer a multi part series of articles on ideal swim preparation for the upcoming triathlon season. Aqua Sphere, the “Official Wetsuit and Eye Protection” supplier of LifeSport Coaching, will together offer expert advice and include tips on training, tactics, and technical drills that can be used to see your best swim results this year. Workouts will also be offered in each article designed for the final 8 weeks of preparation before your event.
Tips in this series:
Tip #1 – Setting up for Success
Tip #2 – Specific Drills for the Open Water
Tip #3 – How to Draft like a Genius
Tip #4 – Final Swim Preparation on Race Week - coming soon
Tip #1 – Setting up for Success
Spring is in the air and the race season is just around the corner. This is an ideal time to focus on your swim training and how it specifically relates to the open water. You can also use it as an opportunity to take your overall swimming to the next level. If you are interested in a new best swim time this race season, try incorporating these ideas into your routine at least 8 weeks out of competition.
Add 1 More Swim Session Per WeekThe ideal number of workouts when an athlete is looking for significant improvement in an individual discipline is 5 training sessions per week. This is often not possible for most working professionals so hitting the pool 3-4 sessions per week will still see substantial gains. Two workouts per week will see some improvement but mostly maintain your current level while 1 session per week will have no real training value but could assist with some minor fitness maintenance. Regardless of how many times per week you can swim, if you can add 1 additional session per week to your normal routine you will see considerable gains. If your environment permits, add an open water workout with your training partners to really see great benefits this race season.
Join a Masters GroupA masters group is a great way to increase your motivation and swim fitness. The group can often offer more structure, a coach, other swimmers to challenge you with, and a consistent scheduled workout. Masters groups traditionally do not have much drill work or stroke improvement and often do not include longer straight swims so these types of workouts can be supplemented on your own or through a personal swim or triathlon coach can quite easily set up a custom program that incorporates masters swimming along with some additional specific sets tailored to suit your needs. The social setting of a masters program can also offer some variety into your overall training routine.
Rehearse Your Open Water Warm-UpsA warm-up is a critical part of any good athletic performance. You probably warm-up in swim practice, so don’t exclude it on race day. Develop, memorize, and practice warm-up routine in the pool setting that can be transferred to the open water. Keep them shorter and measured by time and strokes as opposed to distance.
Be mentally prepared and rehearse for race day when you should organize yourself so that you arrive at the swim start ready to go 30 minutes prior to race start. Allow 10-15 minutes for warm-up which, when completed, will still give ample time to get exit the water, relax, have a quick drink, and make swim gear adjustments. If it is a wetsuit-legal swim, this is a good time to ensure your wetsuit is pulled up in the crotch and arms so there is free movement across the shoulders. A good warm-up that can be practiced in the pool and then transferred to the open water is as follows:
Workout #1
Warm-Up:
- 2-3 minutes of arm circles and light stretching on shore
- 5 minutes of relaxed swimming and mixed stroke to loosen up
- 6 x 30 strokes of drills that make you feel the water followed by 20 strokes of freestyle
(Suggested drills include rotational pause drills, and swimming with fists)
- 8 x 20 vigorous strokes for activation with 20 strokes of smooth easy freestyle between
- 2 minutes of easy swimming to flush
Look for the second article in this Series where we'll examine specific open water drills and workouts that can be practiced in the pool or outdoors.
Paul Regensburg is a senior coach at LifeSport and an Olympic, Pan Am Games, and Ironman Coach. He has coached athletes from beginner to world championship athletes at all distances. Visit LifeSportCoaching.com or contact coach@lifesportcoaching.com for more information or to get a great training program.
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