Speed Swim Workouts

If you want to build speed as a swimmer, it is important to include sets in your swimming workouts that are aimed at building your ability to swim at maximum effort for sustained periods of time. Speed workouts will take you to the limits of your aerobic capacity. You want to push those limits each time you do a speed workout. The following sets can be performed in any of the four swimming strokes. All should be performed after proper warm-up.

  1. Easy-hard swimming

    • Swim 400 yards, or 16 lengths of a 25-yard pool. Swim the first 50 yards at moderate speed, concentrating on form. For the next seven intervals of 50 yards, alternate fast and easy swimming. Fast swimming should be your maximum effort, and easy swimming should be low effort with good form.

    Building speed

    • Swim 10 intervals of 100 yards each. Using a clock or stopwatch, set a time limit for each 100. To set the first time interval, take your fastest 100 time and add 50 seconds. Subtract five seconds from the interval for each subsequent 100. This means you will need to swim each 100 faster than the last.

    Beat your best time

    • Swim 10 intervals of 100 yards each at top speed. Give yourself at least a minute of rest between each 100, in order to recover. Track your times, and aim to swim your best practice time with every swim.