SWIM SETS FOR TRIATHLETES

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Easy: Relaxed and comfortable swimming Steady: Controlled aerobic effort that you can maintain for a long time 

Target Pace: Your average pace from a recent swim, race or time trial 

Strong: Challenging but controlled swimming 

Fast: High effort with maximum focus on maintaining technique Build: Increase your effort gradually throughout t 

Remember: Target pace is personal. Two swimmers in the same lane may have completely different target paces, but both can complete the same se

Warm Up (500)

• 200m easy swim
• 4 × 50m build
• 4 × 25m fast with plenty of rest (15–20 seconds)

Set Activation (200m)

• 4 x 50m at target pace

Main Set (1500m)

• 5 x 100 steady
• 5 x 100 descend (easy - hard)
• 5 x 100 (odds steady, evens hard)

Finisher (500m)

• 10 x 50 target pace (10s rest)

Cool Down (200m)

• 200 easy

Warm Up (500)

• 200m easy swim
• 4 × 50m build
• 4 × 25m fast with plenty of rest (15–20 seconds)

Set Activation (200m)

• 4 x 50m at target pace

Main Set (1800m)

• 3 × 200 steady (15 s rest)
• 3 × 200 negative split (second 100 faster than first) (20 s rest)
• 3 × 200 at target pace (20 s rest)

Finisher (500m)

• 5 x 50 easy through to fast
• 5 x 50 easy through to fast

Cool Down (200m)

• 200 easy

Warm Up (500)

• 200m easy swim
• 4 × 50m build
• 4 × 25m fast with plenty of rest (15–20 seconds)

Set Activation (200m)

• 4 x 50m at target pace

Main Set (1600m)

• 100 easy pace
• 200 target pace
• 300 target pace
• 400 target pace
• 300 target pace
• 200 target pace
• 100 strong pace

Rest 15-20 seconds

Finisher (500m)

• 5 × 100 at target pace (10 s rest)

Cool Down (200m)

• 200 easy

Warm Up (500)

• 200m easy swim
• 4 × 50m build
• 4 × 25m fast with plenty of rest (15–20 seconds)

Set Activation (200m)

• 4 x 50m at target pace

Main Set (1500m)

• 5 x 300

Within each 300:

• First 100 easy
• Second 100 at target pace
• Final 100 slightly faster

Rest: 20 s

Finisher (500m)

• 10 × 50 target pace (10 s rest)

Cool Down (200m)

• 200 easy

Warm Up (500)

• 200m easy swim
• 4 × 50m build
• 4 × 25m fast with plenty of rest (15–20 seconds)

Set Activation (200m)

• 4 x 50m at target pace

Main Set (1800m)

Complete three rounds of:

• 200 steady
• 100 strong
• 200 target pace
• 100 fast

Rest: 15 s

Finisher (500m)

• 10 x 50 (1 easy, 1 race pace)

Cool Down (200m)

• 200 easy

Warm Up (500)

• 200m easy swim
• 4 × 50m build
• 4 × 25m fast with plenty of rest (15–20 seconds)

Set Activation (200m)

• 4 x 50m at target pace

Main Set (1800m)

• 6 × 100 target pace (15 s rest)
• 4 × 150 target pace (20 s rest)
• 3 × 200 target pace (20 s rest)

The challenge is to keep every repetition within two seconds of your target pace.

Finisher (500m)

• 500 m continuous, trying to hold exactly the same pace as the previous repetitions.

Cool Down (200m)

• 200 easy