By Brad Culp
Around this time of year we are bombarded with information about how to build early season fitness on the bike and run. However, little is ever said about how to jump-start your swim training. Even though the swim takes up only a fraction of any triathlon, building swim fitness now will translate into faster swim splits throughout the season and better overall endurance. Here are five tips to keep in mind when you hit the pool during the next few months.
1. Don’t forget the base yards.
Every coach always stresses the importance of base miles on the bike and run, but that doesn’t mean that you can get away with not putting in the base miles (or yards) in the water. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to hop in the pool and grind out 4,000 yards non-stop. Stick to repeats of 200-400 yards/meters at a relatively easy pace, with no more than a 25 second rest interval.
2. Technique, technique, technique.
The swim form that you establish now, will be the form that you train and race with for the rest of the season. Nobody likes doing drills, but they are critical at this point in the season. Have a coach address your weaknesses and pick out a few drills that address these problems. If you don’t like dedicating an entire portion of your workout to drills, try incorporating them into your main sets. For instance, if you’re doing 8 x 200 yards freestyle, do the odds drill and the evens cruise.
3. Get out of the pool!
Spend some time in the weight room during the next few months. Throughout the season, you’re likely to loose some muscle mass (for bulky triathletes this may be beneficial). Weight training now will help your body feel stronger at the end of the season. Stick to dynamic movements which will directly benefit your swimming power. Pull-ups, rows, lat pull-downs and other upper-back exercises are great for developing swimming power.
4. Stay out of the pool!
If you’ve ever watched some of the top swimmers in the world before they race, you’ll notice one thing: They’re incredibly flexible. Swimming freestyle requires a full range of motion from your upper-body. The easier you can make this motion, the happier you’ll be. Spend 10 minutes stretching your shoulders, back and triceps after each swim workout and your body will thank you for the rest of the season.
5. Stretch out your stroke.
The best triathletes may not be the best swimmers, but they’re certainly not those who are worn out by the swim. Basically, you can’t win the race in the opening leg, but you can definitely lose it. Lengthening out your stroke will help you expend less energy during the first few minutes of the race, so you can have more left in your tank when it counts. With each stroke, roll your shoulders (not your head!) and only begin the pull phase of the stroke after your arm is fully extended.
Triathlete's associate web editor, Brad Culp, has been a competitive swimmer for 16 years. He was an All-American swimmer in High School and a NCAA Division 1 scholarship athlete. He has an Olympic-distance swim PR of 18:52.