How to increase Swim times?

DaDa

I am new at Triathlon and aim to enter my first one next year. Sprint distance (750m,20km,5km).

In the pool right now I am comfortably doing 750m in 22 minutes (500m bi-lateral breathing & 250m breathing every stroke).

I want to increase the 750m swim time over the winter. I can dedicate approx 45 mins pool time x 3 times per week. I only ever just swim laps (NAC 50m pool)without dong anything special. But there seems to be guy/girls training there on arms only, and hand paddles of sorts and they have a program set out I guess.

Does anyone have a suggestion of a program that I could put into play for 45 mins x 3 times per week to increase my speed.

Pherekydes

DaDa wrote:

I want to increase the 750m swim time over the winter.

Does anyone have a suggestion of a program...to increase my speed.

Swim slower.

Increasing your speed will decrease your swim time.

Common Sense

I honestly don't mean this to be a 'smart' answer - but you're probably on the wrong board.

DaDa

Common Sense wrote:

I honestly don't mean this to be a 'smart' answer - but you're probably on the wrong board.

There is no swimming sub section and Triathlon is commonly discussed under "Athletics".

DaDa

Slow coach wrote:

Swim slower.

Increasing your speed will decrease your swim time.

hhhmmm... right, I "think" I understand what you are suggesting. However, I swim 750m in 22 mins... 1500m in 44 mins ... etc. i.e. I seem to be stuck at the same swim rate no matter the distance.

I want to swim faster times, no matter the distance (within reason.. say 3km or less).

This way I have options to enter Sprint as well as Olympic distances.

Pherekydes

DaDa wrote:

I want to swim faster times, no matter the distance (within reason.. say 3km or less).

Apologies. I was just being facetious. I don't have much of a clue about swimming, but I'd imagine faster repeats at a shorter distance is what you'll require.

Note [to no one in particular]: There is a surfing forum and a scuba diving forum and a sailing forum and an angling forum, but no swimming forum. Makes no sense to me.

P.S. I don't care, personally, but there is a steady stream of swimming related queries in the Athletics forum.

hunnymonster

A swimming forum has been suggested. If you support the creation of it then go to sys > forums and give your reasons. Triathlon has also been suggested and curerntly you'll find tri related stuff in fitness, athletics, cycling, sports......


Swimming is very different to the other elements of triathlon. It is 90% technique and 10% power. The exercises you see the swimmers doing with paddles and pullbouys and fins are working on their stroke and refining it.

There are 3 main sessions that I do a week.

The first is my long slow swim where I simply swim for 3-5 km. I do pay attention to my stroke but the main focus is just the long steady swim

The second session has a warm up, a main set and some technique work or drills. It's actually difficult to find good information on the internet about drilling. One article is http://swimming.about.com/cs/techniquetips/a/Freestyl_Drills.htm
but you might be better buying a book.


My third session is a speed sessiona dn this is the one I hate. I do some drills but the main session would be some hypoxy training combined with pyramids getting faster and I'm really having at the end of it.



What you really want to achieve with swimming is the maximum distance per stroke and then to speed this up to the fastest that you can maintain the good form. A useful concept is that of swim golf which is explained here
http://swimming.about.com/cs/techniquetips/a/swim_golf.htm

DaDa

Cheers Hunnymonster... great info in there.

hunnymonster

pity about all the typo's though :-) i really should start to proofread what I type.

Good luck with the swimming.