I listened to a podcast from triathlon swim specialists, Tower 26, recently. The podcast was talking about the four keys to better triathlon swimming.
What do you think they suggested?
In no particular order, they identified these four areas.
- Swim more
- Improve swim technique
- A good training programme
- Accountability
What do you think? Agree with that?
Swim More
Most triathletes swim once or twice per week, covering maybe 3,000m – 5,000m per week. One way of making most of us quicker, stronger, more efficient is to swim more. Add another session per week. Maybe two.
This can be quite hard to fit in to a weekly schedule, when you mix in the other two disciplines. If you can’t fit another session in, perhaps think about a swim block in the outseason / off season, where you swim 4 or 5 times per week for 4 – 6 weeks. I promise you, you will notice the difference.
Swim fitness gained through additional swimming will also transfer to the bike and run. And we can generally push the intensity a bit more in the water than we can (or should) on the bike or run.
Improve Swim Technique
We can all benefit from improvements in technique. The fastest triathlon swimmers will all be working on their technique during swim sessions. Improve efficiency. Improve speed. Become more relaxed. Make the energy we put in equate to the speed we get out.
Remember though, improving technique doesn’t mean we have to do lots of drills. It is more than that. It is having a focus when we swim full stroke. We can think about our catch, our body position, our kick etc when we are swimming. We don’t have to include loads of drills in our sessions (my pet hate!).
A Good Training Programme
Improving technique and swimming 3 or 4 times per week is great … but if the training sessions are not well designed or don’t fit well together, we are missing out on some real improvements. A well designed programme will help us progress, develop speed, endurance, strength.
A bit extreme, but imagine you didn’t follow a training programme at all? Four sessions of continuous swimming will develop your endurance to an extent, but will do little to boost speed or prepare you for the dynamic race day swim. You will also get fed up of the monotony. A well-structured programme will be much more interesting, will make you focus on different areas and will really develop your swim.
Accountability
A coach – either a poolside coach or a remote coach – will provide accountability. You will be less likely to miss a session. You are more likely to perform during the session. You will receive feedback on your efforts. You will receive guidance. You will be accountable for all of those swims.
What do you think of these four keys to better swimming? Would you suggest anything else?
There is no particular order of importance on the four areas above. What we need to focus on most really depends where we are on the swim ability spectrum – and is a very individual thing.
What would be your priority from that list?
If you would like some support with your swim – swim training programme, swim squad sessions, technique-focused swim sessions, open water support – then get in touch!
