How to Approach Swimming Training as a Triathlete

Mastering the Art of Adaptation

For many triathletes, swimming is the most daunting of the three disciplines. Unlike cycling and running, where progress often feels measurable and linear, swimming has a way of humbling even the most fit athletes. The water doesn’t lie. It highlights inefficiencies, punishes poor form, and rewards patience and precision.

Swimming is also one of the most trainable skills in triathlon. Once you start seeing it not as a box to check, but as an essential performance lever, your relationship with it changes. The key is to embrace swimming on its own terms—with a strategy that adapts to your training phase, prioritizes technique, and respects the unique culture of the sport.

Here’s how to approach your swim training effectively, whether you're building a base or sharpening for race day.

Easy Workouts = Feel for the Water

What they are:
Easy swim days are not “junk miles”—they are foundational to long-term progress. They help reinforce form under minimal fatigue and promote recovery between harder efforts.

How to use them:
These sessions should emphasize quality over quantity. Think of them as technical tune-ups:

• Catch and Pull Drills: Refine how your hand enters and anchors the water.

• Breathing Practice: Get comfortable breathing bilaterally or under pressure.

• Kicking Sets: Improve propulsion and body position without over-fatiguing.

  
  Hot take : Swimming easy with intention is a skill. Many triathletes move too fast on these days and miss the neuromuscular gains that come from slowing down and feeling the water.

Tempo Workouts = Build Endurance & Confidence

What they are:
Tempo swims sit in that aerobic development zone—moderately hard but sustainable. These sessions are essential for triathlon-specific endurance, helping you hold pace without falling apart.

Examples:

• 4x500m at 7/10 effort, 30sec rest between

• Broken 1000s (like 4x250m with very short short rest think 10-20sec)

Focus:
Hold your form across the entire set. Consistency is key—splits should stay even, breathing smooth, and technique stable even as fatigue creeps in.

Hot take: This is the zone where you simulate race-day rhythm. For many triathletes, this is where gains compound—not in sprinting faster, but in swimming long with control and purpose.

Speed Workouts

What they are:
Top-end speed sessions build your ability to surge in open water—whether it’s catching a draft, escaping a pack, passing someone, even train a higher heart rate in the water or exiting strong before T1. These workouts train you to swim fast and efficiently

Examples:

• 12–16 x 50m at near-max effort with full recovery (20s–1min depending on level)

• 8x25m All out / rest 10sec / Repeat 4 sets with 60sec in between sets

Focus:
Prioritize form under pressure. Sprinting with sloppy technique reinforces bad habits. Film yourself if possible—or at least get a lane buddy or coach to observe your form.

Hot take: Fast swimming teaches your nervous system how to recruit muscles more efficiently. It also improves your sense of “gears” in the water, knowing how to shift up and down

Pace Variation Workouts = Real-World Open Water Demands

What they are:
If you’ve raced in open water, you know that pacing is anything but steady. You might go hard to the first buoy, settle in behind a draft, then surge again near the finish. You need to prepare for these chaotic rhythms.

Examples:

• 3 rounds of: 200m fast / 100m easy / 50m faster / 50m easiest — all continuous

• Broken ladder sets like 300m (moderate) / 100m (hard) / 50m (easy) x 3

Focus:
Train your body to recover while still moving. Understand what your “all your gears” feels like, and how to shift pace without falling apart technically.

Hot take: The key skill here isn’t just physical—it’s awareness. Learn how different efforts feel, how your body position changes at different speeds, and how to manage your breathing/arm cadence rhythm under varying intensities.

Mistakes Most Triathletes Make Without a Coach

Swimming is the least intuitive of the three sports. Without guidance, it’s easy to fall into unproductive habits. Here are some common pitfalls:

• Inconsistent Pool Time: Swimming once a week is better than zero, but it’s not enough to see measurable progress. Aim for at least 2–3 focused sessions per week.

• No Programmed Rest: Recovery within workouts , it’s part of the adaptation process.

• Same Workout Syndrome: Repeating the same 2000m swim each session might feel productive, but without variation, your gains will plateau.

• Skipping Warm-Ups: A rushed or skipped warm-up leaves your nervous system unprepared, leading to lower-quality main sets.

• Overusing Toys: Tools like paddles and pull buoys have a role—but if you can’t swim well without them, they’re doing more harm than good.

Hot take: You wouldn’t ride your bike in Zone 2 for the same duration every single day, or do the same run loop over and over. Don’t treat swimming that way either. Periodization, variation, and intentional design matter.

Swimming Is Like Running and Cycling… ISH

Just like you wouldn’t build a marathon solely on sprints, or peak your FTP by only riding easy, swimming requires a mix of:

• Technique (your stroke is your drivetrain)

• Aerobic Capacity (to sustain effort)

• Top-End Speed (to build up your efficiency)

• Resilience (mental and muscular)

The catch ? swimming demands more technical mastery than the other two. You can muscle your way through a 10K run with poor form. Not so in the water.

My 2 Cents: You’ve Got to Swim

There’s no replacement for actual swim time.
Not a swim erg. Not rowing. Not strength training. Not breath holds on dry land.

Swimming trains:

• Aerobic endurance * in a hypoxic environment

• Shoulder, t spine and ankle mobility

• Postural integrity and core control

• Rhythmic breathing and mental focus

Yes, pool hours can be awkward. Yes, logistics are tough. But so are 5-hour rides and 90-minute brick runs. Swimming is part of the lifestyle, and that’s how you need to frame it. Adapt to it, just like you do to everything else.

Final Thoughts: Respect the Process

I know it’s easy for me to say …I swam as a kid. But I didn’t start running well either. I got better because I showed up, stayed consistent, and stopped skipping the hard sessions. Swimming is no different.

Its going to get harder before it gets better

Adapt your approach, periodize your efforts, and stay humble. The water rewards those who respect it.