My Three Favorite Early Season Swim Workouts
As a Playtri coach who offers swim lessons, the beginning of a new year is busy. With the start of the 2025 race season just three months away, more athletes are inquiring about swim lessons and our swim foundations classes because they know that improving their swim form and fitness will have a huge impact on how well their races go this year.
Drill Focused Workout
Most age group athletes don’t come from a swimming background, so it is essential that we continue to develop our swim form. When doing drill work, I find that it is incredibly helpful to use a snorkel so that you can focus fully on the drill instead of worrying about your next breath. Try this workout on for size:
15 minutes warm up with snorkel
5 minutes freestyle
5 minutes kick only
5 minutes pull with buoy and paddles
3x
10 minutes as 25 drill / 25 swim with 10 seconds rest
5 minutes freestyle swim
For the drill portion of the workout, consider focusing on drills that help you improve your body position or the catch and pull phases of the swim stroke. My two favorite drills for working on body position are 6-3-6 (6 kicks of the right, 3 strokes, 6 kicks on the left) and rotator kick. My two favorite for working on the catch and pull are sculling and double arm pulls.
Dryland Swim Workouts
Although swimming with a pull buoy and paddles is the most sport-specific way to build strength, regular dryland swim workouts that you can do at home will help you develop the strength you need in the pool especially in the pull phases of your swim stroke. Here’s a 30 minute strength workout you can do at home with a yoga ball and set of dryland swim bands such as the Finis Dryland Cord or my personal favorite the Finis Slide Dryland Trainer.
Dynamic warm up
Complete 3 rounds of the following:
1 minute two arm catch with band (focus on engaging the lats)
30 seconds flutter kick
45 seconds dead bugs
1 minute twists on ball
30 seconds shoulder adduction with band (each arm)
30 seconds shoulder abduction with band (each arm)
1 minute tricep extension with band
1 minute chest press with band OR push ups
1 minute two arm each with band
1 minute walk outs
1 minute Russian twists
Ladder Swim with Sighting
Depending on where you live, it may be months until you can get into open water. Still, it is a good idea to regularly work on developing your open water skills, especially sighting, so you are ready to go once you can get out there. Here’s my favorite sighting workout with a ladder swim set where you focus on holding the same swim pace at different distances.
15 minutes warm up with snorkel
5 minutes freestyle
5 minutes kick only
5 minutes pull with buoy and paddles
45 minutes as:
50/100/150/200/150/100/50 with sighting every 6-12 strokes
Rest 15 seconds between each interval
Repeat as needed
5 minutes warm down easy/choice
When doing a swim set where you are focusing on holding the same pace while fatigue sets in, I find it helpful to use either a Finis Tempo Trainer or Form Goggles to help keep track of swim pace.
And two bonus swim activities that will dramatically flatten your learning curve for the new triathlon season are swim lessons (or swim foundations) and joining us for open water swim workouts from March through September!
Jim Rowe is a Playtri Level 4 Coach and Coach Education Lead, a USAT LI Certified Coach, an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and an Ironman and 70.3 World Championship Qualifier who works with adult athletes from beginners to IRONMAN World Championship qualifiers. Learn more about Jim at www.playtri.com/jim-rowe