Boost Your Triathlon Swim: Mastering Speed, Kicking & Race Starts

How to Execute Each Set & Why It Matters

🔹 Warmup: 8x50 IM Swim (Free Dolphin, Back, Breast, Free) alternating swim and kick + 50 Sidekick + 50 Finger Tip Drill
The warmup is designed to activate different muscle groups and improve stroke versatility. The IM sequence introduces all key movements, alternating between swim and kick to develop endurance and coordination. The Sidekick Drill enhances balance and body alignment, while the Finger Tip Drill refines hand placement and recovery for a more efficient freestyle stroke.

🔹 Drill Set #1: Short Diving Drill for Race Starts
A strong start is crucial in triathlon swimming, where positioning can dictate the entire race outcome. This drill set focuses on diving technique—practicing streamlined entries for minimal drag, quick breakouts, and forward momentum.

🔹 Pre-Set: 50 Lane Relay w/ Treading Water w/ Bricks
This set enhances upper body endurance and mental toughness, essential for open-water swimming where treading water may be necessary before the start. Holding a brick while treading builds core and leg strength while reinforcing strong body control.

🔹 Drill Set #2: 50 Heel Tag, 50 Seahorse, 50 Lacrosse Ball, 50 Breast Stroke, Repeat

• Heel Tag Drill (Breaststroke kick on back, touching heels) improves hip mobility and flexibility in the kick.
• Seahorse Drill enhances buoyancy control and body balance in the water.
• Lacrosse Ball Drill improves head placement while completing Breast Stroke.
• Breaststroke Work ensures coordination between kick and arm movements, helping with pacing and efficiency.

🔹 Drill Set #3: 50 Pull - Free, 100 Pull-One Arm Stroke, 100 One Arm Stroke w/o Pull, 50 Pull - Free
These pulling drills emphasize stroke efficiency, strength, and controlled breathing. One-arm strokes isolate movement, allowing swimmers to fine-tune catch and pull mechanics, critical for open-water conditions.

🔹 Main Set: Race-Paced Speed Work

• 100 FAST Free w/ 60-70s rest → Simulates the beginning push of a triathlon swim.
• 75 FAST Free w/ 40-60s rest → Builds sprint endurance.
• 4x50 FAST Free w/ 40-60s rest → Develops repeated sprint ability.
• 8x25 FAST Free w/ 30-50s rest → Enhances turnover speed and lactic tolerance.

🔹 Cooldown: 100 Dolphin Dive
Finishing with dolphin dives allows for active recovery while reinforcing efficient forward movement through the water. This drill mimics open-water swim techniques, allowing athletes to glide through waves and break out efficiently.

Workout Summary for Easy Execution

Warmup

• 8×50 IM Swim (Alternating Swim/Kick: Free Dolphin, Back, Breast, Free)
• 50 Sidekick
• 50 Finger Tip Drill

Drill Set #1

• Short Diving Drill Set for Race Starts

Pre-Set

• 50 Lane Relay with Treading Water & Bricks

Drill Set #2

• 50 Heel Tag Drill (Breaststroke kick on back, touching heels)
• 50 Seahorse Drill
• 50 Lacrosse Ball Drill (Focus on balance)
• 50 Breaststroke
• Repeat set

Drill Set #3

• 50 Pull – Freestyle
• 100 Pull – One Arm Stroke
• 100 One Arm Stroke w/o Pull
• 50 Pull – Freestyle
• Repeat set

Main Set (High-Intensity Speed Work)

• 100 FAST Freestyle (60-70s rest)
• 75 FAST Freestyle (40-60s rest)
• 4×50 FAST Freestyle (40-60s rest)
• 8×25 FAST Freestyle (30-50s rest)

Cooldown

• 100 Dolphin Dive

This workout blends technique refinement, endurance training, and sprint development to help triathletes maximize efficiency and power in the water.

Additional Resources for Improved Training

1. Triathlon Swim Training: Essential Drills for Strength and Endurance
2. Muscular Anatomy
3. Basic Nutrition

Intermediate Swim & Learn to Swim Workouts: Speed, Efficiency, and Technique Development

Intermediate Swim Workout

Building Power & Endurance

The Intermediate Swim session is designed to enhance stroke efficiency, power, and speed, with a strong focus on dolphin kicking, butterfly stroke, and treading water endurance. The session begins with a 25-yard dive start to reinforce strong race entry techniques, followed by a 200-yard IM kick drill to develop balance and endurance across all four strokes. Heel tag and seahorse drills refine stroke mechanics, while the breaststroke segment helps swimmers maintain proper form and rhythm.

Treading Water & Stroke Refinement

The pre-set relay includes fast freestyle lane swims combined with treading water while holding bricks, mimicking open-water conditions and building upper body strength for endurance events. The drill set emphasizes dolphin kicking, transitioning from free dolphin to one-arm stroke mechanics, back dolphin kick, and butterfly form. The main set pushes swimmers into four rounds of fast 25-yard butterfly sprints, reinforcing power and race pace execution.

Intermediate Swim Workout Breakdown

Warmup: Building Efficiency and Stroke Awareness

• 25 Start – Swimmers begin with a dive or push-off from the wall, focusing on their streamlined position for a powerful start.
• 200 IM Kick – This kick set rotates through all four strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle) to build leg endurance and coordination across different movements.
• 50 Heel Tag Drill – In this breaststroke kick-focused drill, swimmers lie on their back and tap their heels to reinforce proper leg positioning and encourage an efficient kick.
• 50 Seahorse Drill – This helps swimmers develop body control and balance by keeping their arms still and focusing on maintaining an efficient, buoyant body position.
• 50 Breast Stroke – Practicing breaststroke fundamentals, this length ensures strong glide phases, proper timing, and a powerful leg kick.
• Repeat the Set – Ensures mastery and muscle memory by performing the drills multiple times.

Pre-Set: Strength and Water Endurance

• 50 FAST Free Lane Relay with Treading Water & Bricks – Teams compete in a relay, sprinting 50 yards and then treading water while passing around weighted bricks. This builds explosive power, endurance, and teamwork.

Drill Set: Enhancing Stroke Coordination & Dolphin Kick Strength

• 50 Free Dolphin – Swimmers practice dolphin kick while maintaining freestyle arm strokes, reinforcing fluid movement.
• 100 One-Arm Stroke w/ Dolphin Kick – Focusing on one-arm strokes while using dolphin kicks helps improve body rotation, streamline, and breath control.
• 100 Back Dolphin Kick – This backstroke drill forces swimmers to use their core and legs efficiently, refining their underwater propulsion.
• 50 Free Dolphin – A repeat of the earlier drill to reinforce the skillset.
• 2x25 Butterfly Stroke – Short bursts of butterfly stroke reinforce timing, breath coordination, and maintaining momentum.
• Repeat the Drill Set – Provides additional repetitions to solidify movement patterns.

Main Set: Power and Sprinting Ability

• 4x25 Butterfly Stroke Fast w/ 60-70s rest – High-intensity sprint butterfly strokes challenge endurance and technique, simulating race conditions.

Cooldown: Recovery and Controlled Movements

• 100 Dolphin Dive – Finishing with dolphin dives enhances lung capacity and teaches control while moving through the water efficiently.

Learn to Swim Workout

Fundamentals & Confidence in the Water

The Learn to Swim session helps beginners build confidence while reinforcing foundational swim techniques. The warmup integrates essential skills, such as burpee bubbles for breath control, back floating for buoyancy awareness, and streamlined push-offs from the wall to improve body positioning in the water. Kickboard drills focus on leg strength and efficient propulsion.

Introducing Dolphin Kick & Underwater Movement

The pre-set engages swimmers with fast kicking intervals, progressively increasing in intensity to teach muscle endurance and power. The drill set introduces dolphin kicking techniques, both on the wall and with a board, followed by diving through a hoop, helping students get comfortable with underwater movement. The main set and cooldown reinforce kicking efficiency, ensuring strong propulsion and better body control in the water.

Learn to Swim Workout Breakdown

Warmup: Water Familiarization & Breath Control

• 2x20s Standing Kick – Introduces basic leg movements, helping swimmers understand propulsion mechanics before progressing to floating.
• 20x Burpee Bubbles – Encourages proper breath control and confidence in submerging while reinforcing explosive movements.
• 30s Back Float – Teaches balance, relaxation, and buoyancy in the water to improve overall confidence.
• 5x Flips – Helps swimmers get comfortable with somersaults in water, which will later assist in learning flip turns.
• 5x Streamline off Wall – Introduces proper push-off technique, reinforcing a tight streamlined position for minimal drag.
• 50 Kick – Ends the warmup with a short distance focusing on sustained propulsion.

Pre-Set: Developing Speed and Stamina

• 6x10s Kick Fast w/ Board w/ 20s rest – A high-intensity kicking drill designed to strengthen leg endurance and improve speed.
• Increasing Each Interval by +1 Second (Work) & -1 Second (Rest) – Progressively challenges swimmers by increasing effort and decreasing rest, improving stamina.

Drill Set: Building Coordination and Power

• Dolphin Kick on Wall – Swimmers hold the pool wall and practice dolphin kicking, learning to generate power from their hips.
• Dolphin Kick w/ Board – Forces swimmers to keep their body aligned while applying the dolphin kick over a longer distance.
• Dolphin Dive Through Hoop – Introduces controlled underwater movement, helping swimmers practice streamline and body control.

Main Set / Cooldown: Reinforcing Kicking Power

• 50 Kick – A final controlled kicking drill designed to improve endurance and refine movement patterns.

Intermediate Swim and Learn to Swim Workouts for Easy Execution

Intermediate Swim Workout Summary

Warmup

• 25-yard Start Dive
• 100 IM Kick
• 50 Heel Tag Drill
• 50 Seahorse Drill
• 50 Lacrosse Ball Drill
• 50 Breaststroke
• Repeat set

Pre-Set

• 50 FAST Freestyle Lane Relay + Treading Water & Bricks

Drill Set

• 50 Free Dolphin
• 100 One-Arm Stroke w/ Dolphin Kick
• 100 Back Dolphin Kick
• 50 Free Dolphin
• 2×25 Butterfly Stroke
• Repeat

Main Set

• 4×25 Butterfly Stroke FAST (60-70s rest)

Cooldown

• 100 Dolphin Dive

Learn to Swim Workout Summary

Warmup

• 2×20s Standing Kick
• 20× Burpee Bubbles
• 30s Back Float
• 5× Flips
• 5× Streamline Push-offs
• 50 Kick

Pre-Set

• 6×10s Fast Kick w/ Board (Progressively increasing effort and reducing rest)

Drill Set

• Dolphin Kick (on Wall & with Board)
• Dolphin Dive through Hoop

Main Set / Cooldown

• 50 Kick

Tags for Essential Triathlon, Intermediate, and Learn to Swim Workouts

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