How to train for winter swimming events

Racing in cold water is very different to dipping, says Simon Griffiths

Winter swimming events usually run to a strict time schedule. There isn’t much scope for faff when being invited to undress in potentially sub-zero temperatures and climb into icy water. Your fellow competitors will also not appreciate being made to wait.

On entering the water, you will be required to submerge your shoulders before the start signal. At most, you will have a handful of seconds to prepare before you need to swim. Whether you’re in it to win it or there for the fun, you should ready yourself for this in your training.

Cold water shock

Our standard advice for cold water is to enter slowly and make sure your breathing is under control before attempting to swim. The reason is that cold water shock typically lasts a minute or two. During this time, if you’re not used to it, you may panic and gasp involuntarily – not a good move if your face is in the water. In a winter swimming race, you may have finished before you get through the cold water shock stage.

Your top priority in training is therefore acclimatising to the cold to minimise the impact of cold water shock and enable you to start swimming immediately. This requires regular and frequent exposure to cold water – if possible, at least once per week in the run up to your event. This will lower your cold water shock response and enable you to keep control of your breathing. Ensure that you practise in a safe and supervised place, ideally somewhere you can stand up if you panic.

Pacing

Starting your swim at the right intensity is important for peak performance in any event. In cold water, it’s essential, even for a 50m sprint. Trying to swim fast in cold water is very different to doing it in a heated pool. You get out of breath much more quickly. While you might be tempted to go all out from the beginning, it’s usually faster and less painful – not to mention safer – to set off at a measured pace.

You can only learn what the right initial pace is through experience. Your next task in training is therefore to get into cold water, swim at different intensities and find out what happens. If you’re gasping after a few strokes, you’ve gone too fast. Slow down and focus on breathing calmly.

The right starting pace will probably be a little slower than you need for the same distance in warm water.

Cold water tolerance

For splash and dash events, up to around 250m, your cold water tolerance is of little relevance. If you can cope with cold water shock, your swim will most likely be finished before there is any risk of hypothermia or swim failure. 

However, the longer the swim, the greater the risk of succumbing to the cold. If you’re swimming anything that will take longer than 10 minutes, ensure you have built up to those distances through regular training. An ice kilometre or beyond is an extreme challenge and you should seek additional advice before attempting one.

Speed

Fast swimmers in warm water are usually fast in cold water, provided they have acclimatised. Becoming a faster swimmer requires time spent on refining your technique and building your fitness. For most of us, it would be impractical and dangerous to spend sufficient time in cold water to achieve this.

If performance is your goal, you should therefore spend dedicated time in warmer water honing your swimming technique and keeping it together while swimming fast. Try to do at least two (warm) pool swims each week. You may also benefit from land-based strength training.

Final details

Ensure you know the rules. In standard pool races, you’re allowed up to 15m underwater after starts and turns. In cold water events, you may be required to surface within 5m. You’re also not allowed dive starts or tumble turns. Practice efficient in-water starts and touch turns in heated pool first, and then in the cold.

In brief, your first task is to ensure you are safe to swim and can cope with cold water. This is essential even if you are not in to win it. If you want to race, you need to learn how to control your initial speed to avoid running out of breath halfway through. To be competitive at the top level, you should work on technique and speed in warm water, and make sure your starts and turns are effective.

Finally, remember that winter swimming events attract swimmers with a wide range of abilities. It is entirely acceptable – and encouraged – to take part for the fun and personal challenge of it. Don’t let those people chasing records and medals put you off having a great time.