How to stay swim fit without an event

Swim Smooth coach Paul Newsome shares how to build a flexible training plan for when you don’t have an event on the horizon

When you don’t have an event on the horizon, it’s easy to let your swim training drift. Without the pressure of a specific goal, how do you stay motivated, maintain fitness and ensure you’re ready for future challenges? The answer lies in constructing a sustainable, flexible training plan that keeps swimming engaging while laying a solid foundation for performance.

Here’s how to stay swim fit during these ‘in-between’ periods.

Mix up your sessions

Variety in training keeps things fresh and develops all aspects of swimming fitness. Alternate between:

• Speed work: Short, high-intensity intervals (e.g. 50m or 100m sprints).
• Threshold sets: CSS-focused intervals, like 10x200m at CSS pace with a short rest.
• Endurance swims: Steady-state sets like 3x1000m to build aerobic fitness.
• Technique work: Sessions focused on drills, such as Swim Smooth’s Javelin Drill or Scull #1 depending on your technique focus.
  For inspiration, the Swim Smooth GURU’s Session Roulette offers a fun way to mix technique, fitness and open water sessions when you’re unsure what to do.

Fine-tine your CSS pace

Tracking and refining your CSS pace is vital for maintaining fitness. Regular tweaks to your pace keep your training progressive and aligned with your improvement.

You can make these calculations manually or use the CSS Tweaker tool in the Swim Smooth GURU after key sessions to adjust your targets based on performance. Over 10 weeks, these incremental adjustments yield significant gains in speed and confidence, based on the premise of ‘marginal gains’ popularised by Team SKY Head of Cycling, Sir Dave Brailsford.

Prioritise consistency

Without an event, consistency is key to maintaining fitness. Aim for 3-4 sessions per week, balancing quality and variety. If time is tight, focus on targeted sessions, such as CSS intervals or technique-focused swims, to maximize impact in less time.

I’m literally sat at the airport here in Perth about to board to head to the US & Canada for a wonderful family Christmas vacation, however, at the top of my mind (rightly or wrongly!) is how I’m going to try and stay fit over these four weeks, and the secret is not going to be the occasional mammoth session, but regular, shorter sessions to keep ticking over!

Build open water skills

Even in the pool, you can practice open water skills like sighting, drafting and breathing patterns. For example:

• Add sighting every sixth stroke during a 200m set.
• Swim with a partner to practice drafting.
• Alternate breathing sides to simulate open water conditions.

Our Saturday ‘Stoic’ Pool Session here in Perth aims to add in these elements within the session. Doing so, makes the sessions fun and engaging no matter what point someone is in their train/recover season cycles.

Make it engaging

Staying motivated without a goal can be tricky, so focus on making training enjoyable. For instance:

• Challenge yourself with personal goals, like hitting new pace milestones or completing new drills.
• Swim with a squad or friends for added motivation and accountability.
• Track your Stroke Insights℗ scores in the Swim Smooth GURU to see how your technique is improving.
  Gamified training, like Swim Smooth’s approach to stroke improvement, makes every session rewarding and measurable.

Test your fitness regularly

Without an event, periodic testing keeps you on track. Use timed swims like 400m, 1000m, or even a mile to measure progress and identify areas for improvement. These benchmarks provide valuable feedback and keep training purposeful.

Be ready for anything

A flexible plan allows you to pivot towards an event with confidence. If you spot a challenge 4-6 weeks out, adjust your training focus:

• Sprint events: Increase speed-focused intervals.
• Middle-distance swims: Emphasise threshold work and pacing.
• Long-distance challenges: Build endurance with longer sets and back-to-back sessions.

When you keep yourself ‘ticking over’ at a level where you’ve got consistency and routine without necessarily ‘mega miles’, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can raise your game in those 4-6 weeks with just an extra little bit of focus.

All up…

Swimming without a specific event is an opportunity to explore and maintain fitness at your own pace. By mixing session types, refining your CSS pace and embracing variety, you’ll stay ready for whatever comes next. Tools like the Swim Smooth GURU guide and inspire you, but your consistency and curiosity are what keep you moving forward.

Whether your next challenge is a sprint, marathon swim or simply staying healthy, the baseline fitness you build now will set you up for success. Keep swimming, stay curious, and be ready for anything. Have a great start to the New Year!

Swim Smooth GURU and Stroke Insights℗ are now available on 100+ Garmin devices.

Get personalized feedback to help yourefine your technique and swim specific fitness to achieve your swimming goals more quickly. See swimsmooth.com/guru for more details.