In August 2019, I’m aiming to swim 21km (plus potentially a little more) at Vidöstern Simmet, which is billed as Sweden’s toughest open water race. At Outdoor Swimmer we frequently get asked for ideas for training sessions, so I started sharing the training sessions I’m doing for that on Twitter @SimonDGriffiths for anyone else that wants to try them. I’ve now decided to move them here as I kept running out of characters on Twitter. These are mostly sessions I’ve done with Teddington Masters Swimming Club and created by the club coaches (thank you Ian, Lorraine and Veronica). Others I do with friends (AKA “The 400 Club”). Tuesday morning sessions are often adapted from sets originally created by Fiona Ford from Triathlon Europe, who is a Swim Smooth coach and contributor to Outdoor Swimmer.

Training sessions often appear to be written in code so please ask via Twitter if anything is not clear. Abbreviations I use include:

FC = Front crawl, BA = Backstroke, BS = Breaststroke, Fly = Butterfly, IM = Individual Medley, +10s = take about 10 seconds rest before starting the next swim.

The main pools I use are Hampton Pool (36m long), Richmond Pools on the Park (33.3m long), Teddington Pool (25m) and Hanworth Pool (25m)

Adapt the distances for the length of pool you’re training in and adjust the times to suit your own swimming speed. Let me know via Twitter how you get on.

Training sessions from 1 to 15 January

Training sessions from 16 to 31 January

Training sessions from 1 to 14 February

Training sessions from 15 to 28 February

Training sessions from 1 to 15 March

Training sessions from 16 to 31 March

Threshold set: 100s and 200s

Warm up

100m FC, 100m BS, 100m FC kick, 100m BS, 100m FC

3 x 33.3m FC build

Main set (all FC)

6 x 100m off 1:35

3 x 200m off 3:10

4 x 100m off 1:35

2 x 200m off 3:10

2 x 100m off 1:35

1 x 200m off 3:10

Cool down

100m BA, 100m BS

Total distance: 3200m

400 club at its best

Warm up

200m FC, 200m BA, 200m FC

Main set

8 x 400m FC off 6:15 (all swum at 5:25 to 5:30 pace, with lots of drafting)

6 x 33.3m FL sprints

Cool down

100m BS, 100m FC

Total distance: 4200m

A quiet Teddington Masters session

Warm up

24 lengths alternating 1L FC with 1L medley order (drill on fly) (864m)

Set 1 (all FC)

8L off 4:15, 2 x 4L off 2:30, 4 x 2L off 1:15, 8 x 1L off 40s (Total: 32L = 1152m)

2L easy

Set 2

7 x 4x1IM off 2:45 (1,008m)

Set 3 (all FC)

8 x 1L off 40s, 4 x 2L off 1:15, 2 x 4L off 2:30, 8L off 4:15 (Total: 32L = 1152m)

Cool down

8L easy (288m)

Total distance: 4,464m

Club session with Teddington Masters. (Got out early)

Warm up

200m FC, 200m BA, 200m FC, 200m BA, 200m FC

Main set

4 x 100m FC off 1:30, 50m easy, 4 x 50m FC off 45s, 50m easy, 4 x 100m FC off 1:25, 50m easy

250m as 25m FL, 50m BA, 75m BS, 100m FC

100m drills

4 x 100m FC off 1:45 steady pace, sprint last 25m

50m easy

6 x 50m FC off 45s

Cool down

250m easy

Total distance: 3500m

Sprint set

Warm up

2 rounds of 4 lengths FC, 3 lengths BA, 2 lengths BS, 1 length FL

Prep set

4 x 33.3m FC or FL sprint + 30s

Main set

20 x 100m FC as

• Odds: max effort off 1:30
• Evens: steady, off 2:30

Cool down

200m easy

Total distance: 3000m

Threshold set. Still feeling tired after the weekend, but better than yesterday.

Warm up

2 x (100m FC, 100m BA, 100m as 66.7m kick and 33.3m drill)

Prep set

4 x 66.7m FC descend

Main set

8 x 100m FC off 1:35

3 x 133.3m off 2:06

1 x 200m off 3:10

4 x 100m off 1:35

5 x 66.7m off 1:00

1 x 200m off 3:10

Cool down

200m easy

Total distance: 3400m

Struggled with this one!

Warm up

600m mix FC/BA

Main set

4 x 400m FC off 6:15

2 x 400m mix FC and BA off 6:15

Cool down

400m easy

Total distance: 3400m

Not a training set but 2Swim4Life 2019 – as a relay team of three.

Main set

1 mile every three hours for 24 hours

Total distance: 8 miles (12,800m)

Club session with Teddington Masters

Warm up

200m FC, 200m BA, 200m FC, 200m BA

Main set

4 x 100m FC off 1:30, 50m easy, 4 x 100m FC off 1:25, 50m easy

4 x 50m FC off 45s, 50m easy, 4 x 25m FL, 50m easy

400m FC threshold pace, 50m easy

3 x 100m FC off 1:30, 50m easy, 3 x 100m FC off 1:25, 50m easy, 3 x 100m FC off 1:20, 50m easy

6 x 50m FC off 40s (didn’t make the times this one!), 50m easy

4 x 25m FL, 50m easy, 2 x 50m FC off 35s

Cool down

250m easy mix FC/BA

Total distance: 4550m

Sprint set adapted from an original by Jack Maitland

Warm-up

200m FC, 200m kick, 200m BA

Prep set

3 x 66.7m FC descend

Main Set

5 rounds of:

• 100m max, 15s rest, 66.7m max, 15s rest, 33.3m max, 15s rest
• 3 x 66.7m easy + 10s rest after each

Cool down

200m easy

Total distance: 3000m

Just two of us in the lane for this threshold set

Warm up

400m mix FC/BA

Prep-set

6 x 66.7m as 1 length easy, 1 length sprint on FL, BA, BS x 2

Main set (continuous. All FC at threshold pace)

• 6 x 100m off 1:35
• 2 x 200m off 3:10
• 4 x 100m off 1:35
• 2 x 200m off 3:10
• 2 x 100m off 1:35
• 2 x 200m off 3:10

Cool down

200m easy

Total distance: 3400m

Scaled down version of usual Monday morning set – and swam more slowly than usual.

Warm up

600m mix of FC and BA

Main set

6 x 400m off 6:15 descending 5:55 to 5:30

Cool down

200m easy

Total: 3200m

1500m race (long course)

Warm up

200m FC, 200m BA, 200m FC, 200m BA, 4 x 50m at race pace.

Race

1500m – 20:18.71

Cool down

200m easy

Total distance: 2700m

First hour of 90 minute session with Teddington Masters (got out early ahead of Saturday’s 1500m race)

Warm up

200m FC, 200m BA, 200m FC, 200m BA, 200m FC

Main set

4 x 50m FC off 45s / 50m easy / 4 x 50m FC off 45s / 50m easy

4 x 200m FC off 2:55 (approx. 15s res after each)

100m easy / 200m FC max effort / 100m easy

4 x 25m FL + 20s rest after each

100m BA

Cool down

250m easy mixed strokes

Total: 3200m

Sprint set adapted from an original by Jack Maitland

Warm up

200m FC, 200m drill, 200m alt FC/BA (600m)

Main set

4 x (33.3m sprint, 15s rest, 100m easy, 20s rest) (533.3m)

3 x (66.7m sprint, 20s rest, 133.3m easy, 20s rest) (600m)

2 x (100m sprint, 20s rest, 200m easy, 20s rest) (600m)

1 x 133m sprint

Second set

4 x 66.7m kick (1-2 easy, 3 moderate, 4 hard) (266.7m)

200m FC steady breathing on 3, 5 and 7 strokes, changing each length

Cool down

266.7m easy

Total: 3200m

Focus on holding 1500m pace over 100m repeats

Warm up

8 lengths (266.7m) alt FC/BA

4 x 100m FC descending off 2:00

4 x 33.3m FC descending off 0:45

Main set

15 x 100m FC at 1500m race pace off 1:35

100m easy

5 x 100m FC at 1500m race pace, count strokes and keep consistent, off 1:35

100m easy

2 x 100m FC at 1500m race pace, count strokes and keep consistent, off 1:35

Cool down

200m mixed FC/BA/BS

Total distance: 3400m

Regular set of 400s with some changes in pace, a backstroke twist and flying finish.

Warm up

600m mixed FC and BA

Main set

8 x 400m FC off 6:15.

• Odds: 200m at CSS + 5-7s per 100, 200m at CSS + 3-4s per 100m
• Evens: 200m at CSS + 3-4s per 100, 200m at CSS + 5-7s per 100m
• Include 1 length backstroke in each 400m

6 x 33.3m FL + 30s rest after each

Cool down

200m alt FC/BA

Total distance: 4200m

Relaxed recovery swim to enjoy the spring sunshine after a long run

Main set

4 x 3 lengths FC, relaxed pace, choose different technique focal point for each set of 3

6 lengths back stroke – relax and enjoy the water

4 x 1 IM

2 lengths kick, lightly scull to breathe otherwise stay streamlined

24 x 1 length FC, easy, best possible technique, about 5 to 10s rest after each.

Total distance = 1728m

Club session with Teddington Masters

Warm up

24 lengths as 1 length FC, 1 length medley order (drill on FL) (864m)

Set 1 (1,224m)

4 x 8 lengths as 1 FL, 1 FC, 1 BA, 1 FC, 1 BS, 3 FC + 45s rest after each

2 lengths easy

Set 2 (2,016m)

1 x 8 lengths FC off 4:15

2 x 4 lengths FC off 2:30

4 x 2 lengths FC off 1:15

8 x 1 length FC off 0:40

4 x 2 lengths FC off 1:15

2 x 4 lengths FC off 2:30

1 x 8 lengths FC off 4:15

Cool down

14 lengths mixed strokes (504m)

Total distance: 4,608m

Thursday night freestyle session with Teddington Masters

Warm up

200m FC, 200m BA, 200m FC, 200m BA, 200m FC

Prep set (FC + choice of stroke on recovery swims)

4 x 50m off 45s, 50m easy, 3 x 50m off 40s, 50m easy, 2 x 50m off 35s, 50m easy, 50m sprint, 50m easy (total = 700m)

Main set (2350m aim to hold same pace throughout except on recovery swims)

4 x 100m FC off 1:30, 50m easy

2 x 200m FC off 3:00, 50m easy

1 x 400m FC, 100m easy

2 x 200m FC off 3:00, 50m easy

4 x 100m FC of 1:25, 100m easy

Second set (FC + choice of stroke on recovery swims)

50m sprint, 50m easy, 2 x 50m off 35s, 50m easy, 3 x 50m off 40s (total = 400m)

Cool down

200m mixed strokes

Total distance = 4650m

Sprint set from 2011 originally by Jack Maitland and adapted to 33.3m

Warm up

100m FC, 100m BA

200m as 33.3 doggy paddle, 33.3m fists, 33.3m swim, repeat

100m FC, 100m BA

Prep

3 x 66.67m FC descending (head up polo style optional on first length) + 20s rest

Main set

2 rounds of:

• 3 x 66.7m FC sprint + 90s rest after each

• 200m steady recovery

• 2 x 66.7m FC sprint + 2 minutes rest after each

• 133m steady recovery

• 1 x 66.7m FC sprint (dive optional)

• 133m steady recovery

200m kick alternating 33.3m sprint, 33.3m steady

Cool down

266.7m FC/BA

Total distance: 3000m

Another threshold/CSS session by Chris Freeman

Warm up

100m FC, 100m BA, 133.3m FC, 100m BA, 100m FC

Prep set

6 x 66.7m FC as 1 length build, 1 length sprint + 15s rest

Main set – all FC at threshold or CSS pace

(Choose swim and rest intervals that give you ~15s rest per 100m swim at CSS pace)

6 x 100m off 1:35

3 x 133.3m off 2:05

3 x 200m off 3:10

4 x 100m off 1:35

4 x 66.7m off 1:00

1 x 200m off 3:10

Cool down

200m easy

Total distance: 3600m

Hard to get up after the clocks changed for a regular session of the 400 club

Warm up

400m mixed FC/BA

Main set

8 x 400m FC off 6:15 – swim times between 5:35 and 5:25

Cool down

400m mixed FC/BA

Total distance: 4000m