Base 400s Swim Workout for Easy Triathlon Training Days – Triathlon

After a tough weekend of training, Monday can seem like a write-off. But going to the pool for an easy swim may be exactly what your body needs.

Granted, this is not the time for a punitive set or tens of 100, but rather a time for censorship. Aerobic swimming It can actually speed up the recovery process, allowing you to move without any impact, eliminate fatigue, and build one of the most important skills in calm open water swimming: Consistency of stroke rate.

“An active swim like this after a hard weekend of training can make the recovery process easier over the next week,” says the former professional triathlete turned coach. Didi Griesbauer. “Weightless movement in the water can help reduce pain and speed up healing. The hydrostatic pressure of the water acts like a compression wrap, similar to Hyperice shoes. It can improve lymphatic circulation and eliminate cellular waste.”

Why stroke rate matters

This workout has a specific focus: maintaining your energy Stroke rate (The number of strokes you make per minute) is constant all the time. Think of it like Rhythm on the bike.

“Once you know your basal rate for a particular effort level, it can help you increase your effort by stabilizing cadence,” says Griesbauer. “Consistent rhythm also helps create muscle memory.” Just as your bike cadence may vary depending on the terrain or effort, so can your stroke rate—and knowing these numbers gives you a powerful tool for managing your effort on the water.

Griesbauer also explains the importance of developing comfort across a range of stroke rates. “Water conditions can play a role in whether stroke rate is useful on a given day,” she says. Tumbling swimming in the ocean requires a faster stroke rate, for example, than swimming in a calm, protected lake.

Keep it aerobic

The main set here is performed at a low aerobic heart rate (which is usually… 60-75% of maximum heart rate). You should be able to carry on a conversation comfortably, have your breathing elevated but controlled, and be able to sustain the effort for a long time without it feeling like work. You should feel a slight weight on your arms, but nothing approaching discomfort. If you have Heart rate He climbs through the group, tempered. The goal is consistency, not output.

Basic 400s workout

heating

• 200 swimming-rowing-swim-kick
• 4 x 50 such as 25 fast and 25 easy with 15 seconds rest
• 4 x 50 down 1–4 (first is slowest; get a little faster with each one) with 10 seconds rest

Main group

3-8 x 5 minutes (or 400 seconds, whichever comes first)

Perform 5 minutes (or 400) reps at an even, low heart rate. Just feel the “look” of the group; It shouldn’t be too difficult, but you will feel a load on your arms. Your heart rate and heart rate should remain constant throughout each swim.

(Note: Choose the number of reps you do based on the time available, your fitness, and your fatigue. Are you feeling particularly tired or pressed for time? Do 3 or 4. Do you feel better the longer you stay in the water? Lean into it!)

wetting

8 x 25 as follows:

• Even: Spread as flat as possible, then swim easily and smoothly to the end
• Odds: Kick on your back, stretched

10 seconds rest between 25 seconds

Extra credit

Check your stroke rate during the first 50 and last 50 of each rep in the main set. Your goal is to keep it consistent within each rep and across the entire group (which is a deceptively simple goal that reveals a lot about… Aerobic fitness And technique under fatigue).

How to incorporate this 400 core exercise into your training plan

This workout is perfect for Monday after a hard weekend of training. It can help aid recovery while continuing to build aerobic conditioning for swimming. And given the cardio and circulation benefits of swimming, it’s a rare exercise that truly deserves the recovery word, setting you up well for whatever the week ahead holds.