Adam 'Ocean' Walker Swim Training

Ocean Walker’s Effective Training Plan

I have put together a training plan together which not only help with speed but also help muscular endurance if you have any longer swims planned.

The key to an effective swim plan is to make it simple to follow, achievable and keeps you motivated. This type of plan is what I used to develop my fitness to enable me to increase endurance in order to swim ‘Oceans Seven’ (The Toughest Ocean Swims in the World)

I found increasing the speed and opting for 'high intensity, low volume' more beneficial rather than just swimming up and down in the pool for hours at the same speed.

I would laminate my training plans so they became a physical thing, rather than just in my head. Also if you have made effort to create the plan and laminate it, you are more likely to stick to it.

So here is my recommended plan to get you off to a great start!

Training Plan

Warm up – 100 metres easy speed and don’t time it, this is used to get the arms and legs moving and to practice technique.

Main Set –

4 x 25 metres Single arms only (left arm only 25 metres, right arm only 25 metres) repeat twice on no time easy pace concentrating on technique

4 x 50 metres (3/4 speed after each 50 metres rest 15 secs)

5 x 100 metres (3/4 speed after each 100 metres rest 20 secs)

4 x 200 metres (2 x 200 metres full speed, 2 x 200 metres half pace, after each 200 metres rest 30 secs)

2 x 400 metres (3/4 speed after each 400 metres rest 30 secs)

Warm down 100 metre warm down (east speed no time)

Total set 2.5k

This type of plan is designed to increase your heart rate and limit the rest, it focuses on quality not quantity.

Gym

In addition to swimming, some strength training can really help such as working out in the gym with specific exercises that help your swimming.

I used 25 per cent of my time in the gym working on muscular endurance for the chest, arm and back. I used lighter weights doing 4 sets with 15-20 reps each.

I also worked hard on strengthening my core, as it powers my swim stroke so I would include varied sets of sit-ups and plank work. Having a variety of planned gym sessions kept me interested and motivated.

How often?

For standard triathlons I recommend doing around 2-3 km a session in the pool. How many times a week depends on your work/family commitments.

If you have an open water challenge, then similar to me you will need to get swimming outside as soon as it is warm enough to do so and at least once or twice a week preferably for approximately 30 minutes at a time. For an Iron Man you can increase the distance to an additional 1km in the pool and build up to 1 hour sessions in open water.

If you are swimming for leisure and health then ideally once a week, its great to relax the mind as well as the fitness benefits.

Nutrition

Nutrition and hydration is an important element that can often be overlooked. Make sure you take a bottle of water/isotonic drink to each pool session.

Depending on the distance you swim, you may want to also take some food. I would take energy bars as I needed to replace the calories being burnt. In a pool I would burn around 800 calories per hour.

Your diet plays an important role in your fitness and endurance. Make sure you eat and drink well, not only before and after a session, but throughout the day. This can become quite a task, especially when you have other commitments, so it is good to be organised when planning and preparing your meals to work with your training goals.

Rest is Important

Making sure you have rest days in between sessions, it’s important and very often overlooked. Your muscles require time to recover from your training regime and this also gives you time to recoup your energy and to be at your best for training.