Effortless Swimming · Training
TL;DR: Six complete swimming workouts below — speed, aerobic, race pace, distance, lactic tolerance and recovery — taken from the training manual I’ve used to take a Masters squad to back-to-back national titles. Each session lists warm-up, main set and cool-down, with guidance to scale it to your level.
Most swim workouts suck. They’re boring, monotonous, and they don’t work the different energy systems — they’re designed to fill time, not make you faster.
A good session is different: it has a goal, it works a specific energy system, and every set in it earns its place. The six workouts below come from the Effortless Swimming workouts manual — programs I’ve personally used to take a Masters squad to two back-to-back national titles and swimmers to dozens of open water medals.
Pick one, swim it with intention, and you’ll feel the difference this week.
Why most swim workouts fail
Swimming up and down at one pace trains exactly one thing: swimming up and down at one pace.
Your body has different energy systems — aerobic endurance, threshold, sprint power, lactic tolerance — and each responds to different work. A balanced week touches several of them and leaves room to recover.
Two rules before any main set:
- Know your pace. Do a 400/200 test with the CSS calculator so “aerobic” and “hard” are numbers on the pace clock, not moods.
- Keep technique in the session. Every workout below includes drill or kick work — fitness built on a leaky stroke leaks with it. The fundamentals live in our swimming technique guide, and if breathing falls apart when you swim hard, fix that first with these breathing drills.
How to choose today’s workout
| If you want… | Swim | Feels like |
|---|---|---|
| Power and fast 50s | Workout 1 — Speed & strength | Strong, punchy |
| A better engine | Workout 2 — Aerobic speed | Controlled, honest |
| Race sharpness | Workout 3 — Race pace | Guns blazing |
| Endurance for tri or open water | Workout 4 — Distance | A good burn late |
| To hurt (productively) | Workout 5 — Lactic tolerance | Best average, no blow-ups |
| To recover and polish technique | Workout 6 — Recovery | Smooth and easy |
The distances shown are the middle (roughly 60-minute, ~2.5–3km) versions. Newer swimmers: halve the number of sets and repeats and keep the rest generous. Experienced swimmers: add a set or extend the reps — the structure stays the same. If your pool is measured in yards, convert the sets first with our swim distance converter.
Workout 1: Speed & strength
Goal: big warm-up with speed-strength work in the 8x50s, then push the fly hard in the main set and make the distance. Can’t swim fly? Swap in freestyle or another stroke — the set still works.
Warm-up
- 2 sets of: 400 free · 3×100 as 1x back, 1x breast, 1x free · 8×50 of: set 1 pull buoy (build 1-4), set 2 fins and paddles (build 1-4)
Main set
- 2 sets of: 4×50 as — 1) 20m fly / 30m free · 2) 30m fly / 20m free · 3) 40m fly / 10m free · 4) 50m fly
- 100 easy freestyle between sets
Cool-down
- 100 swim down
Total: ~3km · about 60 minutes
Workout 2: Aerobic speed
Goal: develop speed while swimming at an aerobic pace. Lift your speed in the hard efforts and control your heart rate in the aerobic swimming.
Warm-up
- 600 swim
- 2 sets of: 50 of 12 kicks / 3-stroke changeover · 50 fingertip drag · 50 build
Main set
- 2 sets of: 300 aerobic + 100 hard
- 1 set of: 200 aerobic + 100 hard
- 1 set of: 100 aerobic + 100 hard
- 100 easy
- 8×50 as 25 fly / 25 free
Cool-down
- 100 recovery swim down
Total: ~2.8km · about 60 minutes
“Aerobic” here means your steady CSS+5-or-so pace — if you don’t know yours, that’s what the CSS test is for.
Workout 3: Race pace speed
Goal: lots of 25m sprints — good for practicing race pace and getting used to swimming at speed. Guns blazing!
Warm-up
- 400 as 150 free / 50 back, twice through
- 2 sets of: 50 kick · 50 drill · 50 swim
Main set
- 12×25 fast
- 3×200 aerobic pace
- 8×25 fast
- 3×100 IM (build 1-3)
- 4×25 fast
Cool-down
- 300 swim down
Total: ~2.5km · about 60 minutes
Workout 4: Distance
Goal: the 100s start comfortable, but towards the end there’s almost no rest. Looking for a good burn in the last set.
Warm-up
- 2×200 choice
Main set
- 8×100 on 1:50 · 6×100 on 1:45 · 4×100 on 1:40 · 2×100 on 1:35
- 90 seconds rest between sets — adjust the send-off times so you’re just making the last set
- 200 easy
- 6×50 as odds scull, evens 25 fly / 25 free
Cool-down
- 200 easy
Total: ~3.1km · about 60 minutes
The send-offs above are examples — set yours from your own 100 pace so the last set is just barely makeable.
Workout 5: Lactic tolerance
Goal: “best average” means as fast as you can hold for the whole set without blowing up — so you’re holding as quick as you can for each 200.
Warm-up
- 400 mix up
- 4 sets of: 50 kick · 50 free (no kick) · 50 of 15m fast / 35m easy
- 3×100 build 1-3 · 200 easy
Main set
- 5×200 best average — 100 recovery after each 200
Cool-down
- 10×50 with fins, alternating back / breast / free
Total: ~3km · about 60 minutes
Workout 6: Recovery & technique
Goal: rolling through some easy swimming. Focus on good technique and swimming smooth.
Warm-up
- 1000 with fins as 200 free / 100 back / 100 side kick / 100 drill, repeated
Main set
- 12×50 drill of your choice
- 12×50 free breathing every 5 strokes
- 6×100 holding stroke count
Cool-down
- 200 swim down
Total: ~3km · about 60 minutes
Count your strokes on those 100s — holding your count while staying relaxed is the quiet skill that makes every other workout here more effective. The drills that pay off most in this session are in the breathing drills guide.
Workout terms explained
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Build | Start easy and get faster towards the end of the rep |
| Build 1-4 | Build across the reps: first one slowest, fourth one fastest |
| Max / sprint | As fast as you can go |
| Moderate / aerobic | A comfortable pace you could hold for a long swim |
| Breathing 3/5 in 50s | Breathe every 3rd stroke for the first 50, every 5th for the second |
| Drill | Your choice of any drill — vary them as you go |
| Form | Any stroke except freestyle |
| Choice | Any stroke you like |
| On 1:50 (send-off) | Start each rep every 1:50 — swim time plus whatever rest remains |
| Best average | The fastest pace you can repeat for every rep in the set without fading |
Frequently asked questions
How many of these workouts should I do per week?
Two to four sessions a week suits most swimmers and triathletes. Mix the goals: an aerobic session, a speed or race-pace session, and a recovery/technique swim make a solid week. Add the distance or lactic session when you’re building toward a race.
I can’t swim butterfly — can I still do these sessions?
Yes. If a set includes a stroke you can’t do yet, swap in freestyle or another stroke — the energy-system work still happens. Changing strokes is good cross-training in itself.
What pace should the aerobic and hard efforts be?
Base them on your CSS pace: aerobic swimming sits around 4 to 7 seconds per 100 slower than CSS, threshold work right at it, and the fast efforts a few seconds per 100 quicker. Do the 400/200 test on the CSS calculator to get your numbers.
How do I make these workouts shorter or longer?
Scale the number of sets, not the structure. Halve the repeats and keep rests generous for a ~30-minute version; add a set or extend the main-set reps for a 90-minute session. Warm-up and cool-down stay in either way.
How long before I get faster?
Swimmers who move from unstructured laps to sessions with a goal usually feel a difference within three to four weeks, and see it on the pace clock within six to eight — especially when they retest their CSS. Technique work accelerates all of it.
The takeaway
Stop filling time. Pick the workout that matches today’s goal, know your paces, and swim every set with intention.
Rotate through the six sessions, retest your CSS every 6 to 8 weeks, and keep a technique session in the week. That’s the whole formula — everything else is consistency.
The goggles I swim in
Every workout above lives and dies on the pace clock — and you can’t hit a send-off you can’t see. Foggy lenses halfway through a main set mean missed times, crooked lines and a session that quietly falls apart.
The NanoClear Strike fixes the problem at the source: the anti-fog is bonded directly into the lens material instead of coated on top, so it doesn’t rub off or wash away — clear vision on rep one and rep forty. The soft contoured gaskets stay comfortable through a full session without pressing marks into your face.
It’s our most popular all-rounder — pool and open water, training and racing — with an adjustable nose bridge and a wide lens that keeps the clock, the wall and the swimmer ahead all in view.
I’m a 48 year-old triathlete. Recently I’ve achieved my goal of 2.4 mile distance. And have a PB of 85min in the pool without flip turns. My gains over the past two years have come from technique, improved endurance from running, lower %body fat (16.5%) and weight, plus nutrition. I currently have access to two swimming sessions of 90 minutes, perhaps a third every other week. I’m just swimming freestyle with bilateral breathing for 2.4 miles each session. I have a small home gym, but don’t use it frequenly. Where will my time be best spent to improve my pace – weights, technique,etc?
Dear Sir,
I need to pay USD 17.- for the video but not sure if this fee includes the postage to Sri Lanka. Or is it to be downloaded? Kindly let me know.
Thanks in advance
Gehan Wijesinghe
Sri Lanka
+94-777630769
Your workout plan sounds fantastic and I’m sure it would benefit elite swimmers, but do you have modified versions for those of us who are … well, let’s just say not as elite. My fastest time this summer for 100M free was 1:18. I’d like to get better, but in reality, as I get into my late 40s, I’d be happy just to maintain my fitness level and continue to enjoy the camaraderie and competition of masters meets. Do you have workouts to help keep me motivated without getting frustrated?
@Joe M
Congratulations on getting to where you are now. It sounds like you’ve already achieved a lot. I think the best use of your time would be to:
– Implement a strength training program focusing on core and shoulder strength. (Grab a pilates DVD and a theroband for your shoulder exercises). It only takes 20-30 minutes 2-3 times a week to see a noticeable improvement.
– Work on a handful of drills suring warm up in each session to improve your technique.
– Mixing up your workouts with some different sets instead of swimming 2.4 miles straight. Giving yourself a set of 10×100 with 15 secs rest between 100’s allows you to work harder during the swim. We do one week where we have a different test set each session, then train hard for four weeks then test ourselves again to measure our progress. Our distance test set is 6×200 on 2mins 45 secs for our main group (about 20 secs rests between 100’s. Take your times for each 200 and see how you progress each time you do the test set.
Regards, Brent
@Gehan Hi Gehan, it is digital download so there are no postage costs. The workouts are delivered via email 🙂
@Molly –
Hi Molly,
Definately, each workout has three levels you can do it at (beginner, intermediate and advanced). Most of the intermediate workouts are between 2-3km. You could probably do some of the advanced workouts too if you’re a 1.18 freestyler. These are 3-5km (the speed workouts are shorter).
All the best, Brent
Hi, I am 37 and I started to swim a few years ago. I swim 1000 mts in 20 min and I want to improve this. ¿what do you suggest me to do?
Thanks, Carolina (Argentina)
Hi Carolina,
Similar to what I recommended to Joe:
– Start and strength training program working on core strength and shoulder stability
– Technique (the Mastering Freestyle program is good for this)
– Swim fitness. Doing the right workouts will help with this, as well as your strength and technique work.
Regards, Brent
Dear Brent,
My son is 15 years old swimmer, he focused on the distance of 400 – 1500 m freestyle, but after a year is not well developed. The best time he was at the distance of 400 m was 04:17:30 and now is 04:22:46, and at a distance of 1500 m a years ago was 17:17:21 and now is 17:45:11.
He is now training with 8 sessions a week, 4 session in the morning and 4 session in the afternoon.
If I buy your product ” Effortless Swimming Workout ” and used to face the championships at the end of December whether it will be effective ?
Hi There,
I am a freestyle and backstroke Masters pool swimmer. Do your workouts include backstroke options ?
Cheers Jenny
Hi Jenny,
Absolutely, the pool workouts are tailored for any stroke. There are some aerobic sessions which are freestyle focused but also speed and form workouts where you can do back, fly and breast.
The workouts have a 30 day money back guarantee so you can try them out risk free and see if they’re for you or not.
Brent
Hi Sandy,
Is your son training with a squad or coach?
Brent
Hi,
I’ve been looking at your site for a few weeks now. I started to swim 3 years ago, and although I have a PB on 3,8 km of 1h08′, I don’t feel confortable in water and get tired very quickly in the pool. I’m struggling to achieve 200’s or more.
I don’t do flip turns and only occasionnaly give backstroke and breaststroke a shot.
Which workouts would you recommend from your offer?
(I can swim 3-4 times a week, but don’t have access to a team)
Hi Franck,
I’d recommend Swimprove, as it’s got the workouts and technique programs which will help you feel comfortable in the water. Otherwise, the tri workouts in Effortless Swimming Workouts will be the best place to start.
Hi Brent,
My son is training with a coach.
Thanks