Hey! All the workouts on this page use techniques and drills from our free book. Think of the book as the classroom text book and these workouts as the field trip. Download the book now and have a great workout!
#20 – Kick – 6 Beat Extension | Kick With Arms by Side
Let’s work on our kick! (Did I hear a few groans..?) Keep in mind that we’ll kick our legs MUCH harder and faster during this workout than you need to during your race. During the swim leg, you should mostly use your legs for balance and conserve them for the bike and run. But, it’s helpful to practice the correct kick technique. Plus, it’s good cross-training for your legs.
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#19 – Pull – Catch | Fist Swim & Golf
This workout is designed to practice the press phase of the pull. It’s part of the all-important catch. Throughout this workout, keep in mind that you want to use your hand and your forearm as a paddle. To do this, you must keep a high elbow when beginning your pull. Dropping the elbow means you will “slip” the water. Have fun!
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#18 – Hand Entry – Reach Through | Head Tap
This workout will help you practice your hand entry. Dropping your hand into the water doesn’t seem like a difficult or important skill. But a good hand entry sets up a good catch. And a good catch is essential for efficient swimming. With a high elbow and a neutral hand position, enter the water fingertips first in front of your shoulder.Then reach to 12-inches below the surface and glide.
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#17 – Timing – Upfront Swim | Board Catch Up & Single Arm
This workout is designed to practice breathing at the right time. It’s important that your opposite arm is extended as you turn your head to breathe. If your arm has already started pulling — instead of reaching and gliding — you will mostly likely have to rush your breath. We have quite a bit of catch-up drill in this workout because it helps exaggerate the timing.
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#16 – Pull – Catch | Single Arm & Tarzan
Today we’re focused on the “catch.” Review pages 12-14 in the eBook and think about the ladder analogy described there. The Stroke Set uses “single arm drill” to help you focus on the catch. The Main Set is designed to keep you moving. There’s not much rest, so pace yourself. The Race Set practices spotting the buoy and retuning to a neutral body position. Have a great workout!
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#15 – Timing – Glide | 6 Beat Extension & Extended Dog Paddle
Throughout this workout, we’re focused on reaching and gliding. As you probably know by now, I like to use analogies. Imagine you have ropes tied to your wrists. When your hand enters the water, someone sitting underneath the water pulls the other end of the rope, causing to you reach through the water to around 12-inches deep. This also causes your shoulders and upper body to rotate slightly. Hope it helps.
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#14 – Hand Entry – Reach Through | Head Tap Drill
We’re focusing on your hand entry today. It’s important to reach through the water, not over. Reaching over the water can cause shoulder problems, plus makes it very difficult to catch the water. The Stroke Set uses Head-Tap Drill to practice a high-elbow entry. The Main Set uses some pull, so you can continue to focus on good hand-entry form. We’ll wrap up with some speed play during the Race Set. Hope you enjoy it!
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#13 – Timing – Glide | 6 Beat Extension & Golf
This workout is all about GLIDING! We’re practicing a smooth stroke, where the lead hand stays extended while the back hand push forward, This skill often conjures images of skaters, where the skater’s back foot pushes them forward while their front foot is planted, ready to glide and make the most of each push forward.
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#12 – Timing – Upfront | Catch Up
If your goal is to have a smooth and relaxed stroke, then arm timing is extremely important. In the eBook, we introduced you to “upfront swimming” or the idea of always having a lead hand upfront. This workout is designed to practice that skill. I hope you enjoy it!
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#11 – Pull – Push | Golf & Single Arm Drill
Throughout this workout, I want you to focus on creating a powerful pull. This means anchoring your hand into the water, then using it to pull your body forward. Remember, when you have an efficient freestyle stroke, your hand doesn’t move through the water….you do. Your hand stays where you anchored your hand. Think about getting good distance per stroke.
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#10 – Hand Entry – Forward | Tarzan & Hesitation
Today we’re working on a very common issue for beginner triathletes. When your hand enters into the water, you should reach forward and avoid reaching across your body. The hand can often cross the central body line when the swimmer rolls their body or turns their head to breathe. If you have a lane to yourself and it has a line down the center, consider using it as a guide.
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#9 – Arm Recovery | Thumb Up Side
Today we’re working on keeping a low arm recovery. You want to avoid reaching high and tracing a rainbow with your hand. Keep a relaxed arm as you recover over the water. The main set focuses on a related skill. We use Head Tap drill to focus on reaching through the water on entry.
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#8 – Timing – Upfront | Catch-Up & Hesitation
This workout focuses on stroke timing. When you see a swimmer effortlessly gliding across the pool, taking half as many strokes as everyone else, they probably have great stroke timing. Their lead hand stays extended while the other arm recovers over the water. We call this “Upfront” swimming. The main set adds some speed, while practicing upfront swimming. Have fun!
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#7 – Kick | 6 Beat Extension
Today we are working on our kick. Even though you won’t kick hard during your race, developing a good kick technique is a good skill to have. It helps balance your stroke. In the main set, we practice kicking on our side. This skills helps develop good body rotation. Freestyle kick can be a slow endeavor for many swimmers. Stick with it!
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#6 – Body Position | Tarzan
Today we’re working on your body position. This is the Essential Skill that can deliver the greatest improvements with the least amount of effort. Establishing a neutral body position can immediately reduce the amount of effort and increase speed at the same time. Experiment with various body positions during the Stroke Set. Maintain it under pressure in the Main Set. And practice it under race conditions in the Race Set. Have fun!
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#5 – Hand Entry | Head Tap
In today’s workout we’re focusing on how your hand enters the water at the beginning of each pull. A good pull starts with a good catch…and a good catch starts with a good hand entry. I see many beginner triathletes reach over the water before their hand enters. This is not good practice.
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#4 – Pull – Squeeze | 6 Beat Extension
Today we are working on the last phase of your underwater pull. This is important because it’s the part of the pull that adds the most momentum. “Squeezing” the water towards your thigh pushes you through the water. But it’s important that your lead hand is extended and ready to ride the momentum generated by the squeeze. Your triceps will get a workout here, so make sure they are stretched and ready to go.
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#3 – Pull – Push & Squeeze | Water Flick
This workout is designed to help you practice the full range of your underwater pull. It’s common for swimmers to terminate a pull too early by lifting their hands out of the water without fully extending their arm. The result is a shortened pull. It should be remembered that it’s the second half of the underwater pull that moves the swimmer through the water. Read the section on Pull in the Essential Swim Skills for Beginner Triathletes eBook, especially the comments on the “Push” and “Squeeze” phases. Have fun!
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#2 – Arm Recovery | Thumb Up Side
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#1 – Timing | Catch-Up
In this workout, we focus on the timing of your freestyle pull, to make sure that you always have a leading hand catching water. We’re working on creating a smooth and efficient stroke. The main set includes some 100’s pull and swim. Then we finish up with a little backstroke, for fun. :o) This is an arm-intensive workout, so be sure to stretch well. Have fun and please remember to give me feedback on the workout.