Training Session

Question 1

Volume of Swimming

Answer 1

The Training Plan

• The IRONMAN training plan is part of the annual training plan, and marks the beginning of IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 specific training.
• In both the IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 plans, approximately 20–25% of total training hours are dedicated to swimming.

Progression of Volume

• A novice begins a 24-week IRONMAN training plan with two and a half hours of swimming per week, which progresses to a total of three and a quarter hours.
• Rather than using distances, swim volume is based on hours to account for variations in athlete ability.

Novice IRONMAN Plan

• To begin the novice 24-week IRONMAN plan, an athlete must be able to swim for 100-yard or -meter intervals and complete a one-hour training session.
• It is also recommended that athletes complete at least an Olympic-distance triathlon prior to participating in an IRONMAN.

Novice IRONMAN 70.3 Plan

• To start the novice IRONMAN 70.3 training plan, an athlete must be able to swim 50-yard or -meter intervals, and complete a 45-minute training session (with stops).
• It is recommended that athletes complete at least a sprint triathlon before participating in an IRONMAN 70.3.
• Athletes who are not currently exercising at the levels prescribed in these plans will need additional weeks of training to build swimming endurance prior to starting their IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 training.

Question 2

Frequency

Answer 2

The frequency of swimming sessions is dependent on the athlete’s level of experience, time availability, physical capabilities, goals and access to a swimming facility.
At a minimum, the athlete should be scheduled to swim two times per week.
More frequent, shorter swims that focus on form and technique may benefit an athlete who needs additional time to improve.

Question 3

Duration

Answer 3

High-intensity training will improve overall swimming times.
The two key weekly training sessions may be similar in duration, with one lower intensity focused on endurance and another with higher intensity intervals.
As previously mentioned, coaches may choose to include additional swims as needed.

Question 4

Swimming training goals

Answer 4

The goals of swimming training are as follows.
Aerobic endurance
Strength
Sustained speed
Cardiovascular fitness
Technical skills
Tactical skills

Question 5

Swimming Goals - Preparation phase

Answer 5

During the General Preparation sub-phase, coaches should plan training sessions that build volume and strength. Athletes who have the endurance can also work on intensity because these athlete’s bodies are ready to handle the increase structurally, and training fast will make the athlete race fast.

Many triathletes do not come from a swim background, so swimming requires a disproportionate amount of preparation. Preparing adequately will allow the athlete to come out of the water fresh for the bike, with no negative impact on the bike or run, on race day.

The coach may choose to incorporate some testing during this phase, typically over 1K and 100m.

Question 6

Swimming Goals - Sharpening and Skill Acquisition

Answer 6

During the Specific Preparation and Pre-competition sub phases of the training plan, there should be a period of more focused race preparation.

Coaches should plan training sessions to improve speed and retest the athlete to see the progress from the previous months of training. This will boost the athlete’s confidence going into the competition phase.

The training should also focus on developing skills specifically related to triathlon, including race starts, sighting, drafting, pace lining, swimmer-to-swimmer contact, quick take-out speed, decision-making and exits. If possible, some training sessions should occur in open water conditions. Developing these race-specific skills will help the athlete manage anxiety and prepare mentally.

Question 7

Swimming Goals - Competition Phase

Answer 7

By this point, the athlete should have all the skills necessary for optimum race performance. Skill building continues, with a focus on sharpening open water tactics. Training is highly specific. Every session should include speed, sighting, exit skills, drafting and speed changes.

In addition to physical skills, coaches should spend some time discussing anxiety management and mental preparation with their athletes. It is important for both the coach and athlete to be mindful of fluctuations in performance in the days or weeks around specific races.

Question 8

Swimming Goals - Transition Phase

Answer 8

The transition phase is a technical phase that allows the athlete’s body to recover from the prior year of training and racing. Because the sport is highly demanding both physically and emotionally, it is crucial to give the body and mind time to recover.

During this phase, swimming is typically lower in volume with lighter intervals. The focus is on technical skills, such as stroke mechanics and fluid swimming.

Question 9

Steps to Creating a Training Session

Answer 9

1. Begin Planning at a High Level
   Before creating or selecting a specific swim training session, the coach should create a training plan that identifies the weekly volume, frequency and duration of swim training sessions. The plan should be based on the athlete’s goals, capabilities, the duration of the key endurance race and the phase of the training plan. You will learn more about this in the Developing Training Plans module.
2. Choose Session Type
   Once the overall plan is developed, you will either create a training session or select a training session from a library of workouts provided. The session should match the goals and targeted intensity zones of the training plan.
   In this course there are two key training sessions planned per week. One will emphasize higher intensity intervals, and the other lower intensity session should focus on endurance.
3. Decide on Warm-up
   A proper warm-up is necessary to prevent injury and ready the athlete for the main set. However, the warm up does not have to be long. The warm-up should include some technique focus points based on the athlete’s specific training needs.
4. Determine Pre-main Set
   The pre-main set is where the training session moves into specificity, as it focuses on a technical or tactical goal, such as pacing or stroke rate. It also prepares the swimmer for stronger swimming in the main set. Think of the pre-main set as a bridge to the main set, with effort continually building.
5. Determine Main Set
   The key part of any training session is the main set. It should comprise at least half of the training session volume.
   In pool training sessions, the main set is typically divided into sets and reps of work and rest intervals. The intensity and duration of these intervals is based on the targeted intensity zone.
6. Cool Down
   A cool down is appropriate if the previous set was high intensity or if the swimmer does not have time constraints.
   To ensure the cool down is effective and useful for the athlete, consider focusing on technique or practicing a different stroke, such as backstroke, which helps the athlete to stretch tight pecs.

Question 10

Continuous vs. Interval Training

Answer 10

• Most swimming sessions comprise interval training that target specific energy systems.
• An interval consists of a work portion and a rest portion.
• Repetitions are the number of intervals per set.
• A set is a group of work and rest intervals.

Question 11

Targeted Training Zones

Answer 11

Zones 1-2
Swimming prescribed in Zones 1 and 2 is completed at a steady pace and low aerobic intensity, so it relies on the aerobic pathway for energy. Training in these zones increases fat utilization, although both glycogen and fats are sources of energy.
Coaches will prescribe Zones 1 and 2 for active recovery or the warm-up and when focusing on or correcting technique.

Zones 2-3
The primary energy system for IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 training is the aerobic system.
Swimming in Zones 2 and 3 improves cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular adaptations to allow for progressions in intensity, duration and volume during training as the competition phase approaches. Building a base level of aerobic capacity also improves the athlete’s ability to recover between training sessions. Additionally, this trains the body to utilize fats as source of fuel sooner.
Many athletes will complete the IRONMAN swim in Zones 2 and 3.

Zone 3
Swimming in Zone 3 corresponds to a moderate aerobic intensity, which for most athletes is the IRONMAN 70.3 swimming race pace.
The goal of swimming in Zone 3 is to build aerobic and muscular endurance.

Zone 4
Zone 4 corresponds to intensity at or slightly above the lactate threshold. This is higher than IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 swimming race pace.
The goal of swimming in Zone 4 is to continue to build muscular endurance (strength) as well as to increase cardiovascular output and improve lactate tolerance.

Zone 5
The majority of higher intensity training sessions will be at Zone 4. Zone 5 training improves cardiovascular fitness by increasing cardiac output and stroke volume. It also improves mitochondrial function in the muscle cell. The goal of training in Zone 5 is to improve maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) by increasing cardiac output, stroke volume and mitochondrial content in the muscle cell.
Typically Zone 5 intervals are sprinkled in to other sets. They may be used to simulate the start of the race and the surges that may occur when going around a buoy.

Question 12

Training Sessions and Zones

Answer 12

• The key to successful training sessions requires appropriate work-to-rest ratios and monitoring of training intensity.
• A simple guideline for setting rest intervals is 10 to 30 seconds rest in Zone 1-3 intervals, and 15-60 seconds rest for Zone 4 and 5 intervals.
• Coaches should allow more rest time if the goal is to work on the quality of stroke and if the swimmer is less experienced or struggling to maintain good form and prescribed pace.
• More experienced athletes may be challenged to push themselves with less rest between work intervals while maintaining good form under load.
• Training intensity can be measured both qualitatively and quantitatively.
• The metric used will vary based on the coaches preference, available measurement technology, the athlete’s level of comfort using the technology and the mode of training.
• Due to issues with heart rate monitors in the water, the most common measures of intensity are pace and perceived exertion.
• Together, the athlete and coach should identify the specific intensity measures based on the athlete’s preferences and access to and comfort with monitoring technology.

Question 13

Technique

Answer 13

To improve technique, athletes can:
do distance-per-stroke drills,
do cadence drills,
do pacing drills,
focus on swimming form and
practice sighting during swimming.

Question 14

Tactics

Answer 14

To work on tactics, athletes can practice:
holding pace and cadence at various speeds,
varying pacing (e.g., fast start, even-pace middle, fast finish),
swimming in a wetsuit and
swimming in large crowds.

Question 15

Swim training session - preparation phase

Answer 15

1. Practice Purpose
   Every workout has a purpose and targeted intensity based on the weekly goals of the training plan. In the General Preparation subphase, the emphasis will be on building an aerobic endurance base and swimming technique. Some coaches combine these ideas and call it “technique endurance,” which means an athlete can maintain form under load or duration.
2. Warm-Up
   The first section of the training session is the warm-up. This acclimates the body to the water and prepares the athlete to train by bringing blood to the muscles. Coaches should encourage the athlete to take his or her time during this section, swimming easy and staying in Zone 1.
   The warm-up can include various intervals of freestyle stroke and may include some kicking. Some coaches include the drills in the warm-up while others have a separate section for drills. The warm-up is approximately 10–25% of the total distance.
3. Building
   Before the main set, the coach should get the athlete ready for the main set by implementing a section with a focus based on the goal of the training session (e.g. stroke rate, alignment, breathing). This will constitute about 25% of the training session.
4. Main Set
   The activities selected in the main set are based on the goals of the training session. In this example, the goal is aerobic endurance, so the intensity is Zone 2 to 3. The other goal is pacing. By changing the work interval duration, Nick can practice keeping an even pace for shorter and longer work intervals.
   The rest intervals here are a little long compared to the work interval. Since Nick is just building swimming endurance, the longer rest interval is designed to allow extra rest so Nick can maintain his Zones 2–3 pace in the work interval.
5. Cool Down
   The cool down is very short and is to be performed at Zone 1 intensity.

Question 16

Swim Training Session - competition phase

Answer 16

1. Practice Purpose
   The overall purpose of this workout is for the athlete to maintain optimal pace with the lowest possible effort.
   The key for any athlete or coach is to do the initial testing to establish a baseline for improvement and to use that information to determine the pace, stroke rate and duration of the training session.
2. Total Yards
   Athletes need to be able to complete the IRONMAN distance. They should be able to do a practice that is 3,500–4,000+ yards when it is broken up like this and when equipment is used.
3. Main Set
   The first part of the main set is designed to simulate the beginning of the swim on race day.
   Some coaches think if an athlete is a novice, he or she should be completing shorter distance repeats and rarely swim further than a 200 without using pulling gear or fins so his or her form doesn’t deteriorate to over 20 strokes per length in a 25-yard pool.
   If the athlete is more than 2:00 per 100 or more than 22–24 strokes a length, he or she shouldn’t go further than 100-yard repeats until gaining adequate speed and efficiency.
4. Rounds
   These longer rounds focus on endurance and conditioning, and also encourage the athlete to be mindful of stroke rate and its impact on speed.
   If the athlete’s form begins to break down or they lose time, the coach should modify the workout by only doing 4 rounds. The coach should also talk to the athlete about going out too hard and not having enough patience to complete the whole set.
5. Pull Buoy
   Using a buoy will help most athletes simulate the use of a wetsuit, which is helpful if the athlete plans to race in a wetsuit.
6. 25s
   By going back to 25s (technique/speed) after the longer pulls (endurance/conditioning), the athlete can work on all aspects of critical elements needed to do a 2.4 mile swim.

Question 17

Progressing Volume and Intensity

Answer 17

1. Allowing for Adaptation
   The progression of swimming volume and intensity should allow time for the athlete’s body to adapt to training stressors through progressive overload and periods of recovery.
2. Progressing Volume
   - The starting weekly volume and peak swimming volume are based on the race distance, the number of weeks from the start to peak and the athlete’s swimming fitness level.
   - As a guideline, a gradual increase in swimming volume (5% to 10%) should be followed to prevent injury and overtraining. For novice swimmers, it may be preferable to increase volume by adding more frequent, shorter swim sessions.
3. Example: Novice IRONMAN Training Plan
   - In the 24-week novice IRONMAN training plan, the weekly volume starts at two and a half hours of swimming, with two one-hour swim sessions and a 30-minute Zone 2 swim. During the peak week, the plan prescribes three hours and 15 minutes of swimming with three training sessions, the longest being 90 minutes.
4. Progressing Intensity
   Intensity increases gradually through the addition of higher-intensity work intervals.
   For swimming, the average intensity level of training sessions within a microcycle starts at Zone 2 and peaks at Zones 3 to 4.

Question 18

Progression of Interval Training

Answer 18

• Since most swim training is interval-based, the goal is to increase the duration of the work intervals and reduce the rest intervals.
• Coaches should gradually reduce the rest intervals while maintaining the intensity of the longer work intervals to improve muscular endurance and mimic a continuous swim.
• Intervals should be customized to the athlete’s capabilities and needs; rest can be decreased for an athlete who needs a challenge or increased for an athlete who is struggling.