» Pool Training for Open Water Swimming

Most athletes devote a lot of their pool time to improving freestyle technique. In addition to stroke work, pool training allows you to work on a few skills that you will need while swimming in open water. Here are a few related to open water swimming, along with ways to develop these skills in the pool.

Sighting: Lifting your head up and to the side to both sight and breathe can be exhausting for the muscles in your neck. Especially if you are not used lifting your head. The pool allows you to practice sighting in a calm, wave-less environment. Practice swimming with your head out of the water, with the water line at your mouth, and also just under your goggles.

12 x 25yds.
Repeat for 3 cycles
1: Head completely out of the water
2: Water level at your mouth
3: Water level just under your goggles
4: Swim normally

Steady Pace: One way to judge if you are swimming steady in the water is by counting the number of strokes you take per length. This should be a consistent number, even when you begin to pick up your pace. If your strokes per length is consistent, you probably will swim consistently in open water. If this count varies, work on getting good distance for each arm stroke.

9 x 50yds. 
Repeat for 3 cycles
1: Moderate Pace and count strokes per length
2: Faster Pace and aim for stroke count from #1
3: Race Pace and aim for stroke count from #1

3 x 500
yds.
1: Moderate Pace
2: Faster Pace
3: Race Pace
*Check your strokes per length at the 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500. The number of strokes you are taking per at these “checkpoints” should be consistent.

Distance: Swimming long distances in the pool can be boring. The scenery doesn’t change much. However, sometimes weather conditions or time constraints make it difficult to get in a long swim in the open water. You can swim a given distance straight without taking a break, or vary your pace throughout the distance to add some variety.

1500 Swim
. Swim every 4th length at race pace.
3 x 800
yds.
1: Easy Pace
2: Moderate Pace
3: 50 Easy / 50 Moderate Pace

20 minute swim
Swim at race pace for one minute at the 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th minute

Bilateral Breathing: Swimming in the open water might call for you to change your breathing style. If waves are coming at you and constantly hitting you in the face as you breathe, it is useful to be comfortable breathing on the opposite side.

20 x 50
yds.
1: Breathe Right Side
2: Breathe Normal Pattern
3: Breathe Left Side
4: Breathe every 3 or 5 stroke (alternate Left and Right side)

Simulate Open Water Race Start: Racing in an open water event might call for a short sprint at the beginning of the event. After a proper warm-up, simulate the short sprint in the pool and level out to your race pace.

8 x 100
25 Sprint, 75 at race pace

You can incorporate some of these workout ideas into your pool swims. Always make sure you include a warm-up and cool down, and also seek out variety. Mixing up your pool training will allow you to focus on good technique and skill improvement, rather than the monotony of the black line at the bottom of the pool.

Written by Carrie Smith