When do you start your swim training as beginner?
The swim portion of a triathlon is often the most challenging for those new to triathlons. When starting from scratch, when do you actually need to start hitting the pool?
If you are new to swimming and want to learn freestyle, you will need at least 4-6 months of consistent training to get through your first triathlon.
I learned it the hard way; I did not have experience doing freestyle and had severe difficulties in completing the swim course during my first sprint triathlon. If you are keen on having proper swim preparation, this article is for you. However, if you really want to avoid the swim element, there are alternatives.
Swim training beginner information
Actually the best answer is: get in as soon as possible! Find a coach that can teach you the basics and search for friends that you can train with. You cannot rely on just a good bike and run fitness when competing in a triathlon.
In need for some inspiration and motivation to get things going? There are fantastic videos and Instagram accounts that provide you with just that.
When should you start train for swimming?
Swimming is a very technical sport, which means you will need to commit a good amount of time to just working on your technique and building your fitness. When I started practicing freestyle, it took me 6 months just to get the breathing techniques right. The coordination of your breath with your stroke is often the hardest part.
Your body needs to get used to a different way of breathing, to the endurance element, and to the muscles that are being used to get you going. This cannot be achieved overnight, but needs a long time and requires repetition.
How long per session should you swim?
When talking about the duration of a single training itself, it is recommended to swim for a minimum of 20 minutes per session. This means 20 minutes of actual swimming time. If you take longer breaks between laps, increase that to about 30 minutes, so you hit that 20-minute goal. Your aim should be to increase your swim sessions to 45-60 minutes each.
An important note here. Frequency is more important than volume of the training. You’d rather do 3 times a 30 minute swim than 1 time a 90 minute swim. In that way you’re not reinforcing technique when fatigue is hitting you. Get those frequent touches of the water, so that your brain starts to really learn it.
How often should you swim per week?
It depends on the ability, how much base you have, the comfort level in the water and other variables. But generically speaking you need to be swimming at least 2 days per week. It’s a great cardiovascular exercise because it activates all muscle groups at the same time.
Of course, the more training the better. But as there are two more sports to be trained for, and there is also life outside triathlon, most people need to balance these elements.
And to ensure that you actually get out of bed before a day full of meetings, or get off the couch when you just had dinner, you need to treat the training as an actual meeting. Book them in your agenda, ensure you have the time to train, stick to the plan and go for it.
How should you train for swimming?
As mentioned earlier, find a good coach that teaches you the basics in the pool. This will allow you to get comfortable in the water, it will teach you how to be safe in the water and it will build your fitness.
Once you are more comfortable in the water, then it is time for you to move your workouts out of the pool and into the open water. The open water can be a lake, pond, river, ocean or other body of water that isn’t a pool.
When I started my first sprint triathlon I did not train in open water. I couldn’t touch or see the bottom and was completely disoriented. Other athletes were besides, on top, and in front of me; not a position you want to find yourself in for the first time. Getting training in open water and training with buddies to simulate a race is the best preparation you can have.
When you have decided to start those swim training sessions, you most probably want to train for a certain goal or race. Here is how to choose your first triathlon race, and 5 simple steps how to structure your triathlon training.
Required equipment for the swim training
There are several items that are needed for proper swim training. Only goggles and a bathing suit are absolutely necessary, but my experience is that the other pieces of equipment accelerate your performance in a shorter amount of time.
Goggles
Make sure you find goggles that fit and have a good seal around the eyes.
Bathing suit
Obviously, a bathing suit or swimming trunk is needed for training in the indoor pool.
Swim cap
Swim caps are obliged during races so make sure you practice with it. Besides, it is useful to get your hair out of the way.
Wetsuit
Depending on the temperature of the water during the race, you want to practice with the wetsuit. Not only is the difference in buoyancy important, but also taking it on and off requires practice.
If your want to know how to best store your wetsuit for travels, in between swim sessions, or off season, you might want to read this.
Snorkel
A snorkel is worn on the center of the forehead instead of the side of the head. Because you don’t have to turn your head to breathe while swimming freestyle with a snorkel on, that gives you the opportunity to focus on the symmetry and body position of your stroke.
Fins
Fins are great when you are learning drills that require a stroke kick. They will allow you to understand the drill and what it should feel like. You will then work to recreate the same feeling without fins. Besides, using fins in this way helps you to focus on a particular aspect of your stroke such as hand position.
Paddles
Paddles are rectangular plastic boards that are about the size of the hand that are worn on your hands. By using hand paddles in training you can have some great benefits, not just the development in your upper body strength. Hand paddles can help you to develop your swimming technique as you become much more aware of your arm pull and general swimming stroke.
Buoy
The buoy is placed between your quads while you swim. This prevents you from kicking so it isolates your upper body. It allows you to work on working on your pull technique along with helping you improve your upper body strength.
Kick board
A kickboard is usually a high density foam that floats and usually has a rectangular shape. The tool helps you to isolate your legs. This will allow you to work on developing your leg strength and work on your kicking technique.
