Logging Your First Workout With DuoSwim

Swimming laps back and forth with only a total time or distance as a goal is not the best way to improve your fitness or become a better swimmer. Instead, follow a guided workout with interval training to make your time in the pool more productive!

Workout Structure

Sets

“Sets” are the building blocks of a guided workout. Each set specifies the following:

Number of repetitions: How many times you will repeat the swim.
Distance to be swum for each repetition: The length you will swim each time.
Stroke type: The style of swimming (e.g., freestyle, backstroke).
Interval: Total swim plus rest time for each repetition.
Effort Level: The intensity of the swim.
Effort Level Variation: Adjustments in intensity within the set.
Equipment: Any additional gear like fins or paddles.

Example Set: 4 x 100m Free Easy (Fins) @ 2:45

This example can be broken down as follows:

Number of repetitions: 4
Distance to be swum: 100 meters
Stroke type: Free (freestyle)
Interval: 2:45 minutes
Effort Level: Easy
Effort Level Variation: None
Equipment: Fins

This set represents a total of 400 meters of your workout, and the duration to complete the entire set is 11 minutes (4 x 2:45). However, that doesn’t mean you are swimming continuously for 11 minutes!

Set Groups

Sets are organized into set groups that structure your entire workout session:

Warm-Up: Initiates the session with light exercises to prepare your muscles and cardiovascular system.
Drill Set: Focuses on technique improvement through specific drills.
Main Set: The core of your workout, targeting endurance, speed, or specific swimming skills.
Post-Set: Allows for gradual cool-down and recovery after the main set.
Cool Down: Concludes the session with light exercises to lower heart rate and aid in recovery.

Intervals

Intervals in DuoSwim refer to the total time for each repetition, including both swimming and rest periods. Intervals are crucial for optimizing training efficiency and recovery between sets.

Example:

If the set is 4 x 100 @ 2:10 Easy, it should take you less than 2:10 to swim 100 meters, and that extra time is your rest before you start the next rep. The faster you go, the more rest you get (but the more tired you get, too!).

Based on the interval and effort level in this example, you could try to swim 100m with a target completion or “split” time of approximately 1:44. Then you would rest for approximately 18 seconds before starting your next rep (1:44 + 0:18 = 2:10).

HR Zones

Each set in a DuoSwim workout is assigned a heart rate zone to signify the recommended intensity for each rep in the set. There are five swimming heart rate zones:

Zone 1 (Very Light): Gentle exercise, conversational pace, ideal for warm-up and cool-down.
Zone 2 (Light): Comfortable pace, sustainable for longer durations, promotes aerobic fitness.
Zone 3 (Moderate): Moderate intensity, sustainable for extended periods, improves cardiovascular fitness.
Zone 4 (Hard): High intensity, challenging but sustainable for shorter intervals, enhances anaerobic capacity.
Zone 5 (Maximum): Maximum effort, unsustainable for long durations, improves speed and power.

Equipment

DuoSwim integrates equipment usage into your workout plans, enhancing training effectiveness and skill development:

Fins: Increase propulsion and ankle flexibility, ideal for improving technique and speed.
Paddles: Enhance upper body strength and stroke mechanics by adding resistance in the water.
Kickboard: Focus on leg strength and kick technique, isolating lower body movements.
Pull Buoy: Improve upper body strength and stroke mechanics by isolating arm movements and minimizing leg movement.

Swimming Terminology

Swimming Abbreviations:

Fly: Butterfly
Back: Backstroke
Breast: Breaststroke
Free: Freestyle
IM: Individual Medley
Choice: Choice Stroke
Pull: Arms Only
Kick: Legs Only

Training Terms:

IM: Complete the set by swimming one repetition of each stroke - Fly, Back, Breast & Free
Build: Each swim starts slow and ends fast
Descend: Swim faster by time over the duration of a set
Ascend: Swim slower by time over the duration of a set
Neg Split: Swim faster on the second half of an individual repetition
DPS (Distance Per Stroke): Swim slowly while maximizing your distance per stroke
Best Average: Swim as fast as possible maintaining the same speed on every repetition within a set
Best Effort: Swim as fast as possible on every repetition within a set
Race Pace: Swim at your goal race pace on every repetition within a set
@: Swim time + rest time for each repetition