If You're A Beginner Triathlete Struggling To Swim Faster, Focus on These Tips

Triathlons are the ultimate test of endurance and athleticism, encompassing swimming, cycling, and running. While each discipline is crucial, the swim leg often takes center stage as the race begins. It's the opening act that sets the tone for the entire performance, making swim speed a critical factor in triathlon success. Every triathlete strives to swim faster and knows the lengths and hours that need to be put in to achieve this.

Naturally, it became the one discipline that made me nervous and anxious to take on. As a kid I completed the standard swim lesson program at the local pool. I also participated in some swim meets in elementary school. However, that was the extent of my swimming career, other than the weekends at the lake or the hotel pool.

With my limited swim background it has been a struggle to swim faster for any length of time. I'm not the fastest in the pool, my watch (Garmin Fenix 6s) tells me 1:52/100m at the time of writing this. That has been almost 3 years in the making. I can remember when I started i'd say it was more like 2:30/100m. You can see that it takes a while to make gains in speed, and the faster you get the longer and more difficult it becomes to shave off seconds.

In this article I want to let all the new triathletes and swimmers out there, and perhaps even the seasoned to stay determined and consistent in order to swim faster. I'll share with you my insights and training techniques that I hope can help you achieve your swimming goals. Whether you're striving to improve your swimming technique, boost your physical strength, or fine-tune your breathing, I hope my experiences can help you.

Invest Time in Your Swimming Technique

A regular occurrence for me is when i'm standing on the pool deck, goggles suctioned to my face. I glance around and see at least a handful of swimmers kicking with boards, another three with pull-buoys, and two more sculling. Seeing this confirms that swim technique is truly an important piece of the puzzle in order to swim faster. What i've been told and taught, either by my coach or watching countless hours of video, is to work on these four elements of the freestyle stroke:

Body position
Maintaining the right body position in the water is essential for minimizing drag and maximizing speed. I'm constantly being told to ensure my head, butt, and heels are touching the surface. If the head or butt are pushed up too high then the legs will sink down and create resistance. Engaging the core and keeping a tall body with a neutral spine can help reduce resistance and drag. Here are some things I focus on:

• Keep the body horizontal: Aim to swim flat in the water, with your hips and shoulders aligned. This reduces resistance and allows you to glide through the water effortlessly.
• Relax the head and neck: Keep your head in line with your spine, looking down and slightly forward. Tuck your chin to avoid raising your head, which can slow you down.
• Engage the core: A strong core helps keep your body stable and streamlined. Practice core-strengthening exercises to improve your stability in the water.

Practice doing these drills: 6 kick switch drill and streamline drills. Warm-up then perform 4x50 as 25 drill and 25 swim. For streamline you can practice making sure you push off the wall with your body as narrow as possible in that "superhero" position to gain as much distance as you can.

Kick
A strong and efficient kick is a crucial part to swimming faster. Although, the kick doesn't contribute much towards propulsion in distance swimming, proper execution and practice are essential. Having a strong kick helps to engage the core but, an inefficient kick can cause the legs to sink and create drag through the water. When I first got back into swimming, I remember kicking like I was riding a bike and my legs would just sink. My heart rate would sky rocket but I wouldn't get faster, I was just expending more energy. I decided I needed to focus on my kick, I used the tips below and worked on them at least once a week:

• Flutter kick is the most common kick used in swimming. It involves alternating leg movements with a slight bend in your knees. Think of your feet in a 5 gallon bucket and that is all the room you have to kick. Getting into this habit will help reduce the drag and keep you body more inline.
• Keep your legs close together, and your toes pointed to minimize water resistance.
• The kick should originate from your hips, with a continuous and rhythmic motion. Think of keeping your legs straight but allowing enough flexibility so the knee bends slightly on the downward portion, and then follow through with the ankle and foot.
• To improve your kick, focus on ankle flexibility, leg strength, and rhythm. Regularly practice kick sets to enhance this aspect of your technique.

To improve your kick try some kick sets, I typically do this after my warm-up:
5x200m (200m easy swim > 150m swim/50m kick > 100m swim/100m kick > 50m swim/150m kick > 200m kick).

Breath
This is one I continuously have issues with. Breathing in freestyle swimming isn't a natural thing, having my face down in the water while doing exercise is difficult. Breathing patterns are essential for maintaining speed and ensuring you get enough oxygen. If you can keep your breathing under control, then you can essentially swim for miles. Here are some things I like to focus on:

• Time your breaths with your stroke cycle to minimize disruption to your rhythm.
• Most swimmers breathe bilaterally, meaning they alternate sides for each breath to maintain balance and even out fatigue.
• Practice bilateral breathing and experiment with different patterns to find what works best for you.
• Try the Aerofit Breathing Trainer, you can follow the guided sessions provided and significantly increase your lung capacity and overall fitness.
• I also will breathe every 2 strokes, then 3 strokes, back to 2 strokes. You could also use this method to work up to breathing every 5 strokes.

Here are a couple drills I do. My swim coach also prescribes these in our group sessions:
Pull-buoy with alternating breathing patterns, 2x200m (Alternating every 50m, breath every 3 strokes/5 strokes). See if you can get yourself up to 7.
I also like to just do some simple sink downs after my warm-up. Deep breath in then sink down exhaling out the mouth or nose and push back up. Keeping myself relaxed and being comfortable underwater.

Stroke
This is the where the power and speed come from. The arm stroke is what propels you through the water. It enables triathletes to maintain a steady rhythm, conserving precious energy for the bike and run segments. The more water you can "grab" the more you can push behind you. I mentioned above that I managed to shave-off close to 30seconds from my per 100 time. Most of that came from working on the four elements of the stroke: catch, pull, finish, and recovery.

• Catch phase: you are setting your arm up to be in the right position to engage an effective pull. There is no force at this point. After your hand enters the water, it moves forward as you reach out straight (hand below elbow, elbow below shoulder) and move downwards as you quickly start to point the hand and forearm down (elbow higher than forearm).
• Pull phase: is used to propel yourself forward by pushing water backward. A well-executed catch places your arm in an optimal position for this purpose. It's best to avoid the common mistake of moving your arm from side to side during the pull (s-curve). It's also important to accelerate your hand throughout the pull.
• Finish phase: playing a pivotal role in maintaining your momentum and setting up for the next stroke. Your hand should exit the water near your hip, and your arm should be fully extended. Making sure to keep the hand facing back to ensure you are pushing water back until the hand exits.
• Recovery phase: vital for a seamless transition into the next pull, helping with speed and efficiency. An effortless, momentum-driven motion after a strong finish is key, and maintaining a straight, forward hand entry ensures an effective catch. The recovery phase should not take a lot of effort.

Strength and Conditioning Also Help to Swim Faster

You need to be strong to push through the water like a fish and have the endurance to keep going without running out of breath. That's where strength training comes in, it gives you the power to move through the water like you're on a mission. I noticed a big difference when I focused on specific exercises in my strength training.

Hit the gym
To become a strong swimmer, you'll need to hit the gym (or your living room) and try some special exercises. Push-ups, squats, pull-ups, and planks are your new best friends. These exercises work your arms, lats, legs, and core, making you a swimming machine. Don't forget those flutter kicks – they're like turbo boosters for your legs. You can also mix in some resistance band workouts to focus on your stroke and mainly the pull phase. You can add in 4x30 reps (each arm) after one of your workouts.

Cross-training
Cross-training means doing other sports or exercises to help your swim performance. Think biking, running, or yoga. They help balance your body, improve flexibility, and prevent boredom – plus, they make you an all-around athlete. If you are already training for a triathlon you have these areas covered. One exercise that isn't included in this that I found helped my high aerobic zone and breathing for swimming was the rowing machine. You can find multiple workouts online but, I would do 2500m pieces after a workout. Starting slow into a faster race type pace, then into a cool down.

The journey to becoming a faster and more efficient swimmer is a challenging one, but it's filled with valuable lessons and rewards. As i've discussed, improving your swimming technique by focusing on body position, kick, breath, and stroke is crucial for gaining speed in the water. Consistency and determination are your friends on this path, and any progress you make is a testament to your dedication. Incorporating strength and conditioning exercises, along with cross-training, will give you the power and endurance needed to excel in the swim leg of the triathlon. If you're a new triathlete or a seasoned swimmer, the journey to swim faster is a continuous so, stay committed, keep working on your skills, and let your passion for swimming drive you toward your goals.