Pool sessions that build real open water fitness.
Aerobic base, bilateral breathing, sustained pace, and race-tempo sets — structured pool workouts that carry directly into triathlon swims, open water racing, and marathon swims.
Generate My Open Water WorkoutOpen water fitness starts in the lane.
You can't replicate the feel of open water in a pool — but you can absolutely build the fitness, mechanics, and pacing awareness that open water demands. Here's what structured pool training does for your open water race.
Sustained pace over distance
Open water requires holding a pace for 750m, 1.5km, or much longer without walls to push off. Long aerobic sets in the pool build exactly that — sustained output with no rest.
Bilateral breathing
Breathing to both sides keeps you swimming straight in open water. Drill sets emphasize three-stroke breathing patterns and reduce the dependency on your dominant side.
Race-pace sets
The start of an open water race is chaos. Race-pace sets build the ability to go out hard, find your rhythm, and settle into sustainable pace — the critical open water skill.
Stroke efficiency under fatigue
Technique drills in every session train the muscle memory to maintain an efficient stroke even when tired — which is exactly when open water swimmers lose form.
High-elbow catch work
Without a wetsuit's buoyancy, every ounce of propulsion comes from your pull. Drill sets target the early vertical forearm catch that drives distance per stroke.
Any time slot works
30 minutes twice a week builds more open water fitness than one sporadic long session. The generator builds around your available time, every time.
The pool is your training ground. Use it with intention.
Most open water swimmers train in the pool the same way they race in the lake — just swimming, no plan. The difference between a strong open water swimmer and a struggling one is often not fitness. It's how they trained.
Structured pool training means you know what you're doing before you get in. You've done the bilateral breathing drill. You know what a sustained aerobic effort feels like. You've practiced going out at race pace and pulling back to threshold. You've drilled your catch mechanics until they're automatic.
That's what the generator builds. For free. Before you touch the water.
For open water training, do this.
- Set duration to 60–90 minutes for base-building sessions
- Choose Strong Swimmer or Elite / Masters based on your pool pace
- Use Aerobic effort for most sessions — 70% of open water training is aerobic base
- Use Race Pace effort in the 4–6 weeks before your event
- Select your equipment — fins are great for kick sets, pull buoy builds upper body strength
Club members get workouts built around their swimmer profile — including pace-specific intervals that match their open water race goals.
Build your open water base today.
Get a complete pool session designed to translate directly to open water performance.
Generate My Open Water Workout →