Resources · Reading a Workout
How Do I Read a Swim Workout?
A complete Swim Workout Club set, broken down section by section and line by line.
In short: Read each line as: how many × how far, plus what to do, plus when to go or rest. Sections always run Warm-Up → Main Set → Cool-Down.
Show me
One real Swim Workout Club set, annotated.
Every workout follows the same shape: Warm-Up, Main Set, Cool-Down (sometimes with a Pre-Set or Secondary Set in between). Here's what each line is telling you.
Warm-Up
400 FR easy
Repeats × distance + stroke + effort — no interval, just easy swimming to start.
4 x 50 drill/swim by 25 @ 1:00
One repeat, split into a drill 25 and a swim 25 — interval is 1:00 per 50.
Main Set
8 x 100 FR @ 1:45, aerobic
8 repeats of 100, a new one starting every 1:45, at aerobic effort.
4 x 50 kick @ 1:15
Kick set — equipment implied (kickboard or on your back), interval 1:15.
Cool-Down
200 choice easy
Any stroke, easy effort, no interval — just settle down.
Total distance2,000 yards / meters
What if I can't do exactly what's written?
Modify, don't skip.
If a distance or interval doesn't fit you yet, adjust it rather than abandoning the set: shorten the repeats, add rest, or drop one round. The structure — warm-up, main work, cool-down — is what matters most.
Too far
Cut a round
8 x 100 becomes 6 x 100 — same structure, less volume.
Too fast
Loosen the interval
@ 1:45 becomes @ 2:00 — same set, more recovery.
No equipment
Swap the line
No kickboard? Kick on your back instead, or swim easy in its place.
Your turn
Quick check.
In the main set above, how many total repeats are there before the cool-down?
Answer: 12 — the 8 x 100 plus the 4 x 50 kick.
What does the interval on the drill/swim 50s tell you?
Answer: A new 50 starts every 1:00, regardless of whether the drill-swim combination took the full minute.
Remember thisRead every line the same way: how many × how far, plus what to do, plus when to go or rest.
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