Swim Training Phases

Prep	Prepare to Train	October – December Drills and skills, steady state swim Endurance training – intervals of varying length, at slow pace (CSS +10) Click here for example training sessions for this phase
Base	Basic aerobic work	January – March Gradually build endurance & strength (eg using paddles, kicking) Focus on perfecting technique Effort well below CSS pace – Zone 2 training Typical sessions will comprise intervals up to 500m, CSS +5 > CSS +10 pace, with rests up to 30s between intervals Click here for example training sessions for this phase
Build	Bringing in intensity and sharpness	April – June Training becomes more race-like Typical sessions will include swim intervals of medium length at CSS pace and up to 10 minutes of shorter length intervals (50 – 100m), at faster pace (CSS -5 > CSS pace) Maintain good technique. Keep working on drills Click here for example training sessions for this phase

Peak	Taper for races	July – September CSS pace work, plus some speed work (CSS -5 > CSS pace) Click here for example training sessions for this phase