This Workout of the Week is a 2,000 yard workout I completed with MySwimPro on the Apple Watch. In this article I’ll overview the workout’s strategy and walk you through a set-by-set analysis of all the data captured in this Pull Ladder MySwimPro workout!

Workout Statistics:

  • Distance: 2,000 Yards
  • Duration: 33 Minutes
  • Focus: Aerobic Conditioning

This workout was completed in a 25 yard swimming pool. I wrote the workout using the MySwimPro app synced the workout to my Apple Watch. The training session was run continuously with 30 seconds rest between the set-groups and 15 seconds rest between the sets. You can learn more about workout and set structure here.


Workout Strategy

This workout took just over 30 minutes to complete and the goal of the main set was to descend my average pace per 100 as the pull distance increased. I was relatively successful in this but I swam a bit too easy on the 200 and picked it up for the 300 and 400 to get back on pace! Interestingly my heart rate was higher on the pre set 8 x 50 IM order! 🏊‍♂️

Pull Ladder

1 x 100 @ 1:30 (1:09 pace)
1 x 200 @ 2:40 (1:12 pace)
1 x 300 @ 4:00 (1:07 pace)
1 x 400 @ 5:00 (1:06 pace)

Workout Analytics

Using data to help you understand your swimming performance is one of the most efficient ways to help you improve in the water. With advances in wearable technology, the most important metrics can be tracked automatically and used to your advantage. Checkout the stats from the IM set prior to the Main Set:

The goal of the pre-set 8 x 50s IM was to increase the heart rate and engage all the muscles to start the Main Pull Set fully warmed up. My heart rate on the pre-set was actually higher than the main set – which just goes to show how difficult IM swimming is. Checkout the heart rate graph from the entire workout here:

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.”

Personalize The Workout

This same workout can be adapted to meet different speeds and skill levels. For example, instead of increasing the main set pull distances by 100 yards, it could increase by 50s or even 200s. To make the workout longer, the main set could be been accomplished for multiple rounds or build up to 500 yards instead of up to 400 yards. Checkout this version of the workout that’s a bit longer (4,000+). Two rounds of this main set:

  • 1 x 100 @ 1:30 (1:30 pace)
  • 1 x 200 @ 2:50 (1:25 pace)
  • 1 x 300 @ 4:00 (1:20 pace)
  • 1 x 400 @ 5:00 (1:15 pace)
  • 1 x 500 @ 6:00 (1:12 pace)

How To Swim Faster

Swimming fast comes down to two things: Increasing propulsion and decreasing drag. Swimming efficiently will help you decrease drag and this is much faster (and easier) to improve than improving propulsion. To increase the efficiency of your workout, you’ll need to add structure and variation to push your body in new and innovative ways. This workout is just one example of how you can do this.

If you’d like more creative sets and training plans like this, checkout the MySwimPro app. New workouts added daily (Workout of the Day) along with over 10 training plans that the MySwimPro app personalizes to you and are designed to help you meet your goals!

Be sure to download the MySwimPro app in the App Store for iPhone and Google Play Store for Android!

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2 Comments

  1. Hi!
    What equipment do you use to measure the heart rate?
    The Apple Watch wrist HR monitor doesnt work in the water, does it?
    Regards

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