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Read your planTraining plan
Riley Chen
500 Free · High school
Every set cited to training scienceWhere you are now
CSS 1:12/100m
500 Free · threshold speed
Realistic 12-week target
CSS 1:11/100m
~1.8% faster at threshold
A conservative projection, not a promise — about 0.6% faster at threshold per four-week block, in line with how developing swimmers progress. The base block builds your aerobic engine and stroke efficiency — the endurance and technique that later speed work sharpens into race pace.
CSS anchor
1:12/100m
threshold speed
Method
Single mark
±3-5 sec/100m (approximation; two-trial is preferred)
Peak week
11.7k m
opens at 8.3k m
Block
12 wks
Your training zones
Anchored to your CSS of 1:12/100m. Every set is prescribed at one of these velocities.
1:12/100m
Your threshold anchor
1:20–1:40/100m
Easy aerobic base, most of your volume
1:09–1:16/100m
Threshold work, the main quality zone
0:56–1:06/100m
VO2max and race-pace sharpening
Your season
Weekly meters ramp ~5%/week with a recovery week every fourth, then taper into your goal (the ≤10%/week ramp and 20–40% taper the plan is built on).
- BASE (General Prep)Weeks 1–6
High easy aerobic volume (80–85%). Strides 2×/wk. Optional light tempo every 2 wks.
- BUILD (Specific Prep)Weeks 7–9
Introduce threshold work 1–2×/wk. Add short I-pace reps. Volume holds or rises modestly.
- SHARPEN (Pre-Competition)Weeks 10–10
Race-specific quality (T + I combos). Volume drops 10–15%. Neuromuscular activation.
- TAPER + RACE WEEKWeeks 11–12
Cut volume 20–40%. Maintain intensity with shorter efforts. Arrive fresh.
A week in the block
8,330 m
- MondayZ1
Easy aerobic base
1400m total — mix of non-crawl strokes (backstroke, breaststroke) + easy crawl drill work. Z1 pace (1:20–1:40/100m). Fully aerobic; no labored breathing.
- TuesdayZ1
Technique and drill work
1050m — structured drill sequence: single-arm, catch-up, fingertip drag. Kick sets (flutter + dolphin). 25m drill + 25m swim combos. All strokes across the session. Z1 intensity only. Distance-per-stroke focus: reduce stroke count by 1 across the set.
- WednesdayZ1
Aerobic volume day
1540m total — mix of non-crawl strokes (backstroke, breaststroke) + easy crawl drill work. Z1 pace (1:20–1:40/100m). Fully aerobic; no labored breathing.
- ThursdayZ1
Kick + pull block
1400m — kick block: 8×50m on kick board (flutter + dolphin, separate sets); pull block: 8×100m with pull buoy at easy aerobic pace. Z1 only. Focus on ankle flexibility (kick) and catch mechanics (pull). No pace targets — feel-based.
- FridayZ1
Recovery swim
1260m total — mix of non-crawl strokes (backstroke, breaststroke) + easy crawl drill work. Z1 pace (1:20–1:40/100m). Fully aerobic; no labored breathing.
- SaturdayZ1
Longer easy aerobic session
1680m total — mix of non-crawl strokes (backstroke, breaststroke) + easy crawl drill work. Z1 pace (1:20–1:40/100m). Fully aerobic; no labored breathing.
- SundayFull rest. Recovery for next week.
The thinking behind your plan
The sport-science principles that shape this phase — retrieved for your event, level, and where you are in the season. Every one is cited below.
- Aerobic development
Non-crawl strokes (backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) and drill sets with equipment (fins, pull buoy, paddles) serve as the primary means of accumulating Zone 1 aerobic volume in swimming, comprising approximately 30-40% of total training distance.
- Aerobic development
The single most important driver of endurance improvement is consistent high-volume low-intensity training that builds the aerobic base.
- Aerobic development
An effective base period develops not only aerobic capacity but also neurological efficiency, biomechanical patterns, and structural integrity—these non-aerobic components of base training are necessary prerequisites for tolerating specific race-pace work.
The science your plan is built on8 principles
- The single most important driver of endurance improvement is consistent high-volume low-intensity training that builds the aerobic base.
- Elite endurance athletes consistently perform approximately 80% of training at low intensity (zone 1) and 20% at moderate-to-high intensity, with minimal time in the 'gray zone' between thresholds.
- Easy training days must remain genuinely easy—below LT1, below 70% HRmax, below 1.0 mmol/L lactate—to allow the muscular recovery necessary for quality sessions to be of sufficient quality.
- Elite swimmers perform 80-90% of training at low intensity, training approximately 1,000+ hours per year; national and international competitive swimmers train 8-10 sessions per week at 24+ km/week as a standard base load.
- All intensities in swimming — from Zone 1 through Zone 6 — are delivered through interval formats with rest; continuous unbroken swimming at quality intensities is impractical compared to running, and rest intervals allow hydration, technique feedback, and metabolic management.
- Non-crawl strokes (backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) and drill sets with equipment (fins, pull buoy, paddles) serve as the primary means of accumulating Zone 1 aerobic volume in swimming, comprising approximately 30-40% of total training distance.
- An effective base period develops not only aerobic capacity but also neurological efficiency, biomechanical patterns, and structural integrity—these non-aerobic components of base training are necessary prerequisites for tolerating specific race-pace work.
- Critical Stroke Rate (CSR) — the stroke-rate equivalent of CSS, computed from maximal arm-stroke swims — provides a threshold prescription that simultaneously targets aerobic development and preserves stroke mechanics; velocity-controlled training at equivalent intensities causes progressive stroke-length deterioration that CSR training prevents.
The science your plan is built on
- The single most important driver of endurance improvement is consistent high-volume low-intensity training that builds the aerobic base.
- Elite endurance athletes consistently perform approximately 80% of training at low intensity (zone 1) and 20% at moderate-to-high intensity, with minimal time in the 'gray zone' between thresholds.
- Easy training days must remain genuinely easy—below LT1, below 70% HRmax, below 1.0 mmol/L lactate—to allow the muscular recovery necessary for quality sessions to be of sufficient quality.
- Elite swimmers perform 80-90% of training at low intensity, training approximately 1,000+ hours per year; national and international competitive swimmers train 8-10 sessions per week at 24+ km/week as a standard base load.
- All intensities in swimming — from Zone 1 through Zone 6 — are delivered through interval formats with rest; continuous unbroken swimming at quality intensities is impractical compared to running, and rest intervals allow hydration, technique feedback, and metabolic management.
- Non-crawl strokes (backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) and drill sets with equipment (fins, pull buoy, paddles) serve as the primary means of accumulating Zone 1 aerobic volume in swimming, comprising approximately 30-40% of total training distance.
- An effective base period develops not only aerobic capacity but also neurological efficiency, biomechanical patterns, and structural integrity—these non-aerobic components of base training are necessary prerequisites for tolerating specific race-pace work.
- Critical Stroke Rate (CSR) — the stroke-rate equivalent of CSS, computed from maximal arm-stroke swims — provides a threshold prescription that simultaneously targets aerobic development and preserves stroke mechanics; velocity-controlled training at equivalent intensities causes progressive stroke-length deterioration that CSR training prevents.