Waterproof your skills and performance with this guide from bodyweight expert, Al Kavadlo to becoming strong, powerful and confident this summer.

Why should a bodyweight expert teach you to swim your first mile? First of all, bodyweight moves aren’t the reserve of dry land. It’s important to master your body’s movements in water because if you don’t, you’re likely to sink.

A little while back, I was a guy just like you who was pretty fit on land, but hardly like a fish in water. When I decided to enter the New York City Triathlon a few years back, I knew the swim would be the most challenging part for me. I’d biked my way all over the city throughout the years and already had a marathon under my belt, but I was still intimidated by the idea of swimming 1,500m in open water.

In order to prepare, I knew I’d need to be able to swim at least a full mile because I’d still need reserves for the rest of the triathlon. Though I did practice long swims occasionally, I spent a lot of my training time doing 50m and 100m repeats. I also practiced my freestyle stroke technique in more open-ended sessions without adhering to set distances and breaks.

This is the template that took me from barely being able to swim a couple of laps without getting winded, to finishing a 1,500m swim and still having the energy for a bike ride and a run. Regardless of whether you want to do a triathlon or not, this plan is a tremendous calorie burner that’ll dramatically improve your capabilities in the water. Whether you’re planning a beach trip or want to soak up more sun at your local pool this summer, this is the program that’ll help you look good and make sure you can confidently keep your head above water in all aquatic situations.

 

Week 1

In the beginning, your top priority should be to refine your freestyle swimming technique as much as possible. As a result, you don’t have to worry about how much distance you swim or how long you rest between efforts during this first week. The plan is to work on improving your economy of motion. The less energy you expend on each stroke, the more distance you’ll be able to go without getting tired.

Try to relax and focus on feeling the nuances of the way your body moves in the water. Are you wasting energy by splashing your legs too much on your kick? Are you following all the way through on every stroke? Are you wasting energy by lifting your head too much when you take a breath? If you are unsure of these subtleties, it can help to work with a coach to improve your technique.

Day 1 – Technique practice
Day 2 – Technique practice
Day 3 – Technique practice
Day 4 – Technique practice
Day 5 – Technique practice
Day 6 – Rest/other activities
Day 7 – Technique practice

 

Week 2

You’ll still focus a good amount of time on open-ended technique practice during week two, but you’ll also add some timed repeats into the mix. You’ll need to start challenging your cardiovascular system so you can prepare yourself to swim an entire mile.

Day 1 – 50m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do five sets.
Day 2 – Rest/other activities
Day 3 – Technique practice
Day 4 – 50m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do eight sets.
Day 5 – Rest/other activities
Day 6 – Technique practice
Day 7 – Technique practice

 

Week 3

It’s time to do your first long swim. Take it slow and easy. The idea is to get yourself used to the feeling of swimming continuously for a longer distance. If you don’t pace it right, you won’t finish. By now your cardio conditioning and technique should be improving, so finishing a 300m swim will be tough, but doable.

Day 1 – 50m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do 10 sets.
Day 2 – Rest/other activities
Day 3 – Technique practice
Day 4 – 50m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do 10 sets.
Day 5 – Rest/other activities
Day 6 – 300m swim at slow to very slow pace, followed by a five-minute rest. Do two sets.
Day 7 – Rest/other activities

 

Week 4

At this point of your training you’re ready to ramp up the intensity. The goal week is approaching quickly. What were once 50m repeats will now be 100m. Your long swim is going to increase to 500m. Again, pacing will be key – slow and steady wins the race.

Day 1 – 100m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do five sets.
Day 2 – Rest/other activities
Day 3 – Technique practice
Day 4 – 100m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do eight sets.
Day 5 – Rest/other activities
Day 6 – 500m swim at slow to very slow pace, followed by a five-minute rest. Do two sets.
Day 7 – Rest/other activities

 

Week 5

This is the most intense training week of this cycle. In addition to two days of 100m repeats, you’re also going to go for two longer swims. If you aren’t ready for this much training volume yet, feel free to repeat week four again before you move on.

Day 1 – 100m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do 10 sets.
Day 2 – Rest/other activities
Day 3 – 500m swim at slow to very slow pace, followed by a five-minute rest. Do two sets.
Day 4 – 100m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do 10 sets.
Day 5 – Rest/other activities
Day 6 – 800m swim at slow to very slow pace, followed by a five-minute rest. Do two sets.
Day 7 – Technique practice

 

Week 6

This is the week you’ll attempt to swim the full mile (about 1,600m). You’re going to taper off a bit at the start of the week because the last two weeks’ workload was pretty intense. At this point, if you’ve put in the time and done the work, you might be surprised by how easily the mile comes, especially with two days’ rest beforehand.

Day 1 – 100m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do 10 sets.
Day 2 – Rest/other activities
Day 3 – Technique practice
Day 4 – 50m swim at moderate to intense pace followed by a minute’s rest. Do 10 sets.
Day 5 – Rest/light activity
Day 6 – Total rest
Day 7 – Go for the full mile

 

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