Recovery swims were never my idea of a great time.
In my mind, they matched the definition of garbage yardage.
And so, Olivier being Olivier, they would often turn it into a high-intensity workout or some purely drudgery swimming.
The good news is that recovery workouts don’t have to be boring or wall-to-wall poor swimming—with some planning and intention they can be used to quietly set up tomorrow’s breakthroughs.
Here are three ways to sprinkle some high-performance on your recovery swims:
Open up range of motion. Dolphin kicking on your side (fish kick) and on your back (arms at side) are perfect for this. Opens up the hips and spine.
i.e.
16x25 dolphin kick with fins alternating 25 fish kick and 25 dolphin kick on back. Each kick should flow smoothly and with lots of range.
Load up on “feel” for the water. This can include targeted drill work. One of my favorites is front sculling (right in the “catch zone”). Pair with some “silent” freestyle (no splash, clean entry, smooth as butter).
i.e.
16x50 freestyle alternating 25 scull and 25 silent freestyle
Easy speed. Light speed work is an excellent way to activate fast-twitch fibers without generating fatigue. It’s like turning the lights on in your muscles without blowing a fuse.
i.e.
8x25 freestyle with fins – “easy” speed, no more than 80% effort. Don’t muscle through these.
Recovery workouts can sometimes feel like drudgery because there is none of the energy and excitement of the challenging stuff.
But adding structure gives you direction and purpose.
Use recovery days to open up range of motion, sharpen feel for the water, and sprinkle in some easy speed, and you’ll recover quicker and be ready to rock and roll in your next swim workout.
See you in the water,
Olivier
