Recovery
Easy 1200 m Recovery Swim for Beginners
4 × (50 m kick with board, 20 s rest), 4 × (100 m freestyle, 30 s rest), 4 × (50 m backstroke or breaststroke, 20 s rest)
Easy Recovery Swim Workouts
Easy recovery swim sessions with relaxed freestyle, backstroke, gentle drills and sculling, for the day after racing or hard training.
Workouts
6 workouts
Recovery
Mixed Stroke Recovery Swim
4 × (50 m kick, 15 s rest), 4 × (100 m freestyle, 15 s rest, 100 m backstroke, 15 s rest), 4 × (50 m breaststroke, 15 s rest), 4 × (50 m sculling, 15 s rest)
Recovery
Recovery Session with Easy Drills and Pull
4 × (25 m catch-up drill, 25 m freestyle, 15 s rest), 4 × (25 m fingertip drag drill, 25 m freestyle, 15 s rest), 3 × (200 m pull buoy, 20 s rest), 4 × (50 m kick on your back, 15 s rest)
Recovery
Day After Race Loosening Swim
4 × (50 m backstroke, 20 s rest), 4 × (100 m freestyle, 30 s rest), 4 × (50 m kick with board, 20 s rest), 4 × (50 m sculling, 20 s rest)
Recovery
Long Easy Recovery Swim 3000 m
4 × (100 m kick, 15 s rest), 3 × (400 m freestyle, 20 s rest), 2 × (200 m pull buoy, 20 s rest, 100 m backstroke, 20 s rest)
Recovery
Recovery Swim with Sculling and Backstroke
4 × (50 m front scull, 15 s rest), 4 × (50 m mid scull, 15 s rest), 4 × (100 m freestyle, 15 s rest, 100 m backstroke, 20 s rest), 4 × (50 m double arm backstroke, 15 s rest), 2 × (200 m pull buoy, 20 s rest)
Recovery Swims
Recovery swims are easy on purpose. They keep you moving between hard sessions, loosen muscles that are stiff from racing, running or cycling, and help you keep your feel for the water without adding fatigue. The water supports your body weight, so swimming at a gentle pace is a kind way to move when the legs are sore. The key is discipline. A recovery swim that turns into a workout costs energy instead of restoring it.
The sessions here run from a short 1200 m swim for beginners to 3000 m of easy swimming for experienced swimmers who train on most days. They mix relaxed freestyle with backstroke and breaststroke, gentle drills, sculling and easy pull and kick. Pace targets sit at the recovery end of the scale, roughly 20 seconds or more per 100 m slower than your CSS, and they work as a ceiling rather than a goal.
Use a recovery swim the day after a race, after a hard threshold or speed session, or on an easy day in a heavy training week. Triathletes often place one after a long run or bike ride. Choose the length by how you feel, and when in doubt pick the shorter option. If you feel worse during the swim rather than better, stop and rest instead.
Questions about Recovery Swims
Is a recovery swim better than a rest day?
It depends on how tired you are. After a moderate block, an easy swim often leaves you looser and fresher than doing nothing, because the gentle movement keeps the circulation going. After a very hard race, or when you are ill or exhausted, complete rest is the better choice. A recovery swim should never make you more tired than you were before.
How easy should a recovery swim be?
Easier than you think. You should be able to talk in full sentences at every rest, breathe calmly every three strokes and finish feeling better than you started. In pace terms that is roughly 20 seconds or more per 100 m slower than your CSS. If you share a lane with faster swimmers, let them go and stay at your own pace.
Can I swim after a marathon or a long triathlon?
Yes, an easy swim one or two days after a long race is a common way to loosen up, as long as walking feels normal and you have no injury. Keep it short, around 1000 to 1500 m, with plenty of backstroke and rest. Leave out kick sets if the legs are very sore, and get out if you start to feel cold.