Catch-Up and Front Quadrant Timing for Advanced Swimmers
A 3900 m session that moves from catch-up drill to front quadrant timing and holds that long stroke through steady 300s and faster 100s.
- Duration
- 1 h 29 minestimated
- Distance
- 3,900 m
- Effort
- 98
- Level
- Advanced
- Focus zone
- Endurance
Your values
Targets relative to your threshold values. Enter your values to see absolute numbers.
100% is your threshold pace. Higher values are faster, lower values are slower.
| # | Step | Length | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm-upEndurance Easy freestyle | 600 m | 85-92% CSS pace |
| 2 | Rest | 30 s | |
| 6 ×Repeat these steps | |||
| 3.1 | Warm-upRecovery Kick on side, lead arm extended | 50 m | 60-78% CSS pace |
| 3.2 | Rest | 15 s | |
| 8 ×Repeat these steps | |||
| 4.1 | IntervalRecovery Catch-up drill | 50 m | 75-85% CSS pace |
| 4.2 | Rest | 15 s | |
| 8 ×Repeat these steps | |||
| 5.1 | IntervalEndurance Pull as the recovering hand passes your head | 50 m | 85-92% CSS pace |
| 5.2 | Rest | 15 s | |
| 5 ×Repeat these steps | |||
| 6.1 | IntervalEndurance Freestyle steady, front quadrant timing | 300 m | 85-92% CSS pace |
| 6.2 | Rest | 20 s | |
| 4 ×Repeat these steps | |||
| 7.1 | IntervalSweet spot Freestyle, long stroke at speed | 100 m | 96-99% CSS pace |
| 7.2 | Rest | 20 s | |
| 8 | Cool-downRecovery Easy choice of stroke | 300 m | 75-85% CSS pace |
About this workout
Front quadrant swimming means that one hand is always somewhere in front of the head. The lead arm starts its pull only as the recovering hand passes the head, so there is always a long lever out front. Full catch-up exaggerates this. Front quadrant timing is the version you can actually race with.
After a long warm-up and kick on the side, eight 50s of catch-up set the pattern. The next eight 50s use the race version, pulling as the other hand passes your head. Five steady 300s then ask you to hold the timing over a longer swim, and four 100s just below threshold check that it survives some speed.
The set suits strong swimmers whose stroke turns into a windmill when they tire, especially triathletes heading for longer races. Stroke timing differs between swimmers, so treat front quadrant as a reference point rather than a fixed rule.
Tips
- Keep the lead arm reaching forward, not pressing down, while the other arm recovers.
- Let the timing change slightly with speed, but never let both arms sit behind the shoulders.
- Count strokes on the 300s and keep the count within one of the 50s.
Good forPoolMasters swimmingHalf-distance triathlonFull-distance triathlon
Season phaseBaseBuild