How to Train for Open Water in a Pool
- Daniela Klaz
- Feb 10
- 12 min read
Early-season open-water races have a special kind of drama to them. Most participants have been trapped inside, training in pools, on treadmills, and on stationary bikes. Many swimmers either live in places where open water training opportunities aren't accessible through the winter, or are too cold to get real distance training in. The good news is, you can still train for open water in a pool environment so you're ready for your early-season races. In this article, I'm hoping to summarize winter and early-season training methods to help get you to your race and ready for open water.
Before just starting to swim for hours on end in the pool, I think it's important to understand what the pool can (and can’t) give you. A pool will never perfectly mimic open water. There are no waves, no currents, no sun glare, no chaos at the start. But what the pool does offer is control, which is priceless early in the season.
In the pool, you can:
Incorporate interval and intensity training
Get accurate times across distances
Practice different technique elements
Dial in on sighting technique without getting slammed in the face with waves
Try out different breathing patterns
Train mental focus
Get a chance for social swimming (chatting with lane mates at the wall)
Test out feeds for longer swims
Get technique feedback from a coach while the water is clear and warm
Summary of strategies for pool training
Incorporate cyclical training to focus on technique, endurance, sprinting, and recovery
If you've purchased my workout book or followed my free training plans, you'll notice there's a pattern to the way I structure training periods, and it's something I learned from my own swim coach when I first started training for 15k+ swims. The cycle is a 4-week pattern:
Week 1: Focus & Technique
Week 2: Bulk & Endurance
Week 3: Speed & Sprint
Week 4: Rest & Recovery
I will absolutely die on this training method hill because it allows you to intentionally invest time in different types of swimming, which makes you faster and stronger. It also preemptively schedules rest weeks so you're not overtraining and causing injuries. Adding a rest week also lets you enjoy your life outside of the pool without feeling guilty for missing workouts.
Looking for those resources?
In the Focus & Technique week, your sets should combine drills, kicking, pulling, breath work - the things that take longer and often get slipped in only as a short set that don't let you translate good technique to muscle memory. Examples of F&T sets are:
Set 1:
4 x [ 3 x 50 free on rest :15] as:
1) 25 drill/25 perfect technique
2) 25 drill/25 fast
3) 25 fast/25 drill
Set 2:
4 x 200 on base interval + :15 as
(50 perfect technique/50 fast/50 easy/50 perfect technique fast)
The point of F&T week is not to be physically exhausted by cramming in as much yardage as possible, but to be mentally and physically tired from intentionally focusing on aspects of your stroke you otherwise wouldn't think about or take time to train (like side kicking, which is a pretty slow exercise).
In Bulk & Endurance week, your focus shifts to getting yardage in while getting very little rest. You're doing more high-volume sets with less time to recover, training at higher intensities simply because you're not getting as many seconds to lower your heart rate. You shouldn't be going into full sprints to try to make your intervals; if that's happening, evaluate your intervals so you're getting 2-3 seconds rest per 100.
Here are some example marathon distance-focused B&E sets:
Set 1:
Matrix “Mind Over Matter” Set
16 x 100 in sets of 4 - descend within the set of 4, and descend between the sets of 4
on base + :15
Speeds should look like this compared to one another:
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16
Set 2:
2 x 500 on rest :30 as:
200 free 75% effort
100 non-free
200 free 90% effort
During Speed & Sprint week, your focus is getting a lot of rest because you're at 100% effort. It's a lower volume week that leaves you dead, needing hoisted out of the pool. Changing from a high-volume/low-rest/high-intensity week to a low-volume/high-rest/high-intensity week is already cumulatively tiring, but doing the sprint workouts after your bulk week is similar to you having to "haul ass" to get through a bad current at hour 7 of an ultra-marathon swim. The finish is on the horizon and the water doesn't care that you're tired and aching. It's a fantastic way to both gain endurance and get faster.
Set 1:
2 x [4 x 100 free on base + :30]
Pattern: Traveling 25 Sprint
1 = first 25 is sprint, 75 moderate
2 = 25 moderate, 25 sprint, 50 moderate
3 = 50 moderate, 25 sprint, 25 moderate
4 = 75 moderate, 25 sprint
Set 2:
4 x 300 free negative split on base + :10
This is a mind game on pacing, as you want to go out slower on the first 150 and speed up the last 150, but still make the interval. Don’t go too slow on the first 150!
The Rest & Recovery week, your focus is truly to recover from the last 3 weeks. You do still need to swim a little bit, which will help work out lactic acid and remind you how to enjoy the water. Adding in stretching sessions and massages can really help in R&R weeks. Here are some examples of R&R sets that can help tie in technique:
Set 1:
4 x 100 as 25 kick, 25 drill, 50 swim rest :15
Set 2:
4 x 200 on base interval + :15
Pattern: Easy 50, moderate 100, easy 50
Add intensity at the end of practices when you're running on empty
This goes hand-in-hand with the first strategy, but developing "grit" for when you're the most tired during a practice can be the difference between finishing a swim and getting pulled. Adding intensity at the end of pool practices can simulate having to "haul ass" to get through a weird current or to beat a tide. It's really helpful for building the mental stamina to set aside the discomfort and push through a challenging portion while maintaining a strong pace.
Add dryland workouts to incorporate shoulder and core strength
The strategy with adding in non-pool strength workouts is to strengthen the parts that fail first, like shoulders, core, and lower back. Increasing volume and intensity in the pool increases the risk of injury, so adding strengthening routines can both prevent injuries in the pool and improve endurance in open water.
I have another article with links to shoulder-focused swimmer-specific exercises I recommend, including a daily maintenance video that will change your life in 3.5 minutes: https://www.swimwildwaters.com/post/prevent-the-pain-shoulder-workout. Incorporating other routines, like ankle stretches, back extensions, and ab workouts will do wonders for swimming. Here are some video links for routines I like to follow along with:
Practice sighting even if you think look silly
Let's face it, practicing sighting in open water isn't pleasant, especially when the water is frisky or cold. Getting a throat full of water in an already barely tolerable early-season swim because you're rusty on your sighting technique can really sour your swimming experience.
In the pool, dedicate sets to incorporating sighting. You can practice sighting 1-2 times per length to figure out which arm you defer to for a sighting stroke. You might notice that when practicing sighting more frequently in a pool, you get chafed on the back of your neck. That's a great way to figure out where you'll need to add anti-chafe before your open water swims.
If you're feeling achy after a set where you've incorporated sighting, that's a good indicator that you're either sighting too high, or that you need to incorporate more lower back strengthening exercises.
Here's a further explanation of how to sight in open water, and how to practice good sighting technique:
Mess with your breathing to be prepared for frisky environments
Open water doesn’t care about your favorite side. Open water won't hesitate to slosh a face full of water as you're trying to breathe on your right because that's "the side you always breathe on."
In the pool, you have the opportunity to solidify bilateral breathing, which is the concept of breathing to both sides, either every 3rd (recommended) or every 5th stroke. You learn to exhale enough to get your lungs mostly empty to your next breath, and become proficient in breathing to both sides. That way, if you're swimming parallel to shore during a race, and the waves just keep hitting you from the right side, you have no issues breathing only to your left side until you're able to change direction.
Hate breathing to one specific side? It sounds like you need to work on it so you're able to rely on breathing to that side without panicking or pulling yourself from the swim. You can practice breathing to your less preferred side as portions of your pool sets. Set a goal to feel proficient in breathing to both sides by open water season.
A few years ago, I was the swim safety director for an off-road triathlon. The course was a triangle, keeping buoys on your left and completing 2 loops before heading to the transition point. There were so many swimmers who only breathed to the right and never sighted that the safety paddlers had to try to course correct dozens of participants. They'd breathe right and curve toward the right, swimming away from the course, because the sun was shining in their eyes. If they had been able to breathe bilaterally, they would have had more of a chance of swimming in a straighter line (and sighting definitely would have helped).
Vary technique to have backups
This might sound a bit bananas, but how many versions of your stroke can you rely on? A lot of swimmers have the "One Perfect Technique" mindset where they try to maintain the same technique even as their bodies start to become exhausted and their minds start to wander. I disagree - I think it's irresponsible to stress the exact same muscle groups, especially when you start to feel pain or discomfort - because you don't have different techniques you can fall back on.
Pool training provides shorter-course opportunities to "break" your technique into modular parts. Here are examples for freestyle (email me if you'd like these types of dynamic adjustments/variations for other strokes):
Recovery height - if you start to feel a twinge during your recovery, do you feel comfortable changing the shape and height of your stroke's recovery over the water?
Hand entry (distance) - can you switch where your hand enters? In calm water, you might want to enter farther away from your head; in choppy water, you may want to enter closer to your head.
Hand entry (width) - can you change how far away from your centerline your hand enters? If you start to feel your bicep tendon pinching due to coming too close to entering directly in front of your head, can you alter your entry to being in front of your shoulder instead? Does that change your extension or glide? (If you think of your head being "noon" on a clock, changing whether your hand enters at 11 and 1 versus 10 and 2 or even wider can help teach your brain ways to mitigate shoulder pain.
Head position - incrementally changing your head position can lead to changes in body position. As your lower back gets tired, you can use the tilt of your head and it's overall position in relation to the surface of the water to help keep your hips elevated. Practicing changing your head position in a pool will help you identify your range before your stroke starts to fall apart.
Rotation - do you use your shoulders, hips, or feet to rotate you for your glide and extension? Using your shoulders and feet can lead to pain, fatigue, and cramps. Learning to switch which part of your body is driving your twist and extension can be invaluable when your shoulders start to ache, your feet start to cramp, or your back starts to feel like it's been hit by a boat.
Pull Phase Intensity - can you change which part of your pull is the driving force to your momentum? For most swimmers, the power comes from a high-elbow catch, but if your shoulders start to twinge, you may need to shift the power to your finish to give your shoulders a chance to rest. Similarly, if your main stroke relies on a powerful finish and you start to get elbow twinges, switching to an early-power stroke that shifts the exertion to the start of your pull can alleviate pain in the triceps and elbows.
Depth of stroke - feeling like your upper back and armpits are screaming? Changing the depth of your pull can give those achy trapezius muscles a little break. Play around between an almost-straight pull to a 90 degree bend in your elbow to see how it changes which muscles you use to force your hand under your torso.
Finish location - do you finish by your outer thigh? Changing the location of your finish to higher or lower on your outer thigh, or to your inner thigh can alleviate trapezius and scapular pain.
Kicking - can you swim without kicking? Or, if you're a regular kicker, can you keep your body position, rotation, and turn over without kicking? Practice kicking only during breaths, and swimming with both minimum and maximum levels of kick. Adding kicking when you're tired can be an effective method for taking stress off your shoulders (when arms fail, use legs!) and helping your rotation. Being able to swim with minimal or no kicking for short periods of time can help relax cramping foot muscles and even help start the urination process.
Test out feeds and equipment
Although far from an ideal circumstance, you'll need to test your feeds and equipment in the pool. Everything from what you'll sip before the event to your wetsuit will need to be incorporated into your pool training.
Feeds:
Despite the pool being warm, if you're training for a long-distance cold water race, you should try out your warm feeds if you plan to use them. Whether they're tea, warm electrolyte/carb-rich mixes, or broth, knowing the concentration and temperature that works best for your mouth, teeth, and stomach is crucial for open water preparedness. You don't have to incorporate warm feeds into every single practice, but trying them out 1-2 times per month on longer workout days will help you validate what works and what doesn't.
Try out your not-warm feeds as well. Most swimmers find that certain fuel mixes cause gas, bloating, acid reflux, or other discomfort. Your first open water swim or early-season event isn't the best time to be dealing with mini-barfs or nausea. Testing feeds in the pool will prevent you from introducing an unexpected pre-race or during-race fuel and the experiencing unplanned consequences.
Equipment:
If you're preparing for an early-season race, and you're planning on wearing a wetsuit, wear your wetsuit for a few short pool workouts. You'll learn where it rubs and where you need to schmear anti-chafe. You'll also be less panicked about how constrictive it is if you're sensitive to those sensations.
Whether in a pool or in colder air temps, practice opening, using, and closing your feed containers. You might have enough dexterity to manage them when you're warm, but if you're losing muscle control due to cold water temps, you might need to adjust the container type or complexity. Pre-loosening screw caps and using worn clamp containers that click into place easily will help make your feeds more efficient, keeping you warmer in the water.
Test out your goggle types to make sure your clear and tinted goggles fit well and don't leak. Even if it's harder to see the clock, breaking in goggles in the pool will reduce the risk of a new pair being wonky and leaking during a swim where you're managing a lot of other uncomfortable issues (like being cold).
Try both silicone and latex caps, or a combination of the two. Some swimmers find one or the other to be annoying, but you may not get a choice if there's a specific event swim cap. Silicone caps can be more insulative, and are a preferred choice for colder swims; if you're used to latex caps, you may find silicone caps fit your head differently, or have different levels of pressure on your ears.
Finally...
Although I haven't included it as a formal strategy, enjoy the pool time. Most event participants will be in the same boat as you - not having had the opportunity for high-volume open water training - but they may not have prepared like you have. Once you're out in open water, remember to:
Trust in your stroke.
Trust in your breathing.
Trust that you can keep going when the water feels shocking.
For the pool grumps out there, joining a local swim team to have comradery in tough workouts and working with a technique coach can change your perspective on pool swimming.
When you're finally able to get back into the open water, respect the transition.
Ease in with short swims first. Focus on the feel, not your pace or the yardage, especially if the water temps are on the frigid side. Swim with friends if you can, and make sure to bring safety equipment with you and be visible with a tow float (wink wink, they make Quackpackers for that!). If you're looking to get more acclimated to the colder water, you can get distance in a wetsuit, then strip it off and store it on shore or in your Quackpacker for the last portion of your swim.
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