Training: Pool vs Open Water

How Much of Each Do I Really Need?

Almost everyone swimming their first open water event worries that they are not doing enough open water swimming leading up to an event. There are some big differences between open water swimming and pool swimming but don’t worry, you don’t have to live in the sea to be able to swim an UltraSwim33.3. 

Training in the pool is important. It gives you predictable conditions in which you can train your technique, endurance and pacing. It’s better to be consistent in the pool than training epic sessions once in a while. Keeping swimming regularly in the pool will develop your swimming style, skills and strength. It is a vital part of training to be an open water swimming, it builds your engine and without it, open water swimming would just be survival. In an idea world, you would train with a coach who can help develop your technique and tailor your pool swimming to an open water program.

#10Montenegro Prep Camp

As seen on Tom Jenkinson’s official UltraSwim33.3 training programme, there should be two types of swim in your weekly training programme. An endurance session and a tempo session. The endurance session should be in open water, if possible, but can be done in the pool as well - Tom recommends you break up the intervals with short rests to keep your concentration and technique going. These sessions focus on your ability to keep going over long distances. The tempo session should be done in a pool and these focus on your ability to hold pace over distance. You should, do two of each per week. Download a free training programme for an UltraSwim33.3 on the Envol website. 

Training in open water is important for the niche aspects of open water swimming that you can’t get in a pool. Open water is unpredictable so it’s important to be exposed to changeable conditions, cold water, bad weather and poor visibility so you are prepared for your event. 

Depending on where you live, open water swimming might not be accessible to you. Don’t worry, you don’t have to train in open water every week, just enough to build your feel for swimming in open water. It’s worth travelling to your nearest accessible open water swimming location a few times to practice. Even if you do 80% of training in a pool, that 20% in open water will give you an idea of what to expect. Its more about exposing yourself to the elements than training the distance in open water. 

#7Croatia, crossing the finish line

This article contains tips from Tom Jenkinson’s blog, one of our UltraSwim 33.3 Ambassadors.