What Does That Mean? A Swimming Vocabulary Lesson!
Photo Credit: Helen Cogan Photography
Have you ever looked at a workout and thought “What the heck does that mean?” Well don’t worry, we have all been there. Even seasoned swimmers and triathletes have these moments from time to time. Coaches can use slightly different terminology which certainly adds to the confusion. I have created this quick glossary of basic swim training vocabulary with the hopes that you will read your next workout with the confidence that you will do exactly what you are supposed to. This is by no means an all encompassing list but it will certainly get you going. If there is a term you have seen over and over but still have no idea what it means, please put it in the comments and we will add it to the list! Hopefully you find it helpful!
Warm Up
The warm up the first thing you will do when you get in the water. Some people like longer warms ups while others like shorter ones. This is the time to get your body ready to move. Depending on the type of workout you are going to do this may be between 10% to 25% of your total workout volume. Start off easy here and really focus on technique. This is a great place to throw in some drills and some stretching before the prep set.
Kick
Usually when you see this it means to only use your legs and not use your arms. You have many options with kicking. You can use a kick board, kick in streamline, work on kicking in different positions like on your back or sides and you can even kick on your stomach with a front snorkel with your hands by your side.
Pull
This is basically the opposite of kick. With this you are just using your arms. Generally you will be using a pull buoy, which is the figure eight shaped float that goes between your thighs. Pull for some coaches will mean just using a pull buoy and for other coaches it means using paddles and a buoy. Personally if I want an athlete using paddles I will write the workout saying pull with paddles and a buoy. Paddles come in many different shapes and sizes now and each type has a different purpose but they are basically plastic squares that should be about an inch longer than your finger tips that go on your hands to help you work on your pull technique.
Drill
When you see drill, this means your coach wants you to pick a swimming exercise that works on a part of your stroke. Drilling is generally done slower so you can focus on that piece of the stroke but it doesn’t have to be. Some drills can be done at full speed. Next time you see drill don’t just assume it is slow and easy. There are a variety of different drills out there so it is important to know what you want to work on so you pick an appropriate drill. If you are newer to swimming, don’t try to fix all of your problems at one time. Pick a drill that focuses on one element and once you master it move on to the next following a progression that makes sense to the stroke you are trying to improve. Examples of drills are catch up, one arm swimming, six kicks and roll and etc.
Swim
Swim means just that. It is time to put everything together and swim the stroke that your coach wants you to. This means you are using both your arms and legs generally with no equipment unless your coach tells you to add equipment. This does not mean swim without focus. Even though you aren’t doing a drill, you should be thinking about your technique so you don’t add in any bad habits.
K/D/S
This is an abbreviation for Kick, Drill, Swim. This means you will alternate through a patter of kick followed by drill followed by swimming. If you are given a set of 6 x 75 K/D/S. Then generally you will follow this pattern for each 75 meaning you will do a 25 of kick, a 25 of drill and then a 25 of swim. This set could also be done as a 75 kick, a 75 drill and then a 75 swim. Either way you are getting the same amount of kicking, drilling and swimming. When I give athletes a set with K/D/S, I explain that I want them to do this within each 75 instead of by 75. This means I want a 25 of each instead of a 75 of each. Once you understand your coach’s use of this you will know which they expect.
Prep Set
This is the set that comes right before the main set. This purpose of this set is to get your heart rate up and make sure your body is awake and ready to attack the main set. This will allow you to jump into the main set ready to rock and it can help minimize the risk of injury because your muscles will be well warmed up and ready for some fast swimming.
Main Set
This set is the meat of the workout. This can be anywhere from 40% to 80% of your workout volume depending on the type of workout you are doing. If it is distance or pace day, then this will be the majority of your swimming volume but if you are doing a speed day it will probably fall on the shorter end but with more rest. This is where you are given specific objectives and intervals that you are working to hit. This is not usually a time to focus too much on technique but this is the time to do what it takes to achieve the purpose of the set. If there is easy or recovery swimming in the main set, that is the time to really focus on technique.
Descend
When you see descend written in a set, the expectation is for you to swim each repetition faster than the previous. For example, the following set: 4 x 50: Descend 1-4 wants you to swim six 50's with each one faster. If the set reads: 6x 50: Descend 1-3, 4-6 you are asked to descend the first 3 and the second 3 in the set. The fourth 50 should be slower than the third. The third and sixth are the fastest in the set. The interval doesn’t change in a set like this only the effort you put forth in each repetition.
Build
Building is different from Descending because the expectation for build is to increase speed within the single swim distance . For example, the following set: 6 x 100: Build expects you to swim each 100 starting easy (with perfect technique) and increasing speed within each 100 to a fast finish. When I give a set with build in it, I will specify the effort I want
Rest Interval
This is an established period of rest that should be taken between swims within a set. An example of this would be Swimming a set of 6 x 50 (2 laps) with :30 rest. No matter how fast an athlete swims they will get the same amount of rest.
Send Off or Interval
The interval or time on which you begin each repeat (swim) of the set. For example, if your set is 8 X 100 on 1:30, the Send-off (interval) is 1:30. This means if you swim a 1:20 for the 100, you will get 10 seconds of rest before you need to leave on the next send-off. This means you have 1:30 to swim the 100 and get rest. If you do the 100 in 1:29 then you are only getting 1 second of rest.
For Time or Maximum Effort
This is an easy one! When you see this written, it means to go as fast as you can for specified distance and to actually time this effort. For example, a set of 1 x 200 For Time means to time yourself swimming as fast as you can over the course of 200 yards (8 lengths). You should remember this time so you can tell your coach or at least track your progress over several workouts to see if you are getting faster!
Best Average
This means you are expected to hold the best time possible for the number of repeats on the given interval. Usually a best average set will allow for a more rest, so you can swim at a faster pace. Your pace on a best average set should be faster than when you swim threshold (usually about 80%-85% of your maximum effort), but not as fast as sprint pace. This is not necessarily sprinting though. Your goal on a set like this is not to go as fast as you can on number 1 and be dead for the next 5. Your goal should be to hold the fastest you can but hold close to the same time for each repetition of the set on the given interval. This is a great type of set to use as a test set to track your progress.
Cool Down
When you finally finish the main set and probably a tiny super hard set after the main set, then it is not in your best interest to just jump out and go home. You will want to do a cool down which is usually very light, un-timed swimming that should be focused on good technique. This will help you flush the lactic acid that has built up in your body so that you are not sore later in the day or the next day. The cool down will help reduce your recovery time as a result. If you are a triathlete and have a bike or run workout after the swim this can help minimize leg cramping so definitely don’t skip it!