Swimming with TR Cycling Training

I am interested if anyone has added swimming with your TR training and benefits how it has benefited you

May I ask what you are hoping to gain from the swimming training?

Are you a duathlete or triathlete that is trying to improve their swim?
Are you trying to lose weight or improve muscle definition?
Are you trying to improve your upper body strength?

Any of the reasons above could be great reasons to integrate swimming into your routine. if you are wondering where to start, you can check out our Ironman Plans to get an idea of our recommended swimming sets.

If you are looking to integrate swimming as a way to improve your cycling performance, however, your time would be much better spent on the bike instead. While swimming and cycling are both aerobic sports that require core strength, that is where their similarities mostly end. If your focus is improving on the bike, the best way to do it is with structured and specific cycling training on the bike.

Cheers!

My focus was to increase cardio and core. I do TR 3 days a week with swimming twice a week on TR days off.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

If your goal is to increase cardio and core, then swimming is a great way to help reach those goals :slight_smile: A bit of variety can be great for your overall health :+1:

If you are new to swimming, I would recommend taking a class or working with a group of experienced swimmers to make sure that your technique is correct. Proper form is very important for avoiding injury and maximizing your muscular recruitment.

Good luck!!

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Hello. Swimming is good for your recovery on non-TR days and adding volume for your overall training. In order to improve your cardio by swimming You need to increase your swmming fitness through either low/ moderate- intensity endurance/tempo swimming and/or high- intensity sweetspot/treshold- swimming. If your TR- training is intense I would keep the swimming more at the low/ moderate -intensity side and vice versa. For core strength I would recommend doing real strenght work in the gym (maybe straight after your swim or bike) and at home with kettle-balls or own body weight (even only once a week is beneficial). I don’t believe that swimming really improves your core strenght as such. Naturally it depends of your overall fitness status as well. Keep your big picture what you are training for and what is your current training phase in mind. This opinion I base on my own experience of 4 years olympic and half distance triathlon training and racing.