Open Water Swimming Training Tips

We want you to fully enjoy your training and, if you are building up to an event, prepare you for your big day in the best way possible.

How to get the most from your training…

Training for open water swimming is all about preparation: building confidence, improving technique, and getting comfortable in the natural elements. Unlike pool swimming, open water introduces cooler temperatures, changing conditions, and the need for strong, efficient form.

The benefits of buoyancy…

Swimming offers unique physical benefits thanks to buoyancy and water resistance. When you’re immersed, your body bears only around 10% of its weight, reducing stress on joints and making it an ideal form of exercise for anyone, including those recovering from injury or new to fitness. At the same time, water is far denser than air, providing full-body resistance with every movement. This balanced workout engages paired muscle groups more effectively than most land-based training, helping build strength, stability, and overall fitness.

Consistency and structure are key

To make the most of your training, consistency and smart structure are key. Techniques such as regular testing can help you understand whether you're improving.

Incorporate sessions that include threshold work, and break your swimming into strong, controlled intervals rather than long, slow lengths. Add occasional quality-speed training too, focusing on short, fast reps.

Preparing for Cool Water

Preparing for outdoor conditions is just as important as improving fitness. Open water is typically much cooler than a pool, so train in your wetsuit whenever possible and ensure it fits well. We recommend neoprene wetsuits of 3mm thickness and above.

Wearing two swim caps can help you retain heat, and neoprene accessories like booties or gloves add comfort and warmth. Before every swim, take time to acclimatise to the water. It makes a significant difference to how relaxed and confident you’ll feel.

If you’re new to open water, start gradually and build up to longer distances with a structured plan. Whenever possible, practice in outdoor environments so you arrive on event day fully prepared for the temperature and feel of open water.

Three Technique Tips To Try When Training

If improving your swimming technique is high on your list, take a look at these tips:

1. Testing

Testing will help you to know if the training you are doing is making you faster. It doesn’t really matter what distance you pick as long as it’s the same each time, but shorter tests are easier to undertake. A 400m maximal time trial (TT) followed by 10min recovery, then a 200m TT has been shown to be a good way to work out your threshold or ‘Critical Swim Speed’ (CSS) pace. CSS is the best pace you can maintain for 1500m and once you have this data you can build your training around accurate paces.

2. Threshold

Swimming well doesn’t mean it should be easy all the time. Too many swimmers plod up and down the lanes at a slow pace when it is far more effective to break your swim session into harder reps. Instead of swimming 800m, swim 8 x 100m at the fastest pace you can manage for all 8 reps and with minimal rest (10-25secs). Aim to get faster, take less rest, or add more distance as the weeks go on.

3. Quality Speed

‘If you can swim fast, you can swim slow’! True, but if you swim fast for too long your technique will break down and you’ll train all the wrong muscles, so make time for sessions where you swim fast reps but stop before your technique changes due to fatigue. In these sessions, you should take lots of rest so that your technique is maintained. A good example would be 20 x 25m fast with 60-90sec recovery. If your form breaks down, stop.

With the right preparation, mindset, and technique, you’ll be ready to enjoy every moment of your open water swimming journey. You can find more training tips and advice here.