Get back in shape for summer 2025! A 4 week plan for beginners and advanced swimmers

Summer is getting closer!

What we’re going to share with you today is a plan that’ll help you get back into swimming the right way. The plan is a 4-week plan so it will cover the first month of your workout. There are two different plans depending on your level of preparation beforehand: beginners and advanced. The difference lays in the fact that the advanced plan has an extra workout each week and each workout is slightly longer.

Week 1

BEGINNERS

SESSION 1

• 1000m freestyle, without stopping, but timing yourself

SESSION 2

• 300m  easy swimming
• 200m only arms with pull buoy
• 100m only legs with kickboard
• 3x200m constant aerobic swimming at a higher speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions)

ADVANCED

SESSION 1

• 2000m freestyle,  without stopping, but timing yourself

SESSION 2

• 400m easy swimming
• 300m only arms with pull buoy
• 200m only legs with kickboard
• 100m mix strokes
• 5x200m constant aerobic swimming at an average speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions)

SESSION 3

• 200m easy swimming
• 300m freestyle breathing every 3-5 strokes alternating at 50m
• 3x100m mix strokes (30 seconds rest between repetitions)
• 300m only legs with kickboard and fins
• 200m easy swimming
• 2×100 gradual decrease of speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions)
• 200m with hand paddles
• 100m mix strokes
• 100m (25m fast+ 25 easy)  – 30 seconds rest between repetitions
• 100m double arm backstroke

Week 2

BEGINNERS

SESSION 1

• 400m easy swimming
• 200m freestyle breathing every 3-5 strokes alternating at 50m
• 4x200m constant aerobic swimming at an average speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions).
• 100m only legs with kickboard

SESSION 2

• 300m easy swimming
• 10x100m (4 aerobic + 1 fast) – 15 seconds rest between repetitions
• 200m (50m double arm backstroke + 50m just legs without a kickboard)

ADVANCED

SESSION 1

• 300m easy swimming
• 200m only arms with pull buoy
• 100m only legs with kickboard
• 4x50m (25m right arm + 25m left arm) – 10 seconds rest between repetitions
• 6x200m constant aerobic swimming at an average speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions).

SESSION 2

• 600m easy swimming
• 500m only arms with hand paddles
• 400m swim with fins
• 300m (25 fast + 50 easy swimming)
• 200m mix strokes (alternating strokes every 50m)
• 100m fast
• 100m easy swimming

SESSION 3

• 500m swimming with fins and hand paddles
• 15x100m (4 aerobic + 1 fast) – 15 seconds rest between repetitions
• 200m (50m double arm backstroke + 50 just legs without kickboard)

Week 3

BEGINNERS

SESSION 1

• 300m easy swimming
• 300m with pull buoy (50 legs + 50 arms)
• 6x200m constant aerobic swimming at an average speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions)

SESSION 2

• 300m easy swimming
• 12x10m (3 aerobic + 1 fast) – 15 seconds rest between repetitions
• 300m (50m double backstroke + 50m only legs without kickboard)

ADVANCED

SESSION 1

• 300m easy swimming
• 300m with pull buoy (50 legs + 50 arms)
• 8x200m 6x200m constant aerobic swimming at an average speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions)
• 8x25m (1 fast + 1 easy swimming) – 15 seconds rest between repetitions

SESSION 2

• 400m easy swimming
• 4x100m arms with hand paddles and pull buoy – 15 seconds rest between repetitions
• 8x50m only legs with fins and kickboard (25m fast + 25m easy swimming)
• 16x25m mix strokes (4×25 each stroke)– 15 seconds rest between repetitions
• 8x50m only arms with hand paddles and pull buoy (25 fast + 25 easy swimming)
• 4x100m legs with fins and kickboard– 15 seconds rest between repetitions

SESSION 3

• 300m easy swimming
• 4x75m mix strokes (excluding freestyle) changing every 25m – 20 seconds rest between repetitions
• 16x100m (3 aerobic + 1 fast) – 15 seconds rest between repetitions
• 200m (50 double arm backstroke + 50 legs without kickboard)

Week 4

BEGINNERS

SESSION 1

• 200m easy swimming
• 4x50m (25m right arm + 25m left arm) – 10 seconds rest between repetitions
• 8x200m constant aerobic swimming at an average speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions)

SESSION 2

• 1000m freestyle without stopping, but timing yourself

ADVANCED

SESSION 1

• 300m easy swimming
• 200m only arms with pull buoy
• 100m legs with kickboard
• 10x200m constant aerobic swimming at an average speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions)

SESSION 2

• 300m freestyle breathing every 3-5 strokes alternating at 50m
• 3x100m mix strokes (20 seconds rest between repetitions)
• 300m freestyle breathing every 3-7 strokes, alternating every 50m)
• 3x100m mix strokes in opposite order (20 seconds rest between repetitions)
• 300m breathing every 5 strokes
• 8x25m gradual decrease of speed (20 seconds rest between repetitions)
• 200m easy swimming
• 8x25m only legs at high speed using kickboard (30 seconds rest between repetitions)
• 200m breathing every 3-7 strokes, alternating at 50m
• 300m easy swimming

SESSION 3

• 2000m freestyle without stopping, but timing yourself

As you can see, week by week, there is a gradual increase of the number of the exercises as well as the total length of kilometers swum.

Also, at the end of the program, there’s an easy swimming exercise to do while timing yourself. This is a simple test to evaluate your initial ability compared to 4 weeks of workout.

Enjoy your workout!