3 Resisted Sprint Coaching Classes From an Olympic 50 Freestyler

Resisted sprint training is without doubt one of the predominant methods swimmers use to get quicker.

Chutes, energy towers, buckets, cords, sporting 9 XXXL swimsuits on the identical time—add the resistance and get after it.

But the quantity of resistance we use has a big effect on whether or not it lands on race day.

Like a very good slice of pizza, extra isn’t mechanically higher. Pulling a cable-creaking load throughout the pool can increase confidence, but when your stroke is falling aside and tempo crashes, the work turns into much less more likely to present up within the stroke we race with.

A latest case research following an elite 50 freestyler on his strategy to the Paris Olympics offers us a cool have a look at how high-level sprinters use resistance—and a few easy classes for utilizing it extra successfully.

Stop including resistance when stroke fee crashes

One of the most important errors swimmers make with resisted swimming is assuming heavier is all the time higher.

In this case research (Keating et al., 2025), researchers did load profiling with the swimmer, monitoring stroke fee whereas steadily growing resistance. His race tempo was 61-63 strokes per minute, so as soon as he couldn’t maintain that tempo, they stopped growing load.

The motive for it is because resistance—like different instruments together with paddles, fins, pull buoys, etcetera—can change stroke mechanics.

The aim was to load the particular motion and tempo of his race stroke as a substitute of coaching a special motion.

This offers us an individualized ceiling for making use of load:

• Take your race tempo
• Plug it right into a Tempo Trainer
• Sprint out some efforts with growing resistance.
• Once method or tempo start to crater, make a remark.

This offers you a guardrail to coach towards in addition to some numbers to enhance upon in coaching as a substitute of blindly sprinting with random quantities of load and hoping you get higher.

There are actually occasions to make use of max resistance (or tethered swimming) to construct power, however a majority of your resisted coaching ought to occur throughout the context of your race tempo and method.

Match resistance to what you need to enhance

The quantity of resistance you utilize when swimming adjustments what you might be coaching.

Lighter load lets you swim extra rapidly and retains stroke mechanics higher aligned with load-free swimming. As resistance goes up, swimming velocity declines whereas the demand for power manufacturing will increase.

The mannequin used within the research broke it down into 4 zones primarily based on how a lot slower the swimmer went in comparison with common sprinting:

• <10% slower – Technique focus
• 10-30% slower – Speed-strength focus
• 30-40% slower – Power focus
• 40-70% slower – Strength-speed focus

These zones look delicate or possibly overly technical, however they modify what you might be engaged on and bettering.

• Want to overload power manufacturing? Add extra load.
• Want extra race-specific load that higher matches stroke coordination, method, and tempo? Use lighter resistance.

Elite sprinters work each sides.

A separate research (Gonzalez-Rave et al., 2018) discovered that swimmers utilizing a flat pyramid loading design improved peak energy rather more in comparison with swimmers who simply hammered the identical resistance degree over and over.

And one other research by the identical lead writer (Keating et al., 2025) confirmed that semi-tethered sprints much better predicted sprint performance in comparison with absolutely tethered sprints.

Not all resistance is identical, so use the appropriate resistance for what you need to enhance within the water.

Pair resisted swimming with quick, unresisted swimming

Getting robust on the facility tower or with the ability to tow three giant parachutes throughout the pool is a good get together trick, however the aim is having that power manufacturing present up on race day.

Which means switch.

One of the important thing rules within the case research was that resisted work was all the time adopted by quick swimming with out resistance.

Our sprinter did 1-3 maximal resisted efforts, after which adopted it up with a few unresisted sprints to strengthen neuromuscular coordination and encourage variations to stay.

Basically:

• Load the motion
• Remove the load
• Reinforce the race motion

Swimmers will typically go HAM with resisted efforts one after one other and in isolation.

Instead, sprinkle quick, unresisted sprints among the many resisted reps to switch that increase in power manufacturing into your race stroke.

Wrapping Things Up

In the case research, the Olympic-level swimmer noticed some actually good enchancment:

• Max swimming velocity elevated 3.4%
• Maximal load elevated by a whopping 13.6%.

And most significantly, time in competitors additionally improved 1.3%, main a to new PB at Trials of 21.94.

The enchancment got here primarily by way of stroke size, which elevated by ~6%, whereas stroke fee truly decreased barely. In different phrases, he received higher at holding and directing water at these excessive stroke frequencies.

(The swimmer additionally improved once more later that summer season on the Paris Olympics.)

Resisted dash swimming can work effectively, nevertheless it works actually effectively when there’s some goal behind it past getting yoked and cracking some resistance tubing from all that power.

Use sufficient load to problem power manufacturing with out altering your stroke an excessive amount of. Adjust load primarily based on what you need to enhance. And pair it with unresisted swimming to switch that power.

Sprint on!

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ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY

Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former nationwide degree swimmer, 2x Olympic Trials qualifier, and writer of a number of books for swimmers, together with YourSwimBook, Conquer the Pool, The Dolphin Kick Manual, and most not too long ago, The 50 Freestyle Blueprint.

The e book is a beastly 220+ pages of evidence-based insights and sensible ideas for bettering freestyle dash velocity.

It particulars all the pieces from the best way to grasp stroke fee, method, construct a thundering freestyle kick, enhance your begin and underwaters, and rather more.

The 50 Freestyle Blueprint additionally consists of 20 dash units to get you began and a bonus information on the best way to grasp the 100 freestyle to finish your dash preparation.

👉 Learn more about The 50 Freestyle Blueprint here.