1500m is a meaningful distance. It’s the Olympic open water distance, the standard triathlon swim leg, and a solid workout for anyone building their swimming foundation. Here’s a beginner-friendly way to swim it.
Who This Is For
This workout is designed for swimmers who can:
- Swim 100m without stopping
- Comfortably do a few lengths of freestyle
- Are building toward longer swims
If you’re still working on swimming continuous 100m, start shorter and build up.
The Workout
Total: 1,500m
Warm-Up — 300m
- 200m easy freestyle, focus on relaxed breathing
- 4×25m, rest :20 between each (these are short — rest fully, go easy)
Skill Set — 200m
- 4×50m as 25m kick + 25m swim, :20 rest
- This wakes up your legs and lets you practice your kick without exhausting yourself
Main Set — 800m
- 8×100m on 2:30 (take full rest — this is meant to feel manageable)
- Aim for even pace. If your first 100m is 2:00 and your last is 2:30, you went out too hard.
Cool-Down — 200m
- 200m easy, backstroke or breaststroke if possible
Pacing Tips for Beginners
The most common beginner mistake: sprinting the first 50m, then gasping through the rest.
For each 100m in the main set, consciously start slower than you think you need to. If your comfortable 100m pace is 2:10, start at 2:15. You’ll have gas left at the end.
Signs you’re at the right pace:
- You can breathe consistently (not gasping)
- You could sustain this for another 50m if needed
- You don’t feel urgent relief when you hit the wall
How to Progress
Once this workout feels manageable:
- Reduce rest on the main set from 2:30 to 2:15 intervals
- Add a rep to the main set (go from 8×100m to 10×100m)
- Try building the cool-down to 400m
Build one variable at a time. Don’t reduce rest AND add reps in the same session.
Logging Your Progress
Record your average 100m time from the main set after each session. Even if it’s 2:20, log it. Over 6–8 weeks of consistent training, you’ll see that number drop. That’s concrete proof that your training is working.