Build Your Swimming Workouts From 1,500 to 3,000 Meters

Improve your swimming workouts from 1,500 - 3,000 yards or meters

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by Mat Luebbers
Mat Luebbers is head coach and program director for the Marine Corps Community Services' Okinawa Dolphins Swim Team in Japan. He has a master's degree in sports science.
Updated March 27, 2019

Want to increase your swimming workouts from 1,500 to 3,000 meters or yards? If you can already swim workouts of about 1,500 meters or yards, then you are ready for these swimming workouts which build from 1,500 to 3,000 meters to yards of swimming.

It does not matter what stroke you do for these swim workouts. It does not matter how fast or how slow you swim these workouts. The sole goal is to increase the amount of swimming you do within one workout.

How to Do These Workouts

Within one swim workout, there are 25's, 50's, 75's, etc.

  • A 25 = 25 meters or yards. You push off of one wall of the pool and swim to the other end, assuming that the pool is 25 meters or yards long. If it is a longer pool, then you will stop in the middle of the pool and start your next swim effort from the middle.
  • A 50 = 50 meters or yards. Push off of one wall of the pool, swim to the other end, turn around and swim back to where you started (assuming that the pool is 25 meters or yards long). If the pool is 50 meters long, then you swim from one wall to the other without stopping.
  • A 75 = 75 meters or yards. Push off of one wall of the pool, swim to the other end, turn around and swim back to where you started, push off that wall and swim to the other end (assuming that the pool is 25 meters or yards long). If the pool is 50 meters long, then you swim from one wall to the other without stopping, turn around and swim halfway back.
  • A 100 = 100 meters or yards. Push off of one wall of the pool, swim to the other end, turn around and swim back to where you started, push off that wall and swim to the other end, turn around, push off, and swim to where you started (assuming that the pool is 25 meters or yards long). If the pool is 50 meters long, then you swim from one wall to the other without stopping, turn around and swim back to where you started.
  • The same pattern continues through the progression of workouts. A 150 is 150 meters or yards, a 200 is 200 meters or yards.

How long should you stop between each effort? How much rest should you take? We are using breaths to indicate rest. Control your breathing when you finish each effort as best you can, and count each exhalation. When you reach the indicated number of breaths, it is time to start the next swim effort.

At the beginning of the plan, it does not matter very much as long as you are able to do the swims. There is recommended rest for each swim, but if you need more, take it! If the swim is a 25, then you take rest between each 25. If the swim is a 50, you should try to keep swimming, with no rest, until you complete the full 50; the same for the remainder of the indicated swim distances. Try to swim the full 75 or full 100 before you stop to take rest, but if you need to stop at any time to rest, then do it. The goal is to increase the amount of swimming you do within a workout. If that means taking more rest or swimming shorter efforts, that is OK.

Swimming Workouts Building From 1,500 to 3,000

You will get the best results by doing at least three swimming workouts each week. You could do them from #1 through #16, or you could do #1 two or three times in a week, then do number #2 two or three times in a week, etc. You can print out this workout and keep it by you in the pool.

Workout #1 (1,500)

  • 2 x 25 max 15 breath rest between swims
  • 3 x 100 max 20 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 6 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 1 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 3 x 100 max 20 breath
  • 4 x 25 max 15 breath

Workout #2 (1,600)

  • 4 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 2 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 5 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath

Workout #3 (1,700)

  • 6 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 3 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 3 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 3 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 3 x 100 max 15 breath

Workout #4 (1,800)

  • 4 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 4 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 100 max 15 breath

Workout #5 (1,900)

  • 4 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 1 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 5 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 3 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath

Workout #6 (2,000)

  • 6 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 50 max 10 breath

Workout #7 (2,100)

  • 6 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 3 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 5 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 6 x 50 max 10 breath

Workout #8 (2,200)

  • 4 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 6 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath

Workout #9 (2,300)

  • 6 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 7 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 6 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 1 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath

Workout #10 (2,400)

  • 6 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 2 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 6 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 6 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath

Workout #11 (2,500)

  • 6 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 5 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 6 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 6 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 1 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 1 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 1 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 1 x 150 max 20 breath

Workout #12 (2,600)

  • 6 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 3 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 4 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 5 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 6 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 6 x 50 max 10 breath

Workout #13 (2,700)

  • 4 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 1 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 3 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 25 max 10 breath

Workout #14 (2,800)

  • 6 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 6 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 6 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath

Workout #15 (2,900)

  • 4 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 6 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 3 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 2 x 200 max 20 breath

Workout #16 (3,000)

  • 2 x 25 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 2 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 2 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 200 max 20 breath
  • 4 x 150 max 20 breath
  • 4 x 100 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 75 max 15 breath
  • 4 x 50 max 10 breath
  • 4 x 25 max 10 breath