The planning and execution of swim training at TRIQ requires a brief explanation to ensure a smooth and trustworthy user experience. Let’s start with the philosophy and structure behind the swim training plan.
Compared to running and cycling, our approach to swim training differs slightly. We distinguish between different types of swim workouts that are not defined by specific intensities but rather by different training focuses. Those workout types are scheduled in rotation are not tied to your race date. Rather we make sure that every training focus is trained equally.
Each time you demonstrate that you’ve completed at least 90% of a given workout distance, we progressively increase the duration and therefore the distance of your swim sessions. The number of sessions per week also increase while your training volume is increasing, so that your weekly swim volume is spread out harmonically but also being in line with your race goal. This means that for Ironman athletes for example we ensure that swim workouts are getting long enough while sprint racers will not get so long swim workouts.
The focus types of swim workouts are:
Swim workouts are based on 4 training zones. For more details, please refer to the Training Zones chapter available at TRIQ's training zones
Note: Short & Long Aerobic do not differ in total duration but in the length of the swim sets. Long Aerobic consists of longer swim steps then Short Aerobic
Swimming with a smartwatch can feel tricky at first, especially if you’re unfamiliar with structured workouts or find it difficult to follow the watch’s prompts. To ensure everything works smoothly, make sure to set the correct pool size in the TRIQ app before syncing your workouts to your Garmin® smartwatch—Garmin® does not allow pool size adjustments later for third‑party workouts like those from TRIQ.
When following a TRIQ‑guided training plan, you’ll receive detailed swim workouts directly on your smartwatch. Recording your swim sessions on the watch is essential—this is how we track your distances and durations, allowing our algorithm to adapt and progress your plan effectively. If you complete TRIQ‑guided swim workouts on your watch, our matching algorithm can even verify whether you executed the workout as intended.
For convenience, we also provide each workout in the TRIQ app and as a printable version. Many triathletes like to keep printed instructions at the poolside for easy reference. However, remember that these are meant only as a visual aid—a smartwatch is still required to record your data. Without smartwatch recordings, we cannot track your progress or adjust your training plan.
The key principles are:
NOTE:
- Swim workouts are designed for 25 & 50 meters or yard pools only. Other pool sizes are not supported currently.
- Garmin watches alert you with a vibration alarm when you’re swimming the final swim lane of a segment! This helps you focus fully on your swim without having to constantly count laps.
Watch our swim explainer video, which make the situation even more clear and that can be found at TRIQ's video workout guide
