Swim Question: Increasing Swim Distance and Overtraining
In running, when trying to increase your distance, you don't want to add more than about 10% a week to avoid injury from overtraining. Is there a similar limit with swimming?

Member Question

I know that there's a general rule in running when trying to increase your distance that you don't want to add more than about 10% a week to avoid injury from overtraining. Is there a similar limit with swimming? Since it's a lower impact exercise than running I figured the same rule wouldn't apply, but beyond that I'm in the dark when it comes to sensible distance increases.

<strong>Answer
One of my favorite things about the sport of swimming is that it’s a low-impact sport, meaning, your chances of becoming injured are slim when compared to a heavy-impact sport like running (this does not include getting kicked at the beginning of a triathlon!)

However, shoulder injuries from overuse and poor technique are extremely common in swimming. The first thing you need to do is make sure your technique is in order. The most common stroke problem that causes shoulder issues (although not the only problem) is crossing over (or reaching over) too far on your pull.

But before we get too off track let’s address the question on overtraining.  I think it’s safe to say that triathletes generally can be a competitive and sometimes type-A bunch that just wants to keep up with their training partners, and advance to that next level in training a bit too soon. There is no way to say definitively that you should not add more than a certain percentage to your workout distance each week to avoid falling into this trap.

For beginners, I highly recommend sticking to drills as much as possible early on. 80, 90, even 100% of your swimming workouts should consist of drills that help your stroke technique at first. Keep this in mind if you are just starting out, or if you have taken significant time off from swimming and are just coming back. I know I’ve been guilty of trying to do too much too soon when I’ve taken time way from the water- and have paid for it with shoulder tendonitis.

Once you’ve gotten over that initial hump and you are doing straight swimming for the majority of your workout, you definitely want to increase distance slowly. “Slowly”, will of course vary from person to person. Here’s an example of three phases of distance for a 12 week plan, in yards, assuming beginner triathlete status and training for an Olympic Distance race (1K swim):

Weeks 1-4: Decrease drills from 80% of your workout to 20%. Gradually increase yardage from 1200 to 2200.

Weeks 5-10: Keep drills at 20% of your workout. Gradually increase yardage from 2200 to 3200.

Weeks 11-12: Taper. Increase drills to about 30% of your workout. Decrease yardage to about 2000 before your race.

Again, everyone will be a little different. The emphasis should be on technique first. Go at your own pace and don’t be tempted to keep up with your training mates in terms of increasing distance. Instead, you can compete with them on runs, or rides…or where it counts- at the race!

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1394