The 5 Best Freestyle Workouts

Swimming faster freestyle requires more than simply increasing your effort. An effective freestyle stroke combines a powerful pull, a consistent flutter kick, efficient breathing, a balanced body position, and well-timed rotation.

Here are five workouts that’ll help you improve all of those.

These coach-written workouts integrate technique work throughout each session rather than confining it to a few drills during warm-up. The first three workouts concentrate individually on the pull, kick, and breath. The final two teach you to maintain those skills during speed and endurance training.

These workouts range from 2,400 to 3,700 yards. Adjust the distances and rest to match your current ability. If your technique deteriorates significantly, reduce your speed, take additional rest, or shorten the set.

For freestyle technique advice, including drills, sets, and dryland exercises for every element of the stroke, check out, Freestyle Swimming: The Complete Guide.

USMS members can find thousands of additional workouts in the USMS Workout Library.

Workout 1: Build a More Effective Freestyle Pull

This 2,800-yard freestyle pull workout teaches you to use your hand and forearm more effectively and then apply that skill while swimming.

Closed-fist freestyle reduces the surface area of your hand, encouraging you to notice how your forearm interacts with the water.

Pulling removes your kick so you can concentrate on your catch, pull, and stroke count. Your goal is to apply pressure backward with your hand and forearm while maintaining a stable body line and natural rotation. Avoid pressing straight down at the beginning of the stroke or forcing your arm into an uncomfortable position.

You’ll need a pull buoy. Keep the easy and steady swimming around 3 to 5 on a scale of 1 to 10 and the solid efforts around 6 or 7. Stroke counts should remain low but natural. Don’t create excessive pauses or slow dramatically simply to take fewer strokes.

Warm-Up (600 yards)

Complete the following twice. Rest 20 seconds after each repeat.

• 100 choice, easy
• 100 as 25 closed-fist freestyle/25 regular freestyle
• 100 freestyle with a pull buoy

Main Set 1: Apply the Pull at Different Distances (1,000 yards)

Complete the following once. Rest 20 seconds after each repeat.

• 50 closed-fist freestyle at a low but natural stroke count
• 2 × 25s freestyle: No. 1 steady, No. 2 solid
• 50 closed-fist freestyle at a low but natural stroke count
• 2 × 75s freestyle: No. 1 steady, No. 2 solid
• 50 closed-fist freestyle at a low but natural stroke count
• 2 × 125s freestyle: No. 1 steady, No. 2 solid
• 50 closed-fist freestyle at a low but natural stroke count
• 2 × 175s freestyle: No. 1 steady, No. 2 solid

Main Set 2: Pulling and Swimming (1,000 yards)

Complete the following once. Rest 20 to 30 seconds after each repeat.

• 200 freestyle with a pull buoy, reducing your stroke count slightly on each 50
• 50 freestyle, steady
• 150 freestyle with a pull buoy, reducing your stroke count slightly on each 50
• 100 freestyle, steady
• 100 freestyle with a pull buoy, using a low but natural stroke count
• 150 freestyle, steady
• 50 freestyle with a pull buoy, using a low but natural stroke count
• 200 freestyle, steady

Cool-Down (200 yards)

• 4 × 50s as 25 closed-fist freestyle/25 regular freestyle; 15 seconds rest

Total: 2,800 yards

View this workout (and thousands more) in our Workout Library.

How to Develop a More Powerful Freestyle Pull

An effective freestyle pull uses your hand and forearm to create a large surface that applies pressure primarily backward. The objective is to move your body past the point where your arm establishes its catch rather than pushing the water toward the wall behind you.

Closed-fist freestyle makes that connection more difficult by removing much of your hand’s surface area. The drill should encourage you to become more aware of your forearm, not to increase your effort wildly. When you open your hands again, notice whether you feel more pressure against your palm and forearm.

The pull buoy lets you concentrate on your upper body with less distraction from your kick. Maintain a balanced body position and allow your torso to rotate naturally. Don’t squeeze your buoy excessively or allow your legs to separate.

Stroke counting provides feedback, but the lowest number isn’t automatically the best. You can reduce your count by gliding too long or swimming much more slowly. Look for a count you can sustain at the intended pace without introducing dead spots into your stroke.

The first main set places closed-fist swimming before steady and solid freestyle at progressively longer distances. Carry your forearm awareness from the drill into regular swimming as the repeats increase. The second main set alternates pulling and swimming so you can transfer the same catch into your full stroke.

Use paddles only if a coach has confirmed that your technique is appropriate and you have no shoulder discomfort. Paddles increase the load on your upper body and can magnify technical problems.

You should finish this set with a clearer sense of where you establish pressure and how you maintain that connection throughout your pull.

Workout 2: Develop a Stronger Freestyle Kick

This 3,200-yard freestyle kick workout has two objectives: improving your flutter kick and integrating that kick into regular swimming. Kickboard work isolates your legs, and the freestyle repetitions immediately afterward challenge you to maintain your kick when your legs are tired.

A productive flutter kick is narrow, continuous, and initiated primarily from your hips. Keep your knees relaxed and allow them to bend naturally without turning the movement into a bicycle kick. Point your toes comfortably, and keep your ankles loose.

You’ll need a kickboard and, if you want, fins. The strong kick and swim repetitions should feel like 7 or 8 on a scale of 1 to 10. Strong doesn’t mean losing control or kicking so hard that you can’t complete the next repetition. If using a board causes neck or shoulder discomfort, kick in a streamlined position on your front, side, or back instead.

Warm-Up (600 yards)

Complete the following three times. Rest 20 seconds after each repeat.

• 100 choice, easy
• 4 × 25s flutter kick with a board, descending 1–4

Kick Set (600 yards)

Complete the following three times. Rest 30 seconds after each repeat.

• 3 × 25s flutter kick with a kickboard, strong
• 50 freestyle, strong
• 25 flutter kick with a kickboard, strong
• 50 choice, easy

Main Set (1,200 yards)

Complete the following once. Rest 30 seconds after each repeat.

• 3 × 200s as 50 flutter kick with a kickboard/50 freestyle, repeated twice within each 200; descend slightly 1–3
• 4 × 150s as 50 flutter kick on your back/100 freestyle; descend slightly 1–4

Kick Set II (600 yards)

Complete the following three times. Rest 30 seconds after each repeat and 60 seconds between rounds.

• 75 flutter kick with a kickboard, strong
• 75 freestyle, strong
• 50 easy, as 25 swim/25 flutter kick with a kickboard

Cool-Down (200 yards)

• 200 choice, easy

Total: 3,200 yards

View this workout (and thousands more) in our Workout Library.

How to Improve Your Freestyle Kick

A stronger flutter kick can contribute propulsion, help support your body position, and influence the rhythm of your stroke. However, your kick must also be sustainable enough to match the distance and intensity you’re swimming.

The descending 25s allow you to increase your speed gradually. Begin at an easy-to-moderate effort and make each repetition faster than the previous one. Increase the tempo of your kick while keeping the movement relatively narrow and originating from your hips.

The kick sets teach transfer. After isolating your legs with the kickboard, continue using them when you begin swimming freestyle. Many swimmers kick strongly during a designated kick set and then allow their legs to become inactive as soon as they start swimming. Concentrate on maintaining a clear, consistent kick through the entire freestyle repeat.

During the 200s and 150s, descend each group slightly. The final repetition should be the fastest, but the progression should remain controlled. Focus on carrying the rhythm of your kick from the isolated portion into regular freestyle.

Kicking with a kickboard can cause some swimmers to lift their heads or arch their lower backs. Keep your neck relaxed and your body as aligned as possible. If the position is uncomfortable, use a snorkel or kick without the kickboard.

When kicking on your back, keep your head still and your hips near the surface. Avoid bending sharply at your waist or allowing your knees to rise far out of the water.

Fins can help you experience speed and rhythm, but don’t let them turn every repetition into an all-out effort. They should support the purpose of the set rather than replace your own kick mechanics. The objective for the workout is consistency. Your kick should remain strong while you’re swimming regular freestyle, even after the kick work has tired your legs.

Workout 3: Improve Your Freestyle Breathing

This 3,400-yard freestyle breathing workout focuses on turning your head with your body rather than lifting or pulling it away from your stroke. Excessive head movement can disturb your alignment, increase drag, and interfere with your catch and rotation. Effective breathing should be quick, low, and coordinated with the rest of your stroke.

The workout uses stroke-and-roll drill before progressively longer freestyle swims. For this drill, maintain a stable head position while swimming, rotate your body and head together to take the breath, and return your face to the water promptly.

Most swimming should range from 4 to 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. You’ll need a kickboard. Don’t restrict your breathing to the point that you become lightheaded or short of breath. The goal is to improve the mechanics of the breath, not to practice breath-holding.

Warm-Up (900 yards)

Complete the following once. Rest 20 seconds after each repeat.

• 4 × 75s as 25 freestyle/25 stroke-and-roll drill/25 freestyle
• 3 × 100s freestyle, descending 1–3 to a solid effort
• 12 × 25s in groups of three: No. 1: flutter kick with a kickboard, No. 2: stroke-and-roll drill; No. 3: freestyle; make each group of three faster than the previous group

Main Set 1: Drill and Distance Progression (1,000 yards)

Complete the following once. Rest 20 seconds after each repeat.

• 2 × 25s stroke-and-roll drill
• 50 freestyle, solid
• 2 × 25s stroke-and-roll drill
• 150 freestyle as 50 steady/100 solid
• 2 × 25s stroke-and-roll drill
• 250 freestyle as 100 steady/150 solid
• 2 × 25s stroke-and-roll drill
• 350 freestyle as 150 steady/200 solid

Main Set 2: Apply Your Breath Under Increasing Effort (1,200 yards)

Complete the following once. Rest 30 seconds after each repeat.

• 4 × 150s as 25 stroke-and-roll drill/125 freestyle; descend slightly 1–4
• 4 × 100s as 25 stroke-and-roll drill/75 freestyle; descend slightly 1–4
• 4 × 50s freestyle; descend slightly 1–4

Cool-Down (300 yards)

• 12 × 25s easy in groups of three; No. 1: flutter kick with a kickboard, No. 2: stroke-and-roll drill; No. 3: freestyle

Total: 3,400 yards

View this workout (and thousands more) in our Workout Library.

How to Breathe More Efficiently in Freestyle

Freestyle breathing should occur within the rotation of your stroke rather than through a separate lifting or pulling motion. When you lift your head, your hips and legs can sink. When it moves excessively to the side, your body might also shift out of alignment.

During stroke-and-roll drill, rotate your head with your body and keep your breath low. One goggle can remain in or near the water, depending on your speed, body position, and breathing style. Return your face to the water promptly so a late breath doesn’t delay your next stroke.

Exhale while your face is in the water rather than trying to exhale and inhale during the brief breathing window. Your breath should be quick, but it shouldn’t feel panicked.

The first set alternates kicking, drilling, and swimming so you can connect body position, rotation, and breathing. As the groups become faster, maintain the same controlled head movement.

The first main set inserts short drill repetitions before progressively longer freestyle swims. Carry the drill’s head position into each swimming segment. The steady-to-solid patterns challenge you to preserve the breath as your effort increases.

The second main set reduces the proportion of drill work and increases regular swimming. By this stage, the breathing skill should be incorporated into the full stroke rather than treated as a separate movement.

Use the breathing pattern that supplies enough oxygen for the effort. Bilateral breathing can be valuable in training, but breathing every third or fifth stroke isn’t appropriate for every swimmer or every pace. Never intentionally deprive yourself of oxygen to make the pattern fit.

If you feel dizzy or unusually short of breath, stop. Effective breathing improves alignment and rhythm while still meeting your need for air.

Workout 4: Maintain Your Freestyle Technique at Speed

This 2,400-yard speed workout integrates pull, kick, and breathing skills into short, fast freestyle repetitions. Rather than completing one long sprint set, you’ll alternate technique-focused swimming with bursts of speed. Each section has a specific emphasis: maintaining an effective pull, producing a quick flutter kick, controlling the breath, or combining all three.

Most fast repetitions are only 12.5 to 25 yards long, allowing you to emphasize quality without creating excessive technical breakdown. The fast portions should feel like 8 or 9 on a scale of 1 to 10, and the easy portions should provide genuine recovery.

You’ll need a pull buoy and kickboard. Rest intervals are part of the workout. Take the full rest so you can maintain your speed and technique. If your fast repetitions become substantially slower or your stroke falls apart, increase the rest time.

Warm-Up (800 yards)

Complete the following twice. Rest 20 to 30 seconds after each repeat.

• 100 choice, easy
• 4 × 25s freestyle with a pull buoy, attempting to take one fewer stroke than your normal count without over gliding
• 100 freestyle, cruise, with the final 25 closed fist
• 4 × 25s freestyle with a pull buoy, descending 1–4

Kick Set (500 yards)

Complete the following five times. Rest 30 seconds after each repeat.

• 2 × 25s flutter kick with a kickboard as 12.5 fast/12.5 easy
• 2 × 25s freestyle as 12.5 fast/12.5 easy

Breath Work Set (400 yards)

Complete the following twice. Rest 30 seconds after each repeat.

• 2 × 25s stroke-and-roll drill
• 2 × 25s freestyle, building to fast
• 2 × 25s freestyle as 10 easy/15 fast
• 2 × 25s freestyle as 15 fast/10 easy

Pull Set (600 yards)

Complete the following four times. Rest 30 seconds after each repeat and 60 seconds between rounds.

• 25 freestyle with a pull buoy, building to fast
• 25 freestyle with a pull buoy as 15 fast/10 easy
• 25 freestyle, building to fast
• 25 freestyle as 15 fast/10 easy
• 50 choice, easy

Cool-Down (100 yards)

• 50 easy, as 25 stroke-and-roll drill/25 freestyle
• 50 choice, easy, as 25 freestyle/25 another stroke

Total: 2,400 yards

View this workout (and thousands more) in our Workout Library.

How to Preserve Your Freestyle Technique at Speed

Technical skills matter only if you can maintain them at the speeds required by your event. This workout uses short bursts so you can practice fast swimming without being overcome by fatigue.

The pull preparation combines pull buoy work, stroke counting, and closed-fist freestyle. Taking one fewer stroke can encourage a more effective catch, but don’t force the number by gliding excessively. The descending 25s should become faster while your pull remains controlled.

The kick set alternates fast and easy halves of each 25. Make the transition clear. Accelerate your kick during the first or second half as prescribed, then reduce the effort without stopping the movement completely. Carry the same rhythm into freestyle.

The breathing set places stroke-and-roll drill immediately before fast swimming. Maintain a quick, low breath during the build and broken-speed repetitions. Don’t lift your head simply because your stroke rate increases.

The final set compares fast pulling with fast full-stroke freestyle. Notice how the addition of your kick changes your rhythm and speed. Your pull should remain effective rather than becoming shorter or more frantic.

Speed work depends on adequate recovery. Rest long enough to produce meaningful speed on the next repetition. If every round becomes slower, you’re no longer training the same quality.

Fast doesn’t mean uncontrolled. Maintain a stable head position, direct pressure backward during your pull, and keep your kick connected to the rhythm of your stroke. If one component begins to break down, reduce your effort slightly.

Record your times for selected 25s if possible. Look for repeatable speed rather than one exceptional effort. The objective is to swim technically sound and fast consistently.

Workout 5: Hold Your Freestyle Technique as You Tire

This 3,700-yard endurance workout challenges you to maintain your pull, kick, and breathing mechanics during progressively demanding freestyle. Each major set prioritizes one component of the stroke: kicking during the first set, breathing during the distance progression, and pulling during the final group of 100s.

Most swimming should remain between 5 and 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. The 300 and 200 in the middle of the workout should be faster than the longer repeat before them, but they shouldn’t become all-out efforts. Your objective is to preserve your chosen technical focus while increasing your pace.

You’ll need a pull buoy and kickboard. Because this is a long workout, reduce the number of rounds or repetitions if the distance exceeds your current training level. A shorter session completed with sound technique is more useful than finishing 3,700 yards after your stroke has deteriorated substantially.

Warm-Up (200 yards)

• 200 choice, easy

Kick Set (1,000 yards)

Complete the following five times. Rest 20 seconds after each repeat.

• 50 flutter kick on your back
• 100 flutter kick with a kickboard
• 50 freestyle at a solid effort

Breath Work Set (1,200 yards)

Complete the following once. Rest 20 seconds after each repeat.

• 4 × 25s stroke-and-roll drill, steady
• 400 freestyle, steady
• 4 × 25s stroke-and-roll drill, steady
• 300 freestyle at a faster pace than the 400
• 4 × 25s stroke-and-roll drill, steady
• 200 freestyle at a faster pace than the 300

Pull Set (1,100 yards)

Complete the following once. Rest 20 seconds after each repeat.

• 5 × 100s: odd repeats: freestyle with a pull buoy, strong; even repeats: freestyle, solid
• 100 choice, easy
• 5 × 100s: odd repeats: freestyle, strong; even repeats: freestyle with a pull buoy, solid

Cool-Down (200 yards)

• 200 easy, with the odd 25s closed-fist freestyle

Total: 3,700 yards

View this workout (and thousands more) in our Workout Library.

How to Maintain Good Freestyle Technique While Tired

Endurance swimming isn’t only about completing more distance. You must also preserve the technique that allows you to move effectively as you get tired.

The first set creates leg fatigue through kicking and then asks you to integrate your kick into solid freestyle. Avoid allowing your legs to become completely inactive when you begin swimming. Maintain a kick appropriate for the pace and distance.

The middle set emphasizes breathing before progressively shorter freestyle swims. Use the stroke-and-roll repetitions to rehearse a low, controlled breath, then carry that movement into the longer repeat. The 300 should be swum at a faster pace than you did the 400, and your pace on the 200 faster still.

The final set alternates pulling and freestyle. During the pull repetitions, emphasize a firm catch and backward pressure. During the freestyle repetitions, preserve that pull while adding your kick. The odd-and-even pattern changes during the second group, requiring you to remain attentive late in the workout.

Choose one technical cue during each major set—your kick during the first set, your breath during the second, and your pull during the third. Focusing on every component of freestyle simultaneously becomes difficult when you’re tired.

If your technique deteriorates, take more rest or reduce the distance. For example, do three rounds instead of five during the kick set or three 100s instead of five in each final group.

The goal is to recognize when your mechanics begin to change and make useful adjustments before they break down completely.

Frequently Asked Questions About Swimming Faster Freestyle

What freestyle skill causes the most problems?

Breathing is a common source of freestyle problems because excessive or mistimed head movement can affect body position, rotation, the catch, and stroke rhythm. Lifting your head can cause your hips and legs to sink, and pulling your head too far to the side can move your body out of alignment.

Breathing isn’t always the only or primary problem, however. Body position, the pull, kick, timing, mobility, and conditioning can also limit performance. A qualified coach can help identify which component is having the greatest effect on your stroke.

Why do my legs sink during freestyle?

Your head position, breathing mechanics, core control, kick, speed, and body composition can all affect whether your legs sink while you’re swimming freestyle.

Pressing your head and upper chest slightly into the water, maintaining appropriate tension through your trunk and hips, and using a light, consistent kick can improve your alignment. Avoid forcing the chest downward or arching your back.

Should I breathe to one side or both sides in freestyle?

Use the breathing pattern that provides enough oxygen and allows you to swim effectively at your intended pace. During competition, many swimmers breathe primarily to one side because it supports their fastest rhythm or helps them see competitors, landmarks, waves, or the shoreline.

Practicing breathing to both sides can still be useful. You can breathe every three strokes or alternate your breathing side by length. You don’t need to breathe bilaterally (to both sides) during every swim, and you shouldn’t restrict your oxygen intake simply to maintain a fixed pattern.

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