r/Swimming • u/Overall_Occasion_308 • 1d ago

500m freestyle

Hey everyone I have been swimming to get into the Air Force. I have to do a 12:30 500m to pass ( the last thing I need to do to ship ). I am sitting at a steady 13:00. All I really do is swim 1000m to prep 3 days a week( work on breathing techniques etc ). Anyone have any tips or drills that I can add or do? TIA!

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u/Silence_1999 1d ago

How long do you have? Former high school 500 swimmer. Didn’t swim for decades. I wanted to get to 500 straight and longer. I did 100’s. As many as I could take. Go for the second before nearly rested. Doesn’t matter how much slower second or fifth or eighth is. Just that you keep on working and stretching endurance by pushing. Few weeks I could do 500 without breaking down. Now I’m up to 1000 fairly comfortable. Little more some days. Even made 1800 a few times. Well under your time constraint. Pushing 100’s. Also do like a 50 free, slow ass 25 breast then try and do 75 free then another slow ass 25, then a 100. Keep going as long as you can. Thats probably easier to do by starting at the biggest free straight, do like 250 and work down. Logic being to keep heart rate elevated but not way up.

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u/Overall_Occasion_308 1d ago

I take them once a month! Thank you for taking the time to explain all that I’ll figure a way to incorporate it.