Workout Levels

The workouts in the following chapters are arranged into six workout levels according to duration and intensity. Workouts in the first four levels have a suggested range of effort, which is expressed as a percentage range of SLTHR and RPE. This is your target heart rate and RPE range for most of the practice. You will take an IHR or RPE several times during each practice. In general, your goal should be to monitor your exertion level and rest periods so that your heart rate or RPE stays in the recommended target range. Sets in many practices will produce heart rates and RPEs that are somewhat higher than this range. These peaks will last for short periods and will usually be accompanied by rest or easy activity that is built into the practice, allowing your heart rate or RPE to return to within the specified target range. In levels 5 and 6, use of IHRs and RPEs will be a bit different. We’ll talk more about that later.

Moving from one exercise level to the next either increases the average intensity of the workout or increases the duration of the workout. Within each level, there are 10 practices that are arranged roughly in order of increasing difficulty. The degree of difficulty varies from practice to practice and is affected by skill and drill complexity; by length, number, and intensity of swims; by amount of rest; and by target-heart-rate range. A summary of each workout level is given in the following table.