Swimming may be a key to success in a triathlon. The swimming leg requires more than speed, although that is important. You want to be able to get out of the water with enough stamina left to complete a competitive bicycle ride and long-distance run. Swimming is such an intense activity that many triathletes, especially beginners, end the swim exhausted. Proper training can improve both speed and efficiency of swimming.
Mechanics
Work on your mechanics and work on improving your stroke to start swimming better. Use your natural buoyancy in the chest area and push your chest into the water to force your hips up and reduce frontal resistance. Stretch your arms as far out as possible and pull down as forcefully as possible. Rotate your body from your hips to shoulders with every stroke; start to rotate as you begin a stroke and use the rotational force to help propel you. Pause very slightly with an arm extended between strokes to glide and streamline your body.
Strength
Improve your basic strength with weights or other resistance training, focusing on shoulders and hips. It takes strong muscles to propel a body through water resistance. Alternate swim workouts between hard days and easy days and do weight training on easy days, always with at least a full day of rest between sessions. Do abdominal exercises, too, to strengthen the trunk. Use free weights, resistance bands or exercise machines to build muscles.
Aerobic
Build your endurance with aerobic activity, such as long swims, to build heart and lung capacity. Bolster it with other aerobic training such as treadmill workouts. Also perform interval swims, alternating a hard fast lap with a slow recovery lap. Do some swims at the distances at which you will compete, but do these well in advance of any competition. Taper off the distance training a week or two before the event to preserve energy.
Training With Props
Train with arm pulls and leg kicks. Put a buoy between your ankles and pull the length of the pool with your arms, concentrating on pulling your body with your hands. After a few lengths of that, use a kick board to do laps with just your legs focusing on forcing your feet into the water forcefully. Add hand paddles and swim fins in these drills to increase resistance and build arm and leg strength.
Drills
Do regular drills, such as arm pulls and kicks, and alternate these with regular lap swims. Put a buoy between your ankles and swim laps using only your arms. Switch and use a kick board to do laps with just your legs. Add hand paddles and swim fins to make these drills harder and build more swimming strength. Also include some swim drills in real triathlon conditions, in a lake or similar large body of water. Pool training cannot duplicate the effects of wind and waves on swimming. Vary your strokes, too, even if you will race with crawl. The breaststroke and butterfly work different muscles and involve different coordination, but will boost your water strength and endurance.
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