How to read a Workout whilst swimming

We are constantly looking for ways to make swimming more approachable. Swimming sets and their instructions can be complicated for new swimmers to understand and also powerful ways of communicating complex training patterns for advanced swimmers. 

The following is a guide as to how to interpret the use of colour, instruction, target times, cycle times and the use of equipment in Simma to deliver swim Workouts to a swimmer's Apple Watch.

Please hit us up with any feedback on how it is done currently or additional representations of swim sets you might like to see in Simma.  

Let's looks at some Sets

A Longer Freestyle Set

Below is an example of a more advanced swim set employing 4 segments of swimming each with their own instructions, rest, equipment and pace for the swimmers to follow.

This Set example screen should be read as follows:

• The same of the Set is 'Threshold Free'
• The total Set Distance = 1700 and the Set includes Segments with fins
• The swim instructions are:
  • 3x200 Tempo Freestyle target to hit is 3:40 on a 4:00 cycle time, so you should get 20s rest per 200
  • 5x100 Threshold Freestyle target to hit is 1:45 on a 1:55 cycle time, so you should get 10s rest per 100
  • 100 Endurance Free with fins, should take you about 2:18
  • 5x100 Threshold Freestyle target to hit is 1:45 on a 1:50 cycle time, so you should get 5s rest per 100
• The swimmer's current average pace is 0
• The swimmer's current heart rate is 79 BPM

A Split Warm Up Set

Below is an example of an intermediate swim warm up that employs a repeated split segment. Here the swimmer is instructed to swim 2x300 with fins, splitting the 300 into 200 easy freestyle and 100 easy backstroke.

This Set example screen should be read as follows:

• The name of the Set is 'Back/Free Warm Up'
• The set summary is 2x 300 with fins
• The swim instructions are:
  • 300 split into:
    • 200 Easy Freestyle, no rest
    • 100 Easy Backstroke
• The swimmer's current average pace is 0
• The swimmer's current heart rate is 0 BPM

Swim Instructions

The swim instructions are the most important element on the screen. 

Our watch designs employ up to 4 lines for swim instructions instructions. These could be 4 segments or a segment split into up to 4 distances, they all employ the same visual treatment. 

The swim instruction can be broken down as follows:

• The single or set of distance to be swum                    4x100
• The pace denoted by the colour of the text                4x100 
• The stroke or drill to be swim                                        100 BACK
  • note: the absence of a stroke indicates Free    2x300
• The target and cycles times for the swimmer
• The use of any equipment  

We look at the design in more detail below:

Use of Colour

We use colour to communicate the pace of a swim instruction. The table below shows you the range of paces built into Simma and where they are set relative to the swimmer's FTP for Freestyle. 

Target and Cycle Times

We use two types of time indicators to communicate:

Target Time

the target time for swimming the distance, how long should it take you to finish

Cycle Time

the cycle time for starting any repeated segments and what to look for on the clock

The difference being these is any rest for the swimmer based on hitting the target. Rest durations are left for the swimmer to calculate. The application displays the Target and Cycle times only. 

Swimmers are provided with Target and Cycles times in the following instances:

• Target times are provided for Freestyle instructions without any equipment
• Cycles times are provided for Freestyle instructions with equipment
• Cycle times are provided for all of the major strokes Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly but are all based on your Freestyle pace so will be fast for the other strokes, we are working to improve this

Using Equipment 

If any instruction for the Set includes the use of equipment, then the specific equipment icon is included in the Set summary header. 

The equipment icon is also included on the specific Segments instruction line.