While you don't have to do exactly the workouts prescribed on day one, you should try to do as much as possible and get closer and closer to the prescribed distances every single week. You don't ever have to do the entire workout, but just know that come race day, that will leave you less prepared. But sometimes the practicalities of life make the decisions for us.  

Your workout distances are selected as a balance of what you should be able to do at this point in the training season and what is attainable for someone who is just picking up the sport.

And, of course, this is based on the distance of the race you've chosen to do. If you can't do that, it's an indication you may a little bit behind where you should be in relation to your race date/distance.

If you need to build up the distances you complete during any workout the best way to approach it is as follows:  

Week 1: Complete as much of today's workout as you can.

Week 2: Add 10% to the time or distance you completed from Week 1.

Week 3: Take your rest week.

Week 4: Add 10% to the time or distance you completed from Week 2

Repeat this process until you reach the prescribed distances.

If you’re really struggling with the swim specifically, below is a swim test workout you should attempt. This is a guideline to determine whether you should do the workouts the plan generates, or if your time would be better spent working on building comfort in the water via our book, Triathlon Swimming Foundations (this can be purchased in softcover and e-reader versions on your local Amazon, or in an instant, digital download format at triathlonswimmingfoundations.com).  

SWIM READINESS WORKOUT  

Warm Up: 5min easy swim 4x200 at 70% effort with fins and snorkel in the following order (with a 20-second rest between each 200m). 

NOTE: do only the first 2x200 if you are a sprint distance athlete.  

#1: 50m kick on stomach/150m regular swim

#2: 100m kick on stomach/100m regular swim,   

#3: 150m kick on stomach/50m regular swim,  

#4: 200m kick on the stomach.   

Next, do 8x50m, building speed on each 50m until the final two 50m lengths are done at a 1km time trial pace. Take a 15-second rest between each 50m.

Finally, do 400m non-stop swimming at a 70-75% effort, taking no breaks at the walls and only going as fast as you can without taxing yourself to the point you feel out of breath. 

NOTE: If you can't yet swim 400 meters or yards without taking a break or without feeling out of breath by the end of the 400, then we advise picking up Triathlon Swimming Foundations as mentioned above. We've had many athletes who could not swim a full-length report back to us after using the book, that they're confidently swimming their full workouts from the MōTTIV training app now, and feeling great.