Set Your Swim Baseline with this Test Set Workout
Whether you’re a seasoned swimmer or a beginner, you know the feeling of jumping back into the water after a break—no matter how small. Even the slightest hiatus can make you feel like you’ve lost your rhythm in the water and like you’re starting all over. Wherever you were in your training, focus on enjoying your return to the pool, set your baseline, and start fresh.
To prep for your FORM Fundamentals journey, we’re giving you a baseline test set. Swimming the test set will show you a clear view of where you’re starting from—your baseline. This will not only be your starting point to build from, but you’ll also retest at the end of the four-week series to see how far you’ve come.
Your Baseline Test Set
A baseline test set is a workout that highlights where your swim fitness is at. When you regularly swim a test set, your results can be used to see how much progress you’ve made over time.
The test set you’re about to swim is easy to follow, so you can put all your energy towards your speed. You’ll want to focus on and remember your time for the four 50m fast efforts in the main set. Try to swim as fast as you can for all four intervals and maintain your time from one to the next. After you retest at the end of the series, you’ll compare your 50m freestyle times and celebrate how much you’ve progressed!
Check out the test set below, jump in, and swim!
Baseline Test Set (Total: 750m)
Before you begin your FORM Fundamentals journey, swim this test set to know where you’re starting from. After completing the weekly FORM Fundamentals workouts, revisit and swim this test set to see how you’ve progressed.
Warmup Set
4 x 25m freestyle easy on 15s rest
30s rest
Pre Set
4 x 25m freestyle moderate on 20s rest
Rest for 30s
1 x 50m freestyle easy
Rest for 30s
2 x 25m freestyle strong on 20s rest
Rest for 30s
1 x 25m freestyle easy
Rest for 30s
1 x 25m freestyle fast
60s rest
Main Set
4 x 50m freestyle fast on 45s rest
45s rest
Warm Down Set
8 x 25m choice easy on 20s rest (choose any stroke)
FORM swimmers with a membership can upload this workout to their goggles from the FORM Fundamentals collection in the FORM Swim App. You can print out the workout if you don’t have a FORM membership or goggles. For a detailed breakdown of different efforts, read our article on understanding FORM’s Effort Levels.
Better Swimming Starts Now
Before you move through the FORM Fundamentals, it’s important to get a good sense of where you’re starting from. Keep these three things in mind as you progress through the weeks ahead.
1. Be Realistic About Where You’re At
It can be a humbling experience, but being honest with yourself about where you’re at will help you set a proper foundation to progress from. Swim the baseline test set below to get a clear view of where your swimming is at now and pay attention to how you feel in the water. Do you feel like you can only swim for a short period of time? Does it feel like your legs are heavy and not in line with your hips? Is your breathing strained or relaxed?
2. Start Small and Set Weekly Goals
FORM Fundamentals were specifically designed to help you get back to the basics and learn proper technique to improve your swimming overall. Each week, we’ll focus on a key foundation of your swim; body position, breathing, and kicking. As you swim through each week, set small goals for yourself to work towards. Trust us, you’ll be amazed with the improvements you can make in a few weeks!
3. Build At Your Own Pace
Once you know where you’re starting from, you’ll be able to build from there. Remember to stay in your own lane and don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone has their own strengths and areas of improvement that are specific to them. All we ask is that you show up for yourself, try your best, and have fun!
Remember, FORM Fundamentals and technique development take time! Patience and continued practice are key for swimmers at every level to improve their skills.
