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Workouts

Frogman Workouts: Build Strength On Water and Land

These workouts are designed by world-class swimmer Hannah Caldas. They will increase your overall strength and conditioning while also improving your technique and agility in the water.

Hannah Caldas

Written by Hannah Caldas Last updated on Dec 6, 2022

Week 1, Day 1

Complete all three sections for time:

1. 40 Kettlebell swings (1.5 pood for men/1 pood for women)

1.5 pood = 24kg

1 pood = 16kg

2. 4 rounds:

  • 25m Walk the Bottom: Underwater with kettlebell (You can come up to breathe if needed but may not advance unless you are underwater and carrying the kettlebell)
  • 10 Situps
  • 25m Dolphin Kick on back
  • 25m Swim

3. 40 Kettlebell Swings

Week 1, Day 2

For 20 minutes: 1 minute on, 1 minute off

50 Freestyle

Max handstand pushups (HSPU) until the minute is up

For scoring: Subtract the number of HSPU to the 50 free time (Example: if you swim the 50 free in 30 seconds and you complete 5 HSPU within the minute, your score for that round is 25)

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 2, Day 1

On the minute, as many rounds in 15 minutes:

Freestyle sprint: Start with 15m underwater kick

Broad jump back to the blocks

Week 2, Day 2

20x Dumbbell cleans (35/25lbs)

50 Butterfly

18x Pushups

50 Backstroke

16x Burpees

50 Breast stroke

14x Squats

50 Freestyle

12x Situps

50 Butterfly

10x Dumbbell snatches (35/25lbs)

50 Backstroke

8x Double Unders

50 Breaststroke

6x Jumping Lunges

50 Freestyle

(Alll exercises to scale. Use any stroke you are comfortable with. You can keep to the same stroke in all reps if desired.)

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 3, Day 1

50-40-30-20-10 Double Unders

50m Sprint from the block

Week 3, Day 2

10x Power Clean (95/65lbs)

Swim across the pool

9x Overhead Squat (95/65lbs)

Swim back

8x Power Clean

Swim across

9x Overhead Squat

Swim Back

Repeat, decreasing by 1 until you have one rep of each exercise left.

1x Power Clean

Swim across pool

1x Overhead Squat

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 4, Day 1

100 Swim, rest 10”

50 Swim, rest 10”

7 rounds:

25 Kick

25 Scull

25 Drill

25 Swim

10 Wall Balls

50 Swim, rest 10”

100 Swim

Record total time

Week 4, Day 2

A.

10x Dumbbell Man Makers (35 lb. for men; 25 lb. for women)

Rest 1 minute

B.

Hypoxic pull 500 yards or 400 meters, with increasing bi-lateral breathing pattern (Start at every 3 strokes, move on to every 5, every 7 and start back at every 3, by 25)

Rest 1 minute

C.

Walk the bottom of the pool with kettlebell for max distance. Measure distance for score

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 5, Day 1

100 Air Squats

10 x 25 Flutter kick (with or without board), 10 seconds rest between each rep

100 Air Squats

5 x 50 Swim, 10 seconds rest between each rep

50 Push Ups

Week 5, Day 2

100 Curtis Ps (95/55): (Hang squat clean, a lunge on each leg, then shoulders to overhead)

Everytime you break/let go of bar, there is a 50m swim penalty. Count total distance swam.

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 6, Day 1

3 Rounds:

3 minute Plank

25 Underwater Swim (Dolphin kick preferred)

10 Pool Turkish Get Ups

25 Sprint

Week 6, Day 2

Timed 500 or 1000 yards (If working in meters, 400 or 800 meters)

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 7, Day 1

Vertical kick modified, Tabata: Best performed in a diving well or the deep end of the pool. Choose between flutter (more challenging) and egg beater (less challenging). The interval will be 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, as follows: 10 seconds with hands at water level, 5 seconds with hands at face level, 5 seconds with hands above head.

Week 7, Day 2

21 min AMRAP:

  • 50m Kettlebell Walk (Breathe as needed, but stop walking when you breathe)
  • 100m Swim

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 8, Day 1

With a pull buoy and paddles:

5×100 as 25 front scull, 75m swim. Rest 30 seconds between each.

Max Push Ups

Week 8, Day 2

5 Rounds:

100 4ct Flutter Kicks (Dry)

50m Swim

10 Rounds:

10 Burpees

25m Swim

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 9, Day 1

30 minutes, as many reps as possible:

30 seconds of vertical kick

Sprint: 25m

Swim: 50m

Week 9, Day 2

Timed 500m swim (Compare to Week 6)

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 10, Day 1

5 Rounds With Fins:

10 seconds of Vertical Dolphin Kicking (Use core control to make sure you stay in place)

25m Underwater Dolphin Kick

10x Teabag (With arms on pool edge push all the way up to full elbow extension without using legs, and without getting out of the pool)

Week 10, Day 2

5x Turkish Get Ups (35/25) per arm

50 Swim (Non-freestyle)

Then 1 minute Hollow Hold

5x Turkish Get Ups

50 Swim Freestyle

Then 1 minute Plank

5x Turkish Get Ups

50 Swim non freestyle

Then 1 minute max Air Squats

Rest 2 minutes

50 Swim all out, your choice of stroke

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 11, Day 1

21 Kettlebell Thrusters (35/25)

50m Sprint

Rest 1 minute

15 Kettlebell Thrusters

50m Sprint

Rest 2 minutes

9 Kettlebell Thrusters

50m Sprint

Week 11, Day 2

50m Swim
50 Squats
50 Kick
50 Sit Ups
50 Pull (swim)
50 Push Ups
50m Swim

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Week 12, Day 1

Start with overhead walking lunges around the whole pool. (25/15 lbs) Walk both length and width. If the pool is long course, do one side of the pool.

Swim 500 with fins and paddles

Week 12, Day 2

For 30 minutes:

50m Swim

1 Handstand Push Up

50m Swim

2 Handstand Push Ups

50m Swim

3 Handstand Push Up

Continue to add 1 Handstand Push Up every time you swim 50m

Click on the number below that corresponds to the week of training you’re in.

Hannah Caldas

About Hannah Caldas

Since returning to swimming in 2010 after an 8 year retirement, Hannah Caldas has claimed FINA masters world records in 3 different relays and USMS National Records in the 50m Breaststroke and 50 and 100m Freestyle. She was awarded USMS 2010 and 2011 Pool All Star, earned All-American status in over 20 individual events, and was ranked as the fastest masters female swimmer in the world over 30 by FINA in the 50 and 100m Freestyle in 2011.

In 2012, Hannah was an Olympic hopeful for Portugal in the 50m Freestyle, but fell short of the qualifying time for London by 0.3s. She made a debut in Open Water Swimming in the Maui Channel Crossing Race, as a member of the Mixed Relay team in 2011.

Hannah started CrossFit in the summer of 2011, and in 2012 competed in the CrossFit Open and Southwest Regionals while simultaneously training and competing in swimming. She swims 4,000 meters per day, 2 hours per day, 6 days a week, and CrossFits 5 days a week, with one active rest and one full rest day.

In addition to her impressive athletic background, Hannah served as Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Wake Forest University from 2006 to 2010. Since leaving academia, Hannah has lived in Phoenix, AZ, where she devotes her time to being a full time athlete. More recently, she has started applying her knowledge of functional fitness to help other swimmers and triathletes.

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