By Tom Johnson, founder of Salty Johnson. Bondi Beach, September 2026.
Confession time. Our free 8-week swim programs were fine. And fine is not a word you want anywhere near something with our name on it.
So we tore them up and started again. All 72 sessions have been rewritten from scratch, the way a proper squad coach writes a session on the whiteboard before 6am: what to swim, when to leave the wall, what pace to hold, and how you will know you nailed it. The price has not changed. It is still zero dollars.
The short version: three brand new 8-week swim training programs, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, with 24 coached sessions in each. Free. Grab yours on the Free Swim Workouts page.
Pictured: sunrise laps at Bondi in our FLAMINGOS women's one piece. Week 1 starts with a test, not a sprint.
What is actually new
We did not just change the font. We pulled the old programs apart line by line, pressure tested every session the way a coach would, and rebuilt them. Here is the before and after.
| The old programs | The new programs |
|---|---|
| One main set per session | A full session: warm up, main set, finish and cool down, each with its own distance |
| "Swim it fast" | A Hold pace on every single line, worked out from your own test |
| Rest was a guess | The send-off or rest written on every rep |
| The same warm up every day | Warm ups built for the session ahead, with drills, kick and builds |
| No way to know if a session went well | A "you nailed it if" check at the end of every session |
| Hard day? Good luck | A "scale it" option for tired days, plus a coach's cue for every session |
And the programs got shorter. Sixteen pages instead of seventeen, with more coaching packed into every page. Nobody wants to scroll a novel on pool deck.
The secret sauce: the Hold column
Every set in the new programs tells you the pace to hold. No more wondering what "moderate effort" means at 6:15am with goggle marks still on your face.
In week 1 you swim a short test. For Intermediate and Advanced it is a timed 400m and 200m, which gives you a number called your CSS, or Critical Swim Speed. That is roughly the fastest pace you could hold for about 30 minutes, and every set after that is written around it.
- Hold CSS+8 means swim 8 seconds per 100m slower than your CSS. If your CSS is 1:40, that is 1:48 per 100m.
- Hold CSS-4 means 4 seconds per 100m faster. Same swimmer, 1:36 per 100m.
- On CSS+12 is your send-off. Leave the wall every CSS pace plus 12 seconds per 100m, however fast you swam.
Beginners get simple effort words instead, like Easy, Steady and Strong, plus short benchmark swims in weeks 1, 5 and 8. When your stroke is changing every week, a fixed pace number would be out of date within a fortnight.
You retest in week 5 so your paces keep up with you, and again in week 8 so you can see exactly how far you have come. There is something very satisfying about beating your own number.
A taste of the new sessions: the 20x100 Squeeze
This is Advanced, week 3, session 1, and it is our favourite session in the whole block.
Twenty 100s, all at your CSS pace, in four rounds of five. The catch? The send-off tightens every round, from CSS+15 to CSS+12 to CSS+10 to CSS+8. Same pace, less rest, every round. Round four is where the fitness is made. It is also where you start questioning your life choices.
You nailed it if you hold CSS through round 3. Round 4 within two seconds is a genuine win, and you are allowed to tell everyone at the cafe about it.
You can see the full session, laid out exactly as it appears in the program, on the Free Swim Workouts page.
Which program is yours?
One rule before you pick. Choose on how much you swim now, not how fast you swim. Ego is not a training zone.
Beginner: build to a 600m nonstop swim
For you if you can swim 50m of freestyle without stopping and you are comfortable with your face in the water. Sessions run 400m to 850m, about 20 to 35 minutes, and 1.35km to 2.1km a week. Eight weeks of body position, breathing and distance, finishing with a timed 600m you never stop in. All you need is a kickboard, and fins help with the drills.
Intermediate: put a time on a 1,500m swim
For you if you are comfortable at 1km and want structure instead of just laps. Sessions run 1.1km to 2km, about 30 to 50 minutes, and 3.35km to 5.2km a week. Every set is paced from your own CSS test, with threshold, speed and open water sessions, finishing with a timed 1,500m. Perfect if you have a 1km to 2km ocean swim on the calendar this summer.
Advanced: a 10.8km peak week and a 3,500m swim
For masters swimmers and triathletes already covering 6km or more a week. Sessions run 1.9km to 4.3km, about 45 to 75 minutes, and 6.9km to 10.8km a week. Threshold sets, paddle strength, open water race starts and a 3,200m rehearsal at goal pace, finishing with 3,500m nonstop. Bring paddles, a pull buoy and your A game.
What else is inside the PDF
- A week 1 test with retests in weeks 5 and 8, so your numbers are always honest.
- A recovery week in week 4. It is not a typo and it is not optional. It is the week most people skip and the most common reason an 8-week block falls apart.
- A 13 drill library with what each drill fixes, how to do it, the one cue that matters and the mistake almost everyone makes.
- A five minute shoulder routine for pool deck before every swim.
- A plan for when life happens: missed sessions, sore shoulders, colds and pool closures.
- A log for your numbers, because progress you write down is progress you keep.
- Written for a 25m pool, with instructions for 50m pools too.
How to get your free program
- Head to the Free Swim Workouts page.
- Tap the button for your level.
- Pop in your email address. Your program lands in your inbox in about a minute.
- Save the PDF to your phone and read pages 3 and 4 before your first swim.
Get your free 8-week swim program
Not ready to commit to eight weeks? We also have 75 free standalone swim workouts, no email needed. Pick one and swim it: beginner swim workouts, intermediate swim workouts or advanced swim workouts.
Why start now
Spring is the best time of year to start a swim block. The water is warming up week by week, patrol season is getting going on Sydney beaches, and summer ocean swims are close enough to feel real.
Speaking of which, the Macquarie Bondi to Bronte Ocean Swim is on Sunday 8 November 2026. Start the Intermediate or Advanced program on Monday 28 September and race day lands at the end of week 6. Swap that week's endurance session for the race and carry on with your block. If the ocean itself is the part that scares you, our Pool to Ocean guide covers sighting, waves, rips and safety.
And if you would rather not do it alone, come and swim with us. Salty Sundays is our free community run, swim and coffee in Bondi every Sunday. No fee, no pace requirement, and nobody gets dropped.
Eight weeks is also a lot of chlorine. Salty Johnson swimwear uses REPREVE® recycled performance fabric with chlorine resistance for regular pool sessions, and it is cut for people who actually swim. If your current swimmers are sagging faster than your motivation in week 7, have a look at our men's swim briefs and women's one piece swimsuits.
Swim program FAQs
Are the 8-week swim programs really free?
Yes. All three programs are free PDFs. You just pop in your email address on the Free Swim Workouts page and your program is sent straight to your inbox.
Which swim program should I start with?
Pick the level that matches how much you swim now, not how fast you swim. If you can swim 50m without stopping, start with Beginner. If 1km is comfortable, start with Intermediate. If you already swim 6km or more a week, go Advanced. You can always move after the week 1 test.
What is CSS in swimming?
CSS stands for Critical Swim Speed. It is roughly the fastest pace you could hold for about 30 minutes, worked out from a timed 400m and 200m. The Intermediate and Advanced programs use it to set the pace for every set, written as CSS plus or minus a few seconds per 100m.
How many times a week do the programs swim?
Three sessions a week for eight weeks, with a day between sessions. If you can only get to the pool twice in a week, keep sessions 1 and 3.
Can I do the programs in a 50m pool?
Yes. They are written for a 25m pool, and each program explains how to adjust for a 50m pool: swim any 25s as 50s and add 3 to 5 seconds per 100m to each send-off.
What happens if I miss a session?
Carry on and do not double up. If you miss a whole week, repeat it rather than skipping ahead. The PDF has a full guide for missed sessions, illness and sore shoulders.
See you in the water
New programs, same free price, a lot more coaching. Pick your level, do the week 1 test, and let us know how you go. Tag us when you nail round four of the Squeeze.
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Your free 8-week swim program
24 coached sessions with the pace to hold on every set. We will email you a link to all three levels, so you can pick Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced when it lands.
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