Block 2 – Capacity and Pace: weeks 5–7 of the Momentum OW Mallorca plan
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We've entered the uncomfortable zone (and that's where progress is made)
If you've made it this far, you've already completed four weeks of Block 1: you've built an aerobic base, improved your technique, and integrated your first open water swimming sensations. Now it's time for Block 2, and with it comes a change of pace.
During weeks 5, 6, and 7, we focus on developing our pace in the anaerobic threshold zone (Z3) , with the goal of gradually adapting to the feeling of sustained effort and the accumulation of fatigue within the main block. It's a type of training we're less accustomed to, but it's precisely what allows your aerobic system to acquire adaptations that will translate into a noticeable leap in physical fitness in the water.
In parallel, open water swimming will become more prominent in the coming weeks, so that you can practice orientation in the pool and it will become naturally integrated into your stroke, without having to think about it.
Reminder: The RPE Scale
We continue to be guided by the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale from 1 to 10, so that each session is adapted to your level regardless of your pace:
Z1 – Smooth / Recovery (RPE 3–4): very comfortable pace, you can hold a conversation without getting winded.
Z2 – Cruising pace (RPE 5–6): your pace for long distances in open water, sustainable for hours.
Z3 – Threshold pace (RPE 7–8): joyful/strong effort, breathing accelerates, short race pace.
Z4 – Speed / Sprint (RPE 9–10): maximum effort, only sustainable for a few meters/seconds.
In this section, Zone 3 takes center stage. Learning to maintain it, to recover between sets and not let your technique crumble when fatigue sets in, is precisely the key takeaway from these three weeks.
Week 5 – First serious contact with the threshold
What are we looking for in week 5
We start incorporating real volume in Zone 3, both in short intervals with changes of pace and in specific threshold blocks. The first long continuous swim in Zone 2 also appears, key for your endurance leading up to race day.
Session 1 – Changes of pace within series in Z2–Z3
Warm-up: 600m (200m crawl + 100m backstroke-breaststroke).
Activation: 6×50m feet with board and fins + 3 progressives ending the last one strong, 15″ rest.
Main Block – Option A: 5 x 300m with 20" rest; odd sets at constant pace Z2, even sets 50m in Z2 + 25m in Z3 (with paddles and pull buoy). Option B: 7 x 300m with the same structure.
Cool-down: 3×100m pull free (50m free breathing + 25m breathing to the right + 25m breathing to the left), 10″ rest.
Total volume: 2.7–3.3 km³
Session 2 – Threshold work Z3
Warm-up: 500m easy swim.
Activation: 6×50m with fins, 25m butterfly/breaststroke + 25m crawl, 10″ rest.
Main Block – Option A: 5 x 200m in Zone 3 (fast/threshold pace), the 3rd set with paddles, 30 seconds rest. Option B: 8 x 200m in Zone 3, the 4th and 8th sets with paddles, 30 seconds rest. In both options, the goal is to maintain the same time in all sets and stay focused on your stroke rate when fatigue sets in.
Cool-down: 400m very easy swim, pull buoy optional.
Total volume: 2.2–2.8 km³
Session 3 – Aerobic capacity and aerobic threshold
Warm-up: 400m easy crawl.
Activation: 8×50m with pull buoy and paddles, 15″ rest (25m hard Z4 + 25m easy Z2).
Main Block – Option A and B: 30 minutes of continuous swimming in Z2. Count the meters and keep the focus on stroke time, changing the side of breathing during the stretch.
Cool-down: 200m freestyle or very easy backstroke.
How you should feel at the end of week 5
The Zone 3 sections will really start to take their toll, especially towards the end of each set. It's normal to find it harder to maintain proper form when fatigue sets in: that's exactly the stimulus we're aiming for this week. The 30-minute continuous swim will also give you a good indication of how you manage your pace without breaks.
Week 6 – More volume in threshold and first pyramid
What are we looking for in week 6
We slightly increased the volume in Z3 (with repeated sets of 100m) and worked on aerobic capacity with a pyramid structure, ideal for learning to manage effort when the distance increases and then decreases.
Session 1 – Changes of pace within series in Z2–Z3
Warm-up: 300m (150m Z1 + 150m with style changes).
Activation: 6x50m with fins, 1 set of legs only and 1 set of 25m open water + 25m crawl accelerating, 15″ rest.
Main Block – Option A: 3×500m progressive with 40″ rest; each set is swum as follows: 300m in Z2 + 100m in Z3 + 100m pushing up to Z4. Option B: 5×500m with the same structure.
Cool-down: 200m Z1 very easy with pullbuoy.
Total volume: 2.3–3.0 km³
Session 2 – Threshold work Z3
Warm-up: 400m (200m Z1 + 200m crawl paying attention to body roll, centering the weight and avoiding falling from side to side).
Activation: 6×50m with fins, 10″ rest; odd sets only legs crawl-backstroke, even sets 25m style + 25m crawl.
Main Block – Option A: 15 x 100m in Zone 3 (fast/threshold pace), strict 15" rest between sets. Option B: 25 x 100m in Zone 3 with the same strict 15" rest.
Cool-down: 100m Z1 total relaxation (backstroke or gentle breaststroke).
Total volume: 2.3–3.3 km³
Session 3 – Aerobic capacity in pyramid
Warm-up: 400m easy crawl.
Activation: 8×50m with pull buoy and paddles, 15″ rest (25m swimming with one arm + 25m swimming breathing every 5).
Main Block – Option A: Pyramid series in constant Z2: 100m+200m+300m+400m+300m+200m+100m, with 20″ rest between each distance. Option B: Longer pyramid: 100m+200m+400m+600m+400m+200m+100m, with 30″ rest between each distance.
Cool-down: 200m very easy freestyle.
Total volume: 2.6–3.0 km³
How you should feel at the end of week 6
Long sets of 100m in Zone 3 (15 or 25 repetitions) are a demanding test of consistency: the challenge isn't swimming fast at the beginning, but maintaining the same time in the last set as in the first. If you manage this, it's a clear sign that your threshold is improving. The pyramid, meanwhile, teaches you to pace yourself, knowing that the longest interval is in the middle of the block.
Week 7 – Power within the threshold and more open water swimming
What are we looking for in week 7
We close the block by combining threshold work with power strokes in Zone 4, and reinforce open water movements: bilateral breathing, side changes, and swimming combining styles, something very useful when sharing space with other swimmers in the sea.
Session 1 – Aerobic capacity Z2–Z3
Warm-up: 500m (200m easy crawl + 50m backstroke; repeat twice).
Activation: 8×50m with fins, 15″ rest (25m strong kicks in arrow position + 25m easy swimming).
Main Block – Option A: 3 x 400m in Zone 2-Zone 3 with 30" rest: 1st without equipment and breathing every 3 strokes (changing sides every 100m), 2nd with pull buoy and paddles, 3rd without equipment and free breathing. Option B: 3 x 600m with the same structure, changing breathing side every 150m.
Cool-down: 3 x 100m easy with 10" rest, combining 25m backstroke + 25m breaststroke + 50m freestyle.
Total volume: 2.4–3.0 km³
Session 2 – Threshold work Z2–Z3 with power
Warm-up: 500m easy crawl.
Activation: 12×50m with pull buoy and paddles, 15″ rest (2 sets 25m medium/strong + 25m easy, 1 full set strong; repeat the entire block).
Main Block – Option A: 4 x 200m in Zone 3 with 30" rest + 6 x 50m in Zone 4 with shovels and 20" rest, repeating the sequence within the block. Option B: The same structure with 4 x 50m in Zone 4, repeating the entire block twice.
Cool-down: 300m very easy freestyle, pull buoy optional.
Total volume: 2.3–3.4 km³
Session 3 – Aerobic capacity with changes of pace within a series
Warm-up: 800m (150m crawl + 50m backstroke-breaststroke, repeat twice).
Activation: 6×50m combining crawl and styles (butterfly-crawl / backstroke-crawl, repeat twice).
Main Block – Option A: 4 x 300m with 20" rest; odd sets (1 and 3) at a constant pace in Zone 2, even sets (2 and 4) 50m hard + 100m medium with paddles, repeating the sequence within the set. Option B: 5 x 400m with the same logic: odd sets (1, 3, 5) at a constant pace in Zone 2, even sets (2, 4) 50m hard + 50m medium with paddles.
Cool-down: 100m easy with 10″ rest.
Total volume: 2.4–3.2 km³
How you should feel at the end of week 7
By the end of week 7, you should notice that the threshold is no longer unfamiliar territory: you know what pace you can maintain, how fatigue feels when it sets in, and how to recover between sets without compromising your technique. The Zone 4 sessions will also have given you an initial understanding of your reaction time, which is very useful for overtaking or changing pace on race day.
Your next step: towards Block 3
With these three weeks you complete Block 2: you have worked on capacity and rhythm, you have put in serious volume in Z3 and you have continued to incorporate open water movements inside the pool.
The next step is Block 3, focused on simulation and tapering (weeks 7 and 8), where the goal will be to reach September with the peak form and freshness needed to fully enjoy your Momentum.
Before continuing, take a moment: look at everything you've worked on since week 1 and remember that each threshold session you've overcome is one less stroke of uncertainty on the day of the test at sea.
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