What Is My Base?

Determining Your Base

Your base is the time allotted for you to complete a swim before you push off the wall and begin your next swim. Your base should be a pace that you can swim comfortably for a relatively long period of time.

EXAMPLE: You are doing a set of 5 x 100s on a base of 2:00 (two minutes). This means every 2 minutes you will push off the wall to begin the next 100, and the amount of rest you get will be determined by how fast you go. The faster you finish the swim, the more rest you get. So, if you swim your first 100 in 1:50, you will get 10 seconds rest. If you swim the next 100 in 1:55, 5 seconds rest. And on and on.

A faster base is more challenging than a slower base.

To figure out your base you will start with a 100 yd/meter swim. The time you determine to be your base should be a comfortable pace that gives you some rest in between swims. So if the workout says swim 4 x 100 on your base time, you should be touching the wall 5-10 seconds before your hit your base time, so you have some rest on the wall between swims.

A base will vary from person to person, and is primarily there to provide some context as to how hard you should be working throughout the workout. 

If you are not comfortable swimming 8 x 50 (or don't know what that means), start here.

If you believe you can do 8 x 50s comfortably but are new to using the clock, go here.

If you are confident that you can swim 8 x 100s comfortably, go here.

It is important to remember that your base is fluid and will change depending on your level of fitness and health. If you feel as though you are getting too much rest between swims, don't be afraid to make your base five seconds faster and see if you can hang in there. If you are coming off a serious illness or injury, slow your base down a little bit and work your way back up to where you were before. Play around with it, and don't be afraid to challenge yourself. 

Remember, these are YOUR workouts. All of this information is just here to provide some structure. You can modify however is necessary to fit your needs.