Swimming Medley Training: A Weekly Schedule for Practicing All Four Strokes

Introduction

In swimming competitions across Taiwan, the Individual Medley (IM) is gaining increasing attention from amateur swimmers. Even without competing as a goal, many swim coaches recommend that swimmers regularly practice all four strokes. Because each stroke uses different muscle groups and technical patterns, training all four strokes evenly develops whole-body swimming coordination and reduces the risk of overuse injuries from focusing on a single stroke.

The order of the four strokes in the IM is: butterfly → backstroke → breaststroke → freestyle. Each stroke has different technical requirements, breathing rhythms, and power generation patterns, and learning the turn transitions is also a major challenge. The weekly schedule designed in this article is suitable for swimmers who have basic ability in all four strokes (able to swim at least 100 meters of each stroke) but have not yet undergone systematic training.

Energy and Technical Characteristics of the Four Strokes

The IM is deliberately ordered butterfly → backstroke → breaststroke → freestyle, starting with the most demanding stroke so that swimmers tackle the technically hardest stroke—butterfly—while energy levels are still high, and finish with a freestyle sprint, the most economical stroke.

Weekly Four-Stroke Training Schedule

Training Assumptions

• Train 4 times per week
• Each session approximately 90 minutes
• Ability to perform basic technique in all four strokes

Weekly Schedule

Monday: Butterfly Technique Session + Freestyle Aerobic

• Warm-up: 400m (easy freestyle)
• Butterfly technique set:
  • 8×25m butterfly body undulation drills (kickboard + legs focus)
  • 4×50m single-arm butterfly
  • 4×25m full butterfly (focusing on breathing timing)
• Freestyle aerobic: 1×800m easy, steady pace
• Cool-down: 200m easy backstroke
• Total volume: approximately 2400m

Wednesday: Backstroke + Breaststroke Technique

• Warm-up: 300m freestyle
• Backstroke set:
  • 4×100m backstroke, focusing on hand entry position (not crossing the midline above the head)
  • 4×25m single-arm backstroke drills
• Breaststroke set:
  • 6×50m kickboard breaststroke kick (focusing on kick timing)
  • 4×50m full breaststroke
• Supplementary: 200m freestyle
• Cool-down: 200m backstroke
• Total volume: approximately 2000m

Friday: IM Integration Training

This is the most important training day, practicing stroke transitions and pace distribution:

• Warm-up: 400m (100m of each stroke)
• Main set: 4×200m IM (fly 50m → back 50m → breast 50m → free 50m), 60 seconds rest between sets
• Advanced supplementary: 2×100m IM, challenging a faster pace
• Cool-down: 300m easy freestyle
• Total volume: approximately 2200m

In the 200m IM, the recommended pacing strategy is: conserve energy in butterfly (no sprinting), maintain in backstroke, stay steady in breaststroke, and accelerate to a sprint in freestyle.

Saturday: Long-Distance Aerobic + Maintaining All Strokes

• Warm-up: 300m
• Main set: 2×1000m aerobic swimming (freestyle), maintaining Zone 2 heart rate
• Maintenance set: 50m of each stroke × 2 rounds (purely feeling the movement, no timing)
• Cool-down: 200m easy
• Total volume: approximately 2900m

Practicing the IM Turn

Turn transitions in IM competition and training are a technical challenge:

• Butterfly → Backstroke: Touch the wall with both hands simultaneously, then roll over and push off the wall in the backstroke position
• Backstroke → Breaststroke: Count strokes from the 5-meter flag, touch the wall with one or both hands, then quickly rotate into breaststroke
• Breaststroke → Freestyle: Touch the wall with both hands simultaneously, then roll and transition into a freestyle push-off

It is recommended to spend 5 minutes at the end of each session specifically practicing turns—an important detail for improving IM performance.

Practical Advice

• A common mistake for beginner butterfly swimmers is “pulling the arms back too far,” which can lead to shoulder injuries. Start with short distances (25m) and focus on feeling the body undulation rather than forcing the stroke
• If one particular stroke is significantly weaker, give it more attention in technique sessions; the four strokes do not need to be perfectly evenly distributed
• Many swimming clubs in Taiwan regularly hold IM events; even club-level competitions are a great source of motivation

Conclusion

IM training that practices all four strokes provides the most comprehensive physical development in the pool. Through a systematic weekly schedule, each stroke receives sufficient technical and conditioning stimulus without over-concentrating on a single stroke and causing fatigue. Whether aiming for competition or pursuing well-rounded swimming development, IM training is an important element worth adding to your weekly plan.

Related Reading

• Swimming IM Training: Energy Distribution and Technical Challenges for 25m of Each Stroke
• Swimming IM Workout: Full-Body Training with Freestyle Focus Plus Breaststroke and Butterfly
• Stroke Transition Technique: Coordination Training for Rotating Through All Four Strokes
• IM Individual Medley Workout Design: Strength and Endurance Training Through Four-Stroke Rotation