Designing the Taper for Swim Training: Adjusting Training Volume in the Two Weeks Before a Race

Introduction

In competitive swimming, the “taper” is the most important and often most misunderstood training strategy before a race. Many amateur swimmers worry: “If I reduce training volume before a race, will I lose the fitness I worked so hard to build?” This concern is completely understandable, but sports science research gives us a clear answer—a properly executed taper will not cause a decline in fitness; instead, it can help you reach your personal best on race day.

According to multiple studies (Mujika & Padilla, 2003; Johns et al., 1992), swimmers who taper for 2–3 weeks before a race improve performance by an average of 2–3%, with some individual cases exceeding 5%. This improvement comes from: enhanced lactate metabolism efficiency, muscle glycogen stores restored to peak levels, improved neuromuscular coordination, and a psychological recharge.

This article designs a two-week taper plan for amateur swimmers, helping you start race day in optimal condition.

The Physiological Mechanisms Behind Tapering

Understanding why tapering works will help you execute it with greater confidence:

• Muscle glycogen restoration: During high-volume training periods, muscle glycogen is continuously depleted. Tapering gives the body a chance to supercompensate to higher-than-normal stores, providing more fuel on race day
• Repair of muscle micro-damage: Micro-damage accumulated from long-term high-volume training (pre-DOMS damage) takes time to repair, and tapering provides this window
• Neural activation efficiency: Research shows that after an appropriate taper, motor unit activation efficiency improves, meaning the same muscles can generate greater force
• Psychological energy replenishment: The mental fatigue accumulated over weeks of high-volume training also needs recovery; tapering allows the brain to “recharge” as well

Types of Tapers

Swimming tapers mainly fall into two categories:

For amateur swimmers preparing for a single important race, the “progressive taper” executed over two weeks is recommended.

Two-Week Pre-Race Taper Schedule

Taper Principles

• Reduce volume, but not intensity: This is the most critical principle. Cut volume without cutting speed—swim less, but maintain the pace target for each repeat (and even increase it in some sets)
• Maintain training frequency: Don’t compress 4 sessions per week down to 2 just because you’re tapering. Maintaining frequency helps preserve the neuromuscular “readiness state”
• Prioritize sleep and recovery: The greatest benefit of the taper comes from sleep and rest; aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night

Second Week Before the Race (8–14 days out)

Training volume is 20–30% lower than the normal peak:

• Monday: Aerobic swim 1500m (normal peak is around 2500m), main set: 1×1000m aerobic at a pace close to your target race pace
• Wednesday: Interval training, volume reduced but high intensity retained: 4×200m (normally 8×200m), maintain pace
• Friday: Technique training 1200m, mostly easy swimming, refine stroke mechanics
• Saturday: Aerobic swim 1000m, easy, check body condition

Final Week Before the Race (1–7 days out)

Training volume is 40–50% lower than the peak:

• Monday: 600–800m, warm-up + 4×100m at race pace + cool-down
• Wednesday: 400–600m, including short sprints: 4×25m all-out, feel the speed
• Day before the race: 400m easy swim (warm-up nature), no exhaustive training whatsoever
• Race morning (if possible): 10 minutes of easy activity in the water, adapt to the race venue

Common Psychological Challenges During the Taper

• “Tapering feels like I’m getting slower”: This is a normal psychological sensation. In reality, your body is recovering. Don’t let this feeling drive you to add extra training
• “My legs feel heavy in the first few days”: Early in the taper, muscle glycogen replenishment can make muscles feel “heavy”—this is a good sign, not a decline
• “I suddenly have a lot of pent-up energy”: This is energy that should be saved for race day, not spent prematurely in training

Practical Advice

• Maintain your normal carbohydrate ratio in your diet during the taper, and even slightly increase carbohydrate intake in the 3 days before the race (carbohydrate loading strategy)
• Record your resting heart rate daily: if the taper is executed correctly, your resting heart rate should drop noticeably within 1–2 weeks
• For summer races in Taiwan, pay attention to water temperature adaptation at the venue—if the difference between your training water temperature and the race water temperature exceeds 3°C, adapt in advance

Conclusion

The pre-race taper is the final piece of the training cycle puzzle, and it’s the piece amateur swimmers most often skip. Trust the science, trust that the training you’ve done over the past few months has built a solid foundation, and let your body fully recover before the race—you’ll be pleasantly surprised on race day to discover how fast you can actually swim.

Related Reading

• The Science of Tapering for Swimmers: Precise Adjustments in the Final 3 Weeks
• Pre-Race Taper Plan for Swimming: Training Volume Reduction Strategy 2 Weeks Before Competition
• Designing a Swim Taper Week: Peaking for Optimal Performance Two Weeks Before a Race
• Swim Taper Design: Mileage Reduction and Intensity Maintenance Across a 3-Week Taper