Swimming · IM
LOCHTE'S BRUTAL IM SET
4 rounds: 2×100 fly from a dive · 2×50 back · 100 free · 400 IM all-out
Elite session. As written this is for very experienced, high-volume athletes. Most people should start with the scaled version below.
THE STORY
Training under Gregg Troy at Florida in 2012, Ryan Lochte did 4 rounds of 2 × 100 fly from a dive, 2 × 50 back, 100 free and an all-out 400 IM, long course — a set he called brutal and one of the hardest he'd done. The intervals weren't published; our rests are a sensible guess.
Sources
- Ryan Lochte: "One of the Hardest Sets I've Ever Done." — SwimSwam, 2016
WHAT IT TRAINS
IM race fitness: butterfly on tired arms and an all-out 400 IM at the end of every round.
WHO IT'S FOR
Strong IM swimmers. Everyone else: the scaled version.
HOW TO DO IT
- 01Warm up 800 mixed.
- 02Each round: 2 × 100 fly hard from a dive, 2 × 50 back (one hard, one easy), 100 free, then a 400 IM all-out. Long course (50 m) if you can.
- 03Swim 4 rounds.
- 04Cool down 300 easy.
SCALED VERSION
2 rounds of: 2 × 50 fly, 2 × 50 back, 100 free, 200 IM hard, with 20–30 seconds' rest.
Build the scaled version in Forge →TARGETS THAT FIT YOU
Swims use Garmin's effort levels (easy, moderate, hard, all out…). Send-offs listed as clock times are the original, elite intervals — scale them to leave yourself the rest the set intends.
THE WORKOUT, STEP BY STEP
SWIMMING
Lochte's Brutal IM Set
4 rounds: 2×100 fly from a dive · 2×50 back · 100 free · 400 IM all-out · Inspired by Ryan Lochte. · Fit File Forge Workout Library: www.fitfileforge.com/workouts/library/lochte-brutal-im-set
WARMUP800 mTarget: Swim instruction: EasyMIXED
MAIN100 mTarget: Swim instruction: HardBUTTERFLY
From a dive.
REST30 sec rest
MAIN100 mTarget: Swim instruction: HardBUTTERFLY
From a dive.
REST30 sec rest
MAIN50 mTarget: Swim instruction: HardBACKSTROKE
REST20 sec rest
ACTIVE50 mTarget: Swim instruction: EasyBACKSTROKE
REST20 sec rest
MAIN100 mTarget: Swim instruction: ModerateFREESTYLE
REST30 sec rest
MAIN400 mTarget: Swim instruction: All OutIM
REST2 min rest
COOLDOWN300 mTarget: Swim instruction: EasyMIXED
Easy.
RELATED WORKOUTS
- SwimmingSpeedDifficulty 4 of 5 — Very hard
3 × 100 Fly, Race Quality
3 × 100 butterfly descending, 200 easy between
45 min
NOT HERE? DESCRIBE IT.
Type any session the way you'd tell a training partner — Forge turns it into a Garmin workout in seconds, and your coach can plan the weeks around it.
Garmin and Garmin Connect are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Zwift is a trademark of Zwift, Inc.; Fit File Forge isn't affiliated with Zwift. Athletes and coaches named here don't endorse Fit File Forge.