4 St. Patrick’s Day Swim Workouts For Lucky Swimmers 

Are you a swim coach or swimmer looking for St. Patrick’s Day swim workouts? Then you’re in luck!

We’re excited to share our top 4 St. Patty’s Day swim workouts tailored for swimmers of all ages, from age group competitors to high school teams, masters swimmers, and even those hitting the pool at the gym during this St. Patrick’s Day!

Whether you’re a seasoned coach or an enthusiastic swimmer, these themed workouts will add a refreshing twist to your routine, keeping it fun and festive. 

As a bonus, grab your FREEBIE: our exclusive PDF featuring 4 St. Patrick’s Day Swim Workouts. Wear your green to the pool deck, and let’s make this St. Patrick’s Day at the pool one to remember!

Green Means Go St. Patrick’s Day Swim Workout 

This Green Means Go swim workout is great for young age group club swimmers under the age of 10, plus mixes in some fun Speedplay work. This set could be adapted for older swimmers as well.

Warm-up:

200 free or 2×100 

100 kick with a kickboard

4×50 25 drill, 25 swim (IM order)

Kick-set:

8×50 kick with kickboard

Red light, yellow light, green light kick

The swim coach yells out a color every 5-20 seconds

Red = stop

Yellow = moderate

Green = all-out fast kick

 *If a swimmer messes up they have to start the 50 over!

Main-set:

A game of colors!

1. Setup: Assign different swimming techniques to specific colors 

For example:

• Red- freestyle 
• Blue- breaststroke
• Green- butterfly
• Yellow- backstroke 
• White- scull 
• Black- kick 
• Purple- sprint 

2. Instructions: Coach yells out the distance and the color (or colors!)- varying from 12.5 yards to 100 yards!
3. Action: Swimmers perform the corresponding technique immediately upon hearing the color called out.
4. Objective: React quickly and accurately to the coach’s calls.
5. Variations: Introduce challenges like quick successions or penalties for incorrect responses.
6. Feedback: Provide feedback on swimmers’ performance to encourage improvement.

Ensure safety and adapt the difficulty to match swimmers’ skill levels.

Warm-down:

200 ez

(total yardage of this workout will vary depending on the distances given in colors!)

Pot of Gold Swim Workout 

This is a fun and interactive swim workout great for swim groups of all ages! Including high school and masters swim teams. 

We recommend that a swim coach has “coins”- poker chips or paper coins work well. Plus, a bowl or bucket for swimmers to pull the “gold” from!

Warm-up:

2×150: 100 free swim, 50 kick

4×100 odd: reverse IM, even: backstroke 

Maint-set:

• Swimmers will reach in and draw out coins from the pot of gold to determine the set. Each ‘coin’ will correspond to a specific distance and stroke.

• Example coins:

1. Gold Coin (100 meters freestyle)
2. Silver Coin (50 meters backstroke)
3. Copper Coin (25 meters breaststroke)
4. Bronze Coin (25 meters butterfly)
5. Rainbow Coin (200 meters choice stroke)

You could also write out sets in place of single distances! Swimmers take turns drawing ‘coins’ from the pot of gold. 

Cool-down:

300 ez

We recommend adding in a game from our list below to this workout! 

(total yardage will vary depending on the distances given and coins drawn)

Luck O’ the Irish St Patrick’s Day Swim Set

This is a great St. Patrick’s Day swim workout for high school swimmers and competitive club swimmers. Feel free to adapt the set to your swimming group’s needs. 

First, have the swimmers pick a number or use the dice roller app to decide their fate. Then, flip a coin to decide if the set will be lucky or unlucky. Assign the coin heads and tails lucky or unlucky before starting. 

You can simplify this set by pre-assigning each number a “lucky” or “unlucky” set beforehand and skip the coin toss. Or you can create two bags of lucky and unlucky sets that are drawn at random.

We prepared 6 “lucky” and “unlucky” swim sets for you below. Each set is 500 yards long. The unlucky sets are more challenging, the lucky sets are more playful and fun!

Warm-up:

200 fr

4 ×50: drill, swim IM order 

Main set:

Unlucky Sets

1. 20×25 odds: uw no breath (for younger swimmers modify), evens: backstroke 

2. 3×150 desc 1-3 worst stroke, 50 ez 

3. 2x 250 IMs swam as 50 fly-50bk-100br-50 fr

4. 5×100 freestyle best average 

5. 10×50 butterfly on a tight interval assigned by the coach 

6. 500 all out with fins 

Lucky sets

1. 5×100 social kick 

2. 4 rounds, IM order: 5×25: kick, scull, drill, perfect tech, build

3. 20×25 odds: from a dive fast breakout, evens: corkscrew bk or double arm bk drill

4. 10×50 partner pull- partner up and hang on to your partner’s ankles while they pull, alternate roles each 50

5. 4×50 kickboard surfing (stand or sit on kickboard w scull), 4×50 balance cup or google on head while swimming backstroke, 2×50 free first 5 strokes with eyes closed 

6. Green shirt relay! 

Cool down:

200 ez 

(if each set is complete as 500 yards and all luck and unlucky workouts are swum this St. Patrick’s Day swim workout is ~6600 yards)

Four-Leaf Clover Swim Set 

This workout makes for a fun swim session for swimmers 12 and up! It’s also a great workout for triathletes in training.

The prep set includes focusing on feeling using potatoes. 😉 You can have your swimmers use potatoes, tennis balls, or closed fists. This is a great way for swimmers,  including recreational swimmers, to become more aware of their stroke efficiency. 

We also recommend writing out this set to highlight the play on four-leaf clovers as pictured below. 

Warm-up:

200 free 

100 rev IM

2×100: 25 scull, 25 kick 

Pre-set: 

4×100 freestyle

25: thumb down

25: give the okay sign

25: shaka

25: fist 

(see image below for guidance)

4 rounds:

2x 50 swim with potatoes (option to use fists if not potatoes or tennis balls!)

1×50 build to fast free (no potatoes)

Main-set:

Breath control: 4×25: 3 breaths, 2 breaths, 1 breath, no breath by 25

Distance Per Stroke: 4×50 GOLF (add time + stroke count, try to get the lowest number possible)

Speed play: 4×75 1) 25 fast, 50 ez 2) 25 ez, 25 fast, 25 ez 3) 50 ez, 25 fast 4) 4 fast cycles throughout each 25 (swimmers choice) 

Descend: 4×100 descend 1-4, aim to go 2-5 seconds faster on each 100

(repeat as many times as desired! Options to do one round of each stroke or an IM round) 

Cool-down:

300 ez

(total: 2500 yards)

Game Ideas For St Patty’s Day Swim Practice

This a great to include as part of swim lessons too! 

1. Shamrock Relay Race: Divide swimmers into teams and have them race across the pool while balancing foam “shamrocks” on their heads or between their knees. Can use kickboards, noodles, or pull buoys for this. The first team to successfully transport all their shamrocks wins.
2. Leprechaun Tag: Designate one swimmer as the leprechaun and have them try to tag the other swimmers. Once tagged, swimmers must freeze in place like statues. To unfreeze, another swimmer must swim under their arms, freeing them from the leprechaun’s spell.
3. Pot of Gold Dive: Scatter gold-colored or plastic coins at the bottom of the pool. Swimmers dive down to collect as many “gold coins” as possible within a set time limit. The swimmer with the most coins at the end wins a prize.
4. Rainbow Relay: Set up stations with different colored kickboards or pool noodles representing the colors of the rainbow. Swimmers must race to collect each color in order and bring them back to their team’s starting point. The first team to assemble a complete rainbow wins.
5. Green Light, Red Light: Similar to the classic game, swimmers must swim forward when the coach says “Green light” and freeze when the coach says “Red light.” Add a St. Patrick’s Day twist by using phrases like “Find the clover” (swimmers search for a foam clover before freezing) or “Chase the rainbow” (swimmers race to a designated spot).
6. Green shirt relay: Swimmers race in teams wearing green shirts, passing a ‘green shirt baton’ to complete designated distances. This relay promotes teamwork and adds a fun twist!

Tips To Make St Patrick’s Day Swim Workout Fun and Festive 

• Play music, check out this St Patrick’s Day Mix on Spotify.
• Dress in green! Bonus points for leprechaun hats and red beards
• End practice with a festive swim game
• Let your swimmers pick their lane for practice 
• Trade in the pint of Guinness for post-practice root beer! 😉
• Have green apple Gatorade on deck
• Bring shamrock-shaped or green desserts to the pool, swimmers also love chocolate coins

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

As we gear up to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, let’s inject some holiday spirit into our swim training! 

Whether you’re about pushing limits or prefer a laid-back approach, these themed workouts offer something for everyone. Remember, keeping things fun is key to staying motivated during cold winter months. 

Adapt these workouts to fit your style, have fun, and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the pool! 

Let us know what you think of the workouts in the comments. Check out the blog for our swim workout generator, HIIT swim workouts, and the best stretches for swimmers!

Other posts you may like: 

• What to Eat After Swimming To Refuel and Recover
• Valentine’s Day Swim Workouts 
• What To Eat Before Swim Practice
• Halloween Swim Workouts