This is a common question for Master’s swimmers. They often have jobs and families that don’t allow them to be in the pool 6 days a week for an hour and a half a session.

It is possible to improve your times practicing for 1 hour x 3 times a week, but it is important to make sure that the hour is well used. It should be composed of a 10 minute warm-up period, a 5-10 minute cool-down period, and you should maintain an elevated heart rate for the 45 minutes in between.

It is also important to space your days out. You would be way better off making your 3 days Monday-Wednesday-Friday (or whatever fits your schedule) than swimming Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday and taking 4 days off. A common adage in swimming (and I believe there’s science behind it, although I’m having trouble finding it), is that 4 straight days out of the pool costs you 2 weeks of training.

The best plan would be to supplement your swimming workout with two 30 minute drylands sessions on your off days. This would fit your situation well, because you can do drylands at home without having to spend 2 hours in the car.

Good drylands workouts would include flutter kicks and bicyclers for core strength, stretch chord training for upper body and leg strength, and even a brisk walk or jog through the country, especially if you live in a hilly or mountainous area. A Google search of “swimming drylands workouts” will reveal thousands of more options.