Increasing Front Crawl Endurance

I am working on increasing front crawl endurance but still getting somewhat out of breath while breathing every 3rd stroke on opposite sides. I try to breathe out as hard as I can as well. When I breathe every stroke on the same side I don't get out of breath, but I want to alternate since I'm entering my first triathlon soon with a 750m swim. I am a marathon runner and cyclist so have a good base fitness for those activities. I know my technique is fairly good as I've been practicing several tips given to me. Any suggestions?

Breathing technique for front crawl changes over long distances and the point at which it changes depends on the distance being swum and the stamina level of the swimmer.

Without meaning to state the obvious, your swimming stamina will develop and improve with training and eventually come into line with your running and cycling stamina.

As your swimming stamina improves you will be able to maintain a bilateral breathing pattern every 3rd stroke for longer. A couple of things for you to consider when you swim:

There is no need to breathe out as hard as you can. The physically act of breathing out harder than normal itself consumes energy, energy that you badly need.

Trickle breathing is usually easiest for front crawl because it is the most natural way of breathing in the water. Exhaling constantly and slowly into the water is easier on the lungs and consumes less energy than explosive breathing where you exhale and then inhale in the very short second you turn your head to breathe.


As you run and cycle your breathing patterns change as you cover more distance and hills, but because you are on land it is less noticeable. It is important therefore for to attempt to make your breathing in the water as normal as possible (as best a human being can in an unnatural environment!).

As you swim there is nothing wrong with changing over to a one stroke breathing pattern. Most of the best endurance swimmers use that breathing pattern most of the time simply because it is the most efficient over long distances.

When you train in the pool ensure that you vary the speed at which you swim so that you train different energy systems in your body. Do some short sprints combined with steady speed swims. This will force you out of your comfort zone and push your limits more. It will also force you to use both breathing patterns.

When you have switched to breathing every stroke and then recovered slightly, switch back to your 3rd stroke bilateral pattern and see you long you can sustain it again. The more you do this, the longer you will be able to maintain this breathing pattern.

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