Swimming Question, 400m in under 10 minutes possible?

Former Member
Former Member
Hi all my name is Joey and about a week from now I am taking a beach lifeguard test and the hardest thing by far is going to be the 400m swim in under ten minutes. I have been a pool lifeguard for four years and have had to do a 300m swim twice (one for initial testing and one for rectification). I have no benchmarks for time as the 300m pool swim I did was not timed and honestly I almost threw up both times after finishing it. I run competitively and my times are 17:15 for the 5k, 4:40 for the mile, and 55.xx for the 400m to give some perspective of my current fitness level. What can I do over the next several days to get ready for this test and how should I go about completing. Please not did any form of swimming since my pool lifeguard re certification test three years ago. Thanks!
  • At your fitness level, 400M could be under 4:30. 4:40 mile? Damn. Anyway, if you can get any coaching, probably mostly breathing fpattern, before, that would be a big help. I wouldnâ€Tmt say just because he is at a 4:40 mile fitness level that he could complete a 400M freestyle in under 4:30. Without ant swimming benchmarks it is kind of hard to answer his question. What were the times for each of the 300 swims? Have you tried doing a 400M swim as a practice to see how long it takes to complete it? Granted I found an appreciation for the 400M in my masters years that I did not have as an age grouper or college swimmer, but Iâ€Tmm a 1:49/4:49/10:02 200/500/1000 yard swimmer and never went under 4:30 in a 400. Thatâ€Tms why I showed a level of skepticism. anyways, like I said, without some swimming results (even just practice times) to compare, your question is difficult to answer. If you finished your 300 swims in 5-7 minutes, then yes you can definitely get that last 100 meters done in time. If itâ€Tms taking you more than 8 minutes to do a 300 though, getting 400 under 10:00 may be a tall order without more swimming training.
  • Take coached lessons, join a masters program. You have more than enough horsepower, you just need to find out how to use it in water video feedback also effective
  • A quick lesson in breathing and stroke will make a big difference.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Assuming you pass this test, I think it would be wise for you to work on your swimming proficiency. If a 300m swim nearly made you throw up, what would you do if you had to swim 300m, rescue a drowning victim and bring them back to shore? I'd want to be confident in my ability to make a rescue, not just get the job and hope for the best. California State beach lifeguards must complete an 8 day/80 hour training program. To be hired you must complete a 1000 yard open water swim in 20 minutes as well as a 200 yard run/400 yard swim/200 yard run within 10 minutes. Good luck!
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    There are so many fast runners here!!! My mile run time is only about 6'45" and my 400 m swim time is about 7'10". Getting my swim time under 6' seems a mission impossible to me.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    I passed that test a few years ago the best thing I did was break my swimming up 2x a day 2 days on 1 day off. practicing breathing on both sides and breathing every 2 3 and 4 strokes was important. the longer you keep your head under water the faster you will go.