The best swimming workouts depend on your fitness level and goals. Since swimming is an all-body workout experience, you'll gain benefits from being in the water and trying a few strokes. If you're just starting out, a good beginner incorporates all strokes while relying on the basics to get you started. If you're an advanced swimmer, technical drills that break down your stroke will help keep your form and maintain an efficient stroke. And if you're using the water for an overall fitness regimen without focusing on cardiovascular fitness, then drills with a beach ball will help you get beach ready.
Basic Workout
A basic beginner workout seeks to help you start out in the water and get used to the lap-swim approach. You need goggles, a kickboard and sunscreen for this workout.
Start with a warm-up of four laps of freestyle followed by two laps of freestyle and kick to get you started. Follow with a single lap of each of the strokes: freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly. Focus less on your technique and more on getting to the end of the lap. Rest for 30 seconds at the end of each lap. Finish with a cool down of four laps of freestyle and two laps of whichever kick you prefer. Try this for three weeks, three times a week. Once you feel comfortable, increase the distance of each individual stroke to two laps, and then three.
Advanced Workout
When you're an advanced swimmer, you're not only looking for a good cardiovascular workout, but also a good technique drill. Break your sets by incorporating drill workouts.
To try an advanced swim workout, start with 12 laps of freestyle followed by eight laps of freestyle kick. Start with 16 laps of freestyle. Then do a stroke drill on breaststroke, focusing on your glide, seeing how far you can glide with each stroke, and breathing every other stroke for eight laps. Next, swim 15 laps of freestyle pull, using a pull buoy and pull paddles to make the pull effective for working your back and arm muscles. Then focus on your butterfly kick, using a kickboard for eight laps.
Next, swim two laps, 10 separate times, using a stroke count and time (SCAT) drill. Here, you swim two laps, counting each lap and adding the time. Your goal is to keep the count the same for each set, or reduce it. Warm down with 10 laps of freestyle, and head to the hot tub.
Core Training
Grab a beach ball for some terrific core training. Core training uses your back, abs and many other muscles in your body to keep your body healthy and fit. The water is an ideal workout area for core training as the water resistance provides a constant workout and allows for a full range of motion.
Start with a roll. Grab your beach ball and lie on your back with the ball clasped in front of your body. Try to roll over, driving your shoulder down and your hip up. Complete 10 rolls. If you find this too difficult, try rocking from side to side.
Next, head to the deep water and scull with your hands. Extend your legs straight down. Bring one leg to your waist, toes pointed. Hold for 10 seconds, then scissor kick and switch legs, again holding for 10 seconds. Complete 10 repetitions before resting. This can provide a challenging core workout.
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