Swimming boosts cardiovascular fitness, improves posture, improves flexibility and builds stamina and muscle strength. As a cardiovascular fat-burning exercise it is easier on the joints than running, jogging, dancing and even walking. Mixing up your strokes, interval training and incorporating water-weights into your lap swims will create a better fat-burning swim workout.
Lap Interval Training
Lap swimming engages the core, works the upper and lower body, and as a cardiovascular exercise, promotes fat-burning. When you mix up your strokes and lap times you create an advanced lap interval workout. "Fitness Magazine" suggests warming up with a 100-yard flutter kick, followed by mixing up intervals of 200-yard fast stroke, 150-yard slow stroke, 100-yard fast stroke, 150-yard slow stroke and 50-yard sprint strokes. End the workout with a 100-yard flutter kick, slowing down every 25 yards. Keep this workout fresh and fun by consistently mixing up different strokes and lap times.
The 22-Minute Swim
This fat-burning swim workout can burn up to 300 calories in just 22 minutes with swimming workout drills. It combines different strokes in drill fashion in a 25-yard-long pool lane. Begin with freestyle for four lengths of the pool in two minutes, then move directly into alternate freestyle and backstroke for eight lengths in four minutes. Next use a kick-board for four lengths in four minutes, moviing directly into freestyle using a pull buoy floating device held between the legs for four lengths of the pool in two minutes. Repeat the alternate freestyle and backstroke for eight lengths in four minutes and then move into your favorite stroke at a moderate pace eight lengths in four minutes. Finish strong with a sprint of your favorite stroke for two lengths in one minute, and then a one-minute freestyle cool-down.
Hard-Core Sprints
Hard-core sprints increase your regular lap swim to a high-intensity workout that will also help your stroke. Using your favorite stroke, begin this workout with a warm-up of four laps of your own pace free swim. Your main set should consist of five laps of full-stroke swim. Next do five laps of a kick set, then straight into five laps of a pull set and then back into five laps of full-stroke swim. Repeat this sequence, then end with an easy drill set to cool down.
Weighted Laps
Add a weight variable to increase the intensity of your lap swim. Using hand weights, pool dumbbells or aqua gloves with your regular lap swim adds more resistance and gives you a more challenging upper-body workout. Keep your body in alignment throughout your strokes, keeping any stress of the hand weights off of your shoulders and joints.
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