Easy swimming workouts benefit novice and accomplished swimmers alike. Swimming well within comfort levels decreases your cardiovascular strain, as well as joint stress and muscle fatigue in the water. Interval swim workouts break up swimming into discreet parts--usually measuring distances in groups, or sets.
Pulling
Freestyle pulling workouts minimize the demands on your cardiovascular system. The large muscles of the legs require large amounts of energy for propulsion, so isolating and supporting them with flotation devices such as pull buoys will reduce the effort expended by the swimmer. Pulling with the arms only, when the legs remain immobile is a good, and relatively easy way to improve body position in the water, and it also allows the swimmer to focus on stroke technique.
Warm up with a slow 600-yard freestyle set. Place the pull buoy between the thighs and do an 800-yard moderately-paced pull set. After resting for a minute, continue pulling, this time adding hand paddles in addition to the buoy, and do another 800-yard set.
Backstroke and Freestyle
Setting a moderate pace and varying the stroke style used avoids repetitive motion injury to overtaxed muscles, and alternating freestyle and backstroke is a good way to work out the entire body. If you have breathing difficulties such as asthma, you'll benefit by breathing freely during the backstroke lengths. Swim a 600-yard set, alternating backstroke and freestyle every 100 yards.
Kick Sets
Kicking is not easy, but using long, flexible fins reduces some of the effort and drudgery involved in the exercise. Do a kick set of 400 yards, alternating kicking freestyle with a kickboard, and doing a backstroke kick, changing every 100 yards.
Kicking on the back using a dolphin kick works out the abdominal muscles, and helps stretch out tense back muscles. Try to pull up as well as push legs down in a rhythmic motion, using the lower and upper abdominals to perform the motion. Dolphin-kick on the back for a slow 200-yard set to warm down and complete the workout. The total yardage for the workout is 3,400 yards. The easy workout provides gentle stretching and exercise. Reducing workout intensity helps avoid injury and burnout--both your body and mind will benefit from taking a break once in a while.
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