When Michael Phelps beat Milorad Cavic by 1/100th of a second for his seventh gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, he proved that the largest stakes are won by the most careful attention to detail. Had Phelps not worked as diligently on his butterfly stroke, the public would know him as a phenomenal athlete, but not one who broke Mark Spitz's record. That being said, if you want to be a great swimmer, every part of your body must be chiseled to perfection; this, of course, happens through conditioning.
Pull Buoy
Although swimming is adequate exercise on its own, you aren't isolating any particular area of your body. Fitness magazine thus recommends putting a pull buoy between your legs. You'll obviously be unable to use them, which allows your arms to become isolated by pulling you through the water. Begin by swimming four freestyle laps in a 25-m pool, then repeat the exercise with the breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke. Keep rest intervals at about two minutes so that you'll get the maximum effect without wearing your arms out.
Kick Board
The same concept of isolation applies to your legs. Hold on to a kick board and swim four laps with just freestyle kicking. The beauty of the kick board is the possibility for variation. You can swim on your side, kick out as you would for the breast stroke or even swim with one leg. To tone one side of your body completely, add an arm stroke with every kick or every other kick.
Upper Body Workouts
Of course, your speed in the water is only as good as your body strength. And at the same time, you don't see any swimmers who look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Avoid low reps of high weight on exercises such as bench press at all costs, as you will bulk up on muscle rather than becoming muscular but lean. Instead, do 10 to 20 reps of low weight on the rowing machine for three or four sets. Lat pulls and resistance exercises, such as arm bands, are also beneficial to your swimming conditioning.
Lower Body Workouts
Think about what would happen if the weight room flooded and the corresponding exercises for survival should be obvious. Leg presses help generate force for your breaststroke kick; leg curls generate force for your freestyle kick; squats and lunges can help with almost every swimming style. Most importantly, remember to stay flexible with yoga and stretching. A swimmer who has tightened up won't get the same extension needed in the arms and legs -- just ask Cavic, who lost because his arms weren't extended as far as Phelps' were.
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