The Beginner
So what do you need to begin swimming work-outs? First, you will need a place to swim. Then you must have a swimsuit and cap, as well as a good quality pair of swim goggles. That covers the essentials. You could add a kickboard to give you additional options for drills. To begin your work-out warm-up with some freestyle swimming. Once you are warmed up you should do some sprint laps. If you are new to swimming work-outs, you may want to take some rests between your sprint laps. Begin slowly and build your stamina and comfort level in the water.
The Intermediate
For those who are relatively experienced swimmers and have been swimming for quite a while, you are probably in pretty good shape already. Your stamina level is fairly high and you are familiar with quite a few swimming techniques. Now is the time to add additional strokes to your sprint laps. Do your freestyle warm-up laps and follow those with a combination of fast paced and slow paced swimming. Suggestions of good strokes that fit this pattern include the butterfly, the backstroke and the breaststroke.
The Advanced
For those who are experienced swimmers and are looking to improve on your existing cardio or if you want to improve on your ratio (distance per stroke) then an advanced swim work-out could be the perfect answer. Adding accessories to your work-out will help you to get extra benefit from your time spent in the water. These could include paddles and fins and a buoy and a kickboard. All of these will help you to focus in on various elements of your stroke.
Do you need to focus on your kick, or your pull or even your body roll? You can work on each of these as you design your advanced work-out routine and customize it just for you. Don’t forget to begin with a good warm-up. This should include some freestyle strokes, then add in using the kickboard and some pull strokes with the paddles and the buoy. Now take a bit of a rest. Then move on to some sprints followed by some slow swimming and other strokes that you may want to add in.
Swimming is a terrific exercise that you should figure out a way to take advantage of. You may be fortunate enough to have your own pool or you may go to a lake or gym or community pool. However you can make your way to someplace that you can swim, be sure to take full advantage of all the benefits that swimming has to offer. Not only can you improve on your cardiovascular health and muscle strength, but it’s a great way to shape up following an injury. If you have had a prolonged illness or are recovering from surgery ask your doctor if it would be alright for you to engage in some form of swimming exercise.
Be honest in assessing your skill level and select the right work-outs to suit your ability and you will enjoy and benefit greatly from including swimming in your exercise plan.
