If you know me, you know that I swear by the pool and water workouts. If you are a fellow water exerciser, you can probably relate when I say, there are few things that compare to the feeling you experience after a good workout in the water. There is something very tranquil and purifying but at the same time there is always a sense of accomplishment that comes along with it. It’s like an instant detoxifier for the body and the mind. I often do my best thinking underwater, it has become my new religion ;)
For those of you who haven’t yet made the plunge into water exercising (no pun intended), I urge you to try it. I know it can be intimidating and even nauseating at first, trust me, I used to cringe just walking by the pool. The idea of getting in, feeling cold, getting wet and tooling around without the slightest clue as to what I was going to do in there was not a likely option. But injury forced me to come to terms with my dysfunctional relationship with the pool and I forced myself to ‘plunge in’, and experiment with walking and jogging in the water.
To make a long story short, I am now one of the biggest advocates of swimming and aqua running. It is something that improved my fitness level so drastically that I now incorporate it into my regimen at least once if not twice per week. I could write a whole book on the benefits of the water and write endless pool running workouts, so please let me know if you are interested, I can provide you with a few (see http://dynamicworkouts.blogspot.com/2009/09/training-after-injury.html for an example).
However, this article is in response to a friend who wrote me recently. As many of you know, whether you are a recreational swimmer for exercise, training for a triathlon, using swimming as an alternate workout to help your running or simply just trying to get in shape and take off a few pounds – swimming endless mundane laps can be boring. AND to further that, while you will be able to improve your endurance over time, you are not likely to get faster unless you can get in some more targeted workouts.
Below is a great example of a swimming workout I do frequently. You can manipulate the number of lengths in each portion of the workout depending upon your level, time available and length of pool. This workout is based on a 25ft pool.
Warm-Up:
-Jump up and down in the water a couple times to get wet and get the blood flowing.
-Swim 2-4 laps easy (or 4-8 lengths: I count a lap as swimming to the end of the pool and back)
-Kickboard Drills: 1 lap flutter kicks
-1 Lap: Use Buoy (if pool has it) between legs and just swim with arms
Workout:
5 -10 by one lap hard (as fast as you can go for one lap) with 30 seconds to one minute of recovery between each lap
Cool Down and Drills:
Two easy laps to recover
1 Lap of Breast Stroke
2 laps of flutter kicks with kickboard
1 Lap of double stroking with arms (meaning take two strokes with left arm, then two strokes with right side)
You’re Done!
I’ve loved running for as long as I can remember. I was a competitive runner in high school and college. I trained hard and my dream of making the Olympic team was within my reach when I suffered what could have been a career ending injury.
But today I’m enjoying the fit lifestyle again. I’m working toward my MBA and hope to have a career in fitness. I've started this blog hoping I can inspire someone else. Whether you’re in a fitness rut, working your way back from an injury, trying to begin an exercise program, or enjoying your fit lifestyle, I would love to hear from you. Send me an email or post a comment and tell me where you are in your fitness journey.
