Exploring the effectiveness of swimming as an exercise goes beyond diving into the water for an hour-long workout. Discover everything you need to swim for optimal fitness, even if you're a swimming beginner.
Swimming, a versatile, low-impact activity, offers a comprehensive approach to improving cardiovascular endurance, toning muscles, and maintaining overall fitness. Let's discover the best swimming techniques to train effectively and improve fitness.
How do you train to swim for fitness?
The enjoyable water workouts below are a great way to build muscle, cardio-respiratory capacity, and burn calories, all without high impact on your joints. A structured swim training plan is the best guide to avoid boredom with the routine! Ready to dive into fitness with water workouts?
Beginner Swim Workout
- First warm-up: Start with a light swim lasting 10 to 15 minutes to gradually raise your heart rate and prepare the muscles for exercise. You can decide which stroke to use.
- Pre-set - 2 x 25m Free swim with 20s rest: This swim set consists of two repetitions of 25 meters each; perform Freestyle and focus on body position, kick, and arm movement followed by 20 seconds rest.
- Pre-set - 2 x 25m Backstroke with 20s rest: This swim set consists of two repetitions of 25 meters each. When swimming backstroke, focus on your head position and arm and leg movements, followed by 20 seconds of rest.
- Main Swim series - 4 x 50m Freestyle with 30s rest: Perform four rounds of 50-meter freestroke swim repetitions, resting 20-30 seconds between each repetition. Focus on maintaining a steady pace and endurance.
- Main Swim series - 4 x 25m Backstroke with 20s rest: At the end of the first main series, rest and perform four rounds of 25-meter backstroke repetitions, resting 15-20 seconds between each repetition.
- Endurance Development for 10 minutes: Alternate between free swim and backstroke; focus on swimming continuously for 10 minutes to develop cardiovascular endurance.
- Cool down: Conclude the routine with a gentle swim to gradually reduce the intensity and allow the body to return to a resting state.
Why is this routine effective?
This routine is very effective as it includes segments dedicated to improving swimming technique, mainly in the freestyle and backstroke, which are crucial for effective performance in the water.
It also seeks a gradual training progression through repetitions and adequate rest to vary the intensity of the exercise. Get to know more about the top swimming strokes!
Intermediate Swim Workout
- First warm-up: Start with a general warm-up to raise body temperature and prepare muscles for exercise by swimming freestyle for 10 minutes.
- Pre-set - 4 x 50m Free swim with 20s rest: This swim set consists of four repetitions of 50 meters each. Focus on the stroke length, kick, body position, and rest for 20 seconds between repetitions.
- Pre-set - 4 x 25m Backstroke with 15s rest: This swim set consists of four repetitions of 25 meters each. Focus on improving the backstroke technique, maintaining good head position, and hand and leg coordination. Rest for 15 seconds between repetitions.
- Main Swim series - 8 x 50m Free swim with 30s rest: Perform eight rounds of 50-meter Freestyle, maintaining a steady pace and pushing yourself through each repetition. After finishing each round, take a 20-30-second break.
- Main Swim series - 4 x 25m Butterfly stroke with 20s rest: Introduce the butterfly into the second part of the main set to work on strength and coordination, and rest 15-20 seconds between each swimming round.
- Endurance Development for 15 minutes: You can alternate between different swimming strokes, such as Freestyle, Backstroke, and Breaststroke, swimming continuously for 15 minutes to develop cardiovascular endurance.
- Cool Down: Conclude the routine with a gentle swim to gradually reduce the intensity for 10 minutes.
Why is this routine effective?
This intermediate swim workout is excellent for swimmers with a little more experience in the water, as it incorporates segments dedicated to improving freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly technique, as well as developing endurance to increase cardiovascular capacity and muscular endurance. The intensity also increases throughout this routine.
Advanced Swim Workout
- First warm-up - 300m gentle Freestyle: We focus on the upper body pulling through 200 meters. When finished, we incorporate four rounds of 50-meter kicks (you can use a kickboard) with 20 seconds of rest between each round.
- Main Swim series - Divided into four sets:
- 6 x 100 m of Freestyle with 15s rest: This swim set consists of six repetitions of 100 meters each. Focus on improving the technique, maintaining good head position, and hand and leg coordination. Rest for 15 seconds between repetitions.
- 8 x 50m of stroke technique with 20s rest: This swim set consists of eight repetitions of 50 meters each (2 of each stroke: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly) with 20 seconds rest. Focus on improving the techniques, maintaining good head position, and hand and leg coordination. Rest for 15 seconds between repetitions.
- 4 x 200m pull with paddles with a 30s rest: This swim set consists of four repetitions of 200 meters each. Swim primarily using your arms by placing paddles in your hands to increase resistance. Rest for 30 seconds between repetitions.
- 0 x 25m Sprint with a 15s rest: In this swim set, you should focus on swimming at full speed for a short distance (by choosing your preferred stroke) with a 15-second rest.
- Cool Down: To cool down, swim 200 meters gently and freestyle.
Why is it effective?
This routine is designed to provide a combination of endurance, technique, and speed training that is only recommended for advanced swimmers. Including different techniques and drills helps to perfect the swimmer's form and efficiency to provide a complete cardiovascular and strength workout.
What swimming training is best for improving your fitness level?
Discovering the most effective type of swimming to improve your fitness level involves establishing the importance of different intensities of aquatic training. Learn about low, moderate, and high-intensity swimming workouts and how each contributes to achieving specific goals.
- Low-intensity training: You can focus on maintaining the correct techniques with low-intensity workouts. And just because they're low intensity doesn't mean they don't work, as they help get your heart rate up and your body moving. Do you know the best exercises to start burning fat and losing weight, including low-intensity intervals?
- Moderate intensity: Moderate-intensity workouts are the most popular among swimmers. These workouts are primarily aerobic and require you to work at 70% to 80% of your maximum effort. These are ideal for improving cardiovascular endurance and strengthening muscles without extreme exhaustion.
- High intensity: These workouts should be avoided by beginners. High-intensity sets are alternated with periods of rest or recovery. With high-intensity workouts, you will swim more meters in less time. Because this type of high-intensity training is demanding, it is essential to maintain good swimming technique to prevent injury.
What is the best swimming stroke for fitness?
All swimming strokes can contribute to achieving better body composition by providing cardiovascular exercise and involving various muscle groups. Discover how each stroke can burn the most calories per hour!
- Butterfly: Butterfly: Did you know that the butterfly stroke burns the most calories? With an average of 400 to 500 calories burned in a 30-minute session, this stroke is excellent for toning muscles, especially in the arms, chest, and back.
- Front crawl: The front crawl is often shown as the fastest stroke. Because the front crawl is an aerobic activity requiring constant oxygen supply to maintain endurance, it effectively burns calories and improves cardiovascular health. It has an average burn rate of between 250 and 350 calories per half hour!
- Backstroke or Backcrawl: Because the backstroke involves several muscle groups, working all these muscles simultaneously increases energy demand, contributing to a higher calorie burn. You can burn 200-300 calories in 30 minutes.
- Breaststroke: Breaststroke is an effective calorie-burning exercise due to its cardiovascular demands, resistance training, low-impact nature, and ability to promote aerobic activity. Integrating the breaststroke into a regular exercise routine can contribute to burning 150-250 calories every half an hour.
Whether swimming for fitness, competition or to get away from the sofa, finding the stroke and technique that best suits you will enhance your experience in your swimming lessons.
Want to get started in fitness swimming workouts?
Ready to maximize your health benefits and fitness with the best swimming instruction in Canada? Learn about the best workout routines by finding the right intensity intervals and reaching your fitness goals through the best swimming instruction in Canada!
Want to know where to start? Go to the Superprof website! The most recognized private instruction platform in Canada and the world brings you the best accredited swim instructors, so all you need to do is put on your swimsuit to get started with swimming lessons.
At Superprof, you will find swimming lessons for all budgets and anywhere in Canada to start fulfilling your fitness goals for the new year. Welcome to the Superprof family!
Wrap up!
Swimming is a versatile, low-impact sport for improving health and fitness. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced swimmer, explore some practical swimming workouts focusing on technique, endurance, and strength.
Find the benefits of each stroke, from butterfly to breaststroke! Ready to reach your goals?The key to success lies in consistently adapting the intensity of your training to your goals and physical condition, whether it's light, moderate, or intense sessions. Leap into a healthier life: Welcome to the best swimming instructors in Canada with Superprof!
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