In U.S. 65% people can't swim. However, swimming is something that can help you in survival and to maintain good health. Hence, it is an important skill one should learn.
Did you know that half an hour workout of swimming burn more calories than cycling or jogging? Yep! Swimming is an awesome workout, it is low-impact making it suitable for kids and elders. Also, it helps to build nice lean muscles. So, why not use swimming to work out.
Beginner Swim Workouts
Following the above said tips would definitely help you in your swimming endeavors. So now, here are some swimming workouts for beginners, where you can utilize all the tips.
Remember, as an absolute beginner, do the first workout, which is less in duration and distance. As you gain expertise, move on to the longer ones.
Swimming Workout # 1 (500 Meter Workout)
- Perform a 100 meter warm up session. You can change the swimming style after 50 meters.
- The warm up should be followed by the actual workout consisting of 3 sets of 50 (referred to as 3 x 50) meters each, freestyle, with 10 seconds rest in between.
- Then you need to do a 3 x 50 meters, kick with a board. Here too take 10 seconds rest in between.
- At the end, do a 100 meter freestyle with a high body position and good kick.
Swimming Workout # 2 (1000 Meter Workout)
- Perform a 250 meter warm up session. You can change the swimming style after every 50 meters.
- The warm up should be followed by the actual workout consisting of 5 sets of 50 meters each, freestyle, with 10 seconds rest in between.
- Then you need to do a 5 x 50 meters, kick with a board. Here too take 10 seconds rest in between.
- At the end, do a 250 meter freestyle with a high body position and good kick.
Swimming Workout # 3 (1500 Meter Workout)
- Start the warm up session by doing 300 meters, distributing 300 meters into 100 meters freestyle, 100 meters kick, and 100 meters backstroke.
- Then do 2 split sets of 500 meters each. Each set should be split - 100 meters, 2 x 75 meters, 3 x 50 meters, and 4 x 25 meters.
- End this workout with a 200 meter swim.
Swimming Workout # 4 (2000 Meter Workout)
- Start with a warm up session of 500 meters free stroke.
- Then comes the actual workout of 5 x 100 meters, with a rest of around 20 seconds between each set.
- Next, perform 5 x 75 meters, with a 15 - 20 seconds rest in between each set.
- Then do a 5 x 50 meters, with 10 seconds rest in between.
- Finally, complete 5 x 25 meters, with just 5 seconds rest in between.
- End the workout with a backstroke of 5 x 50 meters.
Swimming Tips for Beginners
- Do not get over ambitious and over exert yourself by swimming fast and for a long time at a stretch. This would make you tired and you might lose interest in the activity. See that you swim for only 15 - 20 minutes in the beginning.
- Increase the speed and time slowly. This would stimulate a gradual increase in your stamina and endurance levels.
- Even after spending a considerable amount of time in the activity, you might feel a bit stressed-out sometimes. Well, there's nothing to worry about. All you have to do is reduce the stroke intensity and rest sufficiently after every lap.
- Swimming techniques are developed in such a way that you can tone up different parts of your body with different styles. If you are looking to tone your belly, legs and hips, then kickboards are the best choice. If your goal is to perform a high-intensity workout, then freestyle or crawl would be better options.
- Stretch your body well while swimming. This will release the stress off your muscles.
- Stamina is the most important part in any swimming workout. Therefore, to maintain stamina, avoid kicking the water too hard. Swimming can be an exercise as well as a fun experience. Breathe in between the workouts. This practice will also relax your body.
- Rolling is another important practice. If you have stretched your left arm, see that your left side is at a lower level than the right one.
- Always keep your head tilted in the front. Make sure that while swimming, your head position is such that the water level reaches only till your hairline.
Swimming is no doubt an excellent exercise. However, now with the aforementioned swimming workouts for beginners known to you, you can utilize the potential of swimming to the fullest and achieve your goals in a planned manner.
