Basics of Swimming Workouts

Good swimming workouts enhance the performance of swimmers and ensure that swimmers can swim with ease without putting in an excessive amount of effort. The following are some things all swimmers should know while selecting workouts.

#1 - Warm up before you start swimming - Starting any fitness training session after warming up not only prevents injuries but also ensures that the body doesn't go into shock while working out. To warm up, you should swim a few laps slowly without pushing too hard. In most cases, swimming 400 meters is enough to warm up the body before starting the main workout. It is also important to remember never to enter a swimming pool without first taking a shower since entering a cold body of water without taking a cold shower will cause your body to tense up which will prevent you from swimming properly.

#2 - Swim thrice a week - Although swimming once or twice a week is better than not swimming at all, people who are interested in getting maximum benefits out of swim workouts recommended for amateur swimmers who have just taken up the sport. Remember, swimming is a great way to lose weight or tone muscles but to get maximum results swimmers should fix a schedule and stick to it.

#3 - Focus on the technique and not on speed - While swimming fast and completing laps in record time is every swimmer's dream, without proper technique swimming fast doesn't help in any way. Learning the right technique and practicing it every time you swim, will definitely help improve stamina which will in turn help you swim fast. While learning and practicing the right technique, remember to take things slow and to concentrate on the way you move your arms and legs. In addition, you should also concentrate on the way you breathe while swimming since breathing properly can help you swim fast.

#4 - Ask someone to watch - The best way to know if you are swimming correctly is to ask an experienced swimmer to watch your every move while you practice. This is very important since while swimming most people do not realize that they are making mistakes, where as bystanders notice mistakes easily. Asking someone to watch and comment will help you understand the mistakes you are making and help you to improve your swimming workout technique. If you are trying to improve your speed, then you should ask someone to time you using a stopwatch.