Whether you’re a beginner or a veteran swimmer, there are basic rules that we advise you follow. Here are the 7 most important dos and don’ts for swimmers.
The Dos:
1) Warmup
It’s important to start every workout with some sort of dryland and/or pool warmup. Whether you’re working on endurance or speed, it’s important to get your muscles and energy systems acclimated.
Your body needs time to warmup. This prevents injury and allows your body to reach maximum performance during the main sets of your workout.
See Also: Why You Should Do A Dynamic Warm-Up Before Every Swim
2) Add Variety To Your Swimming Workouts
If you swim the same workout everyday at the same pace, you’ll plateau and stop making progress. This can also get really boring. Break out of your comfort zone and mix up your swim workout routine! Challenge your mind and body with a different workout every day. Need help?
The MySwimPro Workout of the Day (WOD) features workouts that are 60-minutes or less. This way, you’ll always have something fresh to work on.
3) Focus on Technique
In swimming, your success as an athlete hinges on how efficiently you can move through the water. It’s a medium that’s nearly 800x more dense than air, and requires an entirely different set of technical skills than any other land-based sport. For this reason, any flaw in form is magnified exponentially in the water.
Honing your technique is the best way to reach your potential in any activity, but this is truer in swimming than any other sport. Working on improving technique regularly can drastically improve your overall swimming efficiency, speed, and confidence in the water.
4) Hydrate
Taking on water before, during, and after working out will help fight fatigue and prolong endurance. It will boost your energy and keep you focused on each set of your swim workout. Remember to always have a water bottle or sports drink pool-side.
The Dont’s:
1) Go To The Pool Without A Plan
Nothing can be more intimidating that jumping into a cold pool at 6am without a clue what you’re doing to do. This lack of preparation is what keeps most of us out of the water in the first place and those who do make it in rarely accomplish what they’re capable of.
You can solve this by having a workout planned out well in advance. Find a workout in the MySwimPro app, or use the Workout of the Day (WOD), and you’ll be all set. You’ll be much more likely to maximize your time in the water with a workout set ahead of time than if you were to show up to the pool without a plan.
2) Eat A Big Meal Before Swimming
This one should be more obvious, but it needs to be said. A proper eating program is just as important to an elite athlete’s success as their training program. The timing is also crucial. While you should not eat a giant meal before your swim, it’s important to fuel your body for success with a pre-workout meal. Checkout our post Nutritional Guidelines For Swimmers.
See Also: Should You Swim On An Empty Stomach?
3) Swim Alone
Whether you’re open water swimming or in a pool, you should always have someone with you. If you’re pool swimming, that could be the lifeguard. When you’re out in the open water, find a swim buddy.
Swim & Dryland Workouts:
Download the MySwimPro app on iPhone or Android to get swim and dryland workouts personalized to your speed and skill level.
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- Swim and dryland workouts
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2 Comments
thank you ..
Don’t take yourself too seriously. We are not going to be as fast as we once were.