Stay active this holiday season by going for a swim! Halloween loot, Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas get-togethers sometimes cause our health and fitness goals to take a hit. Luckily, you can get active again by following these must-know swimming tips from AquaMobile!
Swimming Tip 1: Pick a Great Bathing Suit
Picking the right swimsuit will prevent you from seeing wear and tear early on. There are several reasons for this. The common culprits are chlorine, sun, pilling, tears and stretching. We review the pros and cons of each material in one of our previous posts. Here is a basic overview of each swimsuit material.
- Nylon: Durable and snug, but colours fade and loses elasticity over time
- Lycra: Stretchy and comfy, but damaged by chlorine and starts to sag
- Polyester: Strong and lasts a long time, but harder to find and less breathable
So you might be wondering which one is the best value for your money? Polyester swimsuits are our recommendation. These are on the pricier side. However, they are made to last. Polyester PBT is more affordable, but is not UV resistant and tends to shape. Paying a bit more will give a bathing suit that lasts through multiple seasons without any changes in shape or colour!
Swimming Tip 2: Grab Your Must-Have Training Gear
Here is AquaMobile’s list of basic equipment for next time you are swimming laps!
- Goggles: Your goggles should fit well and work for your style of swimming. Find a pair that suits your swimming environment and swim style. Competitive swimmers and leisurely swimmers need different lens colours, sizes and types.
- Swim Cap: A swim cap keeps hair away from your eyes, nose and mouth while in the water. Your hair is kept safe from chlorine too. Soak it in chlorine-free water and towel dry before putting on a swim cap. This will saturate your hair and stop chlorine from embedding itself.
- Kickboard and Pull Buoy: Using a kickboard gets you to use solely your arms or only your legs. Our Build a Workout section gives some ideas to get you moving in no time!
- Mesh Swim Bag: Keep your things safe from getting wet with a mesh swimming bag. Check out brands like Speedo, Tyr and Kiefer make bags that have wet and dry compartments. You can opt for mesh drawstring bags for affordable alternatives.
Having the right gear is an important part of a successful trip to the pool. A good swimmer always comes prepared!
Swimming Tip 3: Build a Motivating Custom Workout
So you finally got into the pool to swim some laps, only to realize that swimming back and forth can get a bit repetitive and boring. Use this guide to create a personalized workout that can help give your swimming workout more structure and make it more motivating!
- Warm-Up: Choose 1 of these to get your heart pumping and prepare yourself for the speed and strength section.
- 100 Freestyle
- 2 x 100 Freestyle
- 2 x 50 Freestyle / 2 x 50 Backcrawl
- 200 Breaststroke
- 100 Freestyle / 100 Back Crawl
- Speed & Strength: Choose 2-3 of the following to work on your speed and strength. This will improve how fast you can go and strengthen your stroke.
- 4 x 50 Freestyle sprint on the minute
- 50 Legs only flutter kick/ 50 arms only Freestyle / 100 combined
- 100 Legs only choice / 100 arms only choice
- 4 x 25 pace + 25 sprint Freestyle / 4 x 25 pace + 25 sprint Back Crawl
- 2 x 50 Freestyle sprint on the minute / 2 x 50 Backcrawl Sprint on the minute
- Endurance: Choose 1 to work on endurance, which allows you to do long-term cardio and lower intensity distance swimming.
- 3 x 100 Freestyle
- 100 Freestyle / 100 Backcrawl / 100 Breaststroke / 100 choice
- 50 Choice/ 50 Back / 50 Choice / 50 Freestyle / 50 Choice / 50 Breaststroke
- 50 Breaststroke / 100 Freestyle / 100 Backcrawl / 50 Breaststroke
- 300 Choice
- Cool-Down: Choose 1 of the following to bring your heart rate down and end your workout.
- 100 Freestyle
- 100 Choice
- 25 Freestyle/ 25 Back Crawl / 25 Choice / 25 Freestyle
- 50 Breaststroke / 50 Choice
- 100 Elementary Backstroke
Alter workouts to your ability and swim level. Tweak the distances and expectations within each workout element. To better understand our workouts, here is a glossary of each term:
- Freestyle – a term used for Front Crawl
- Pace – this means to swim at a comfortable pace at which you can swim endurance.
- Sprint – swimming as fast as you can for short bursts of time.
- Choice – your choice of stroke.
- “On-the-Minute” – completing a set number of laps or meters within a specified time period, such as a minute. Pace clocks at competitive training venues make it easy to note your times and can be easily substituted with a regular clock as long as you can see the second hand. Use of a stop-watch or waterproof wearable fitness tracker is also an effective means of keeping time.
Swimming Tip 4: Relax!
Some swimmers make the mistake of tensing up while swimming. “Relax” seems like easy advice to follow until you are in the water. Tensing up usually happens when exerting too much during a stroke.
Do not fight the water and let your body focus on gliding with the water rather than against it. Do some front floats to loosen up your limbs and practice relaxation techniques.
Swimming Tip 5: Set Realistic Expectations
It might come as a surprise that swimming a few lengths is challenging for any swimmer. Swimming requires specific sports training. Even as a runner or weightlifter, getting in the pool can still be difficult. This is because these sports rely solely on the leg and arm muscles. While swimming is a full-body workout.
Set realistic goals and each milestone will feel like an accomplishment. Complete one lap and add on more as you succeed!
Swimming Tip 6: Swim With a Buddy
A friend or a workout buddy is motivating and safe. During a swim workout, aqua fitness session or a leisurely swim, bring a friend along to enjoy the water.
When heading out for a swim, bring someone with you. This is handy in the event of an emergency and makes the experience more enjoyable for both of you!
We hope you enjoyed our Swimming Tips! Do you have any to share? Comment below!
