Swimming

Swimming is a great all round exercise that you can continue right through life.

At first it can seem difficult to swim freestyle but spending time focussing on technique and learning will allow you to develop an efficient stroke. When I started out I could only manage 2 lengths without having to stop because I was too out of breath.

Total Immersion and Swimsmooth offer development programmes based on learning drills that allow you to practice different aspects of a stroke. Instructional DVDs are particularly helpful for demonstrating the drills. The variety brought through learning different technique drills and mixing up strokes, interval work and distance work gives rise to lots of possibilities for different training programmes. Here are some examples:

These are advanced training programmes. The numbers normally refer to metres eg 100m would be 4 lengths of a 25m pool. In the early stages it is good to just focus on learning the strokes and the different drills. Total Immersion and Swim smooth produce DVDs that demonstrate the exercises. The programmes can be printed and put in an A4 wallet. I used a waterproof “field notebook” with a permanent OHP pen to keep a diary of progress.

A “Tempo Trainer” works as a metronome under a swimming hat, allowing you to develop pacing and providing the challenge of interval training. Training with a friend allows you to observe and correct stroke problems. Having a few lessons or attending a coached session eg “Swimfit” or a session with a local Triathlon club can really help you improve.

You can challenge yourself in swimming by signing up for one of the Great Swim Series – the most famous one is the “Great North Swim” held each year in Windermere. Swimathon is an annual sponsored swim for Sport Relief held at pools across the UK. If you want to aim for something particularly hard, a 10km swim is the swimming equivalent of a marathon.