Swimming is a terrific sport. It gives you a full-body workout, making you look and feel your best. This summer, we want to give a shout-out to all of you who get out there and swim laps. Lap-swimming is hard work!
For our avid swimmers, we recommend getting the right swimsuit that will hold up to your demands. A chlorine resistant swimsuit will change your life! Chlorine resistant swimwear is made of a specialized Lycra that lasts 5 to 10 times longer than regular swimsuits. The colorfast fabric will keep your suit from fading as well. You will be so glad you found this swimsuit! And what’s more, you will look fantastic!
Once you are suited up and ready to swim, it’s time to look at your workout. Have you fallen into a repetitive, boring workout? Do you feel your workout isn’t challenging you as much as it used to? If you are looking for ways to improve your next swimming session and boost your calorie burn, try these five tips.
1. The RAMP warm-up: Get moving before you dive in
Many swimmers find that warm-ups are beneficial to improving both speed and endurance. The RAMP method is one popular pre-swim method that warms up your muscles before you dive in:
- R: Raise your heartrate.Raise your heart rate and your body temperature before your workout. This might be jumping rope or high-knee jogging in place.
- A/M: Activate and mobilize your big muscles.Get blood flowing into your large muscles. You can try calf lunges, squats, as well as wide arm circles and leg swings.
- P: Prime your muscles.Get your muscles ready for action with a few big explosive moves like jump squats and pushups.
After your RAMP exercises, your muscles should be warm and your heartrate should be pumped. You can start your workout at a higher intensity and get more out of it.
2. Add intervals to your workout
Just like in running and other cardio sports, interval training can improve your performance in swimming. Rather than swimming continuously at a steady pace for your entire workout, interval training requires you to break it up. You will want your workout to have a combination of low-intensity swimming, high-intensity swimming, and rest periods. Be sure to structure your workout into sets, for instance 6 x 50’s at 1 minute each, or 4 x 200’s at 4 minutes each. As you get stronger and faster, you can shorten the time for each set.
3. Mix it up
Freestyle is a great full-body stroke, but you’ll get more out of your workout if you mix up the strokes. Adding some laps of backstroke, butterfly, and breast stroke will not only make your workout more interesting, but it will also strengthen different muscles. Varying your strokes also helps to avoid injuries to the shoulder that could come from only doing freestyle.
4. Add muscle-building gear
Working out in the water is all about resistance. To build your swimming muscles, try out some specialized swimming gear, such as pull buoys, hand paddles, swim fins, and a kickboard. These tools help you isolate your arm muscles or leg muscles. This can build muscle and improve your stroke.
5. Ask a trainer to watch you
If you have been swimming for many years, it’s possible you have developed some poor habits you aren’t aware of. Consider asking a trainer or a coach to watch you swim. He or she may be able to offer some advice to make your stroke stronger and more efficient.
With these tips, you should feel yourself getting faster and stronger in the water. Before you know it, you’ll be swimming longer distances and making faster times, and overall feeling terrific. Why not suit up now in your new chlorine resistant swimsuit and go for a swim?
