Summer Swim Training: 5 Tips To Keep It Fresh!
1. Get out of the pool
Yes really. Go to a lake and try some open water swimming. Even better, go with friends. Make a day trip out of it with a picnic lunch. Bring your bikes and running shoes and make it a mini triathlon training session. You could do dryland on the shore, mix in some push-ups and sit-ups or a short yoga or Pilates session post swim.
2. Join a team
Get online and check out usms.org or usawimming.org to find local teams in your area. Make a few visits and try out some practices and meet the coaches. Training is always more fun when you have buddies to do it with you.
3. Invest in new gear
Change things up with a monofin for dolphin kick and extreme core strengthening. Or swim with tunes via
waterproof mP3 players, music is a proven mood booster!
Do you use paddles? Get some! If you’ve never had a pair before start small, build your strength, then upgrade!
4. Random Workout Generator
Feeling like your workouts have become a bit crusty and stale? Print out as many as you’ve got stored away on your computer or snag some from our brilliant Stacey Kiefer’s blog and cut them into strips between sets. Fold them up and toss them in a jar. Pull out three or four and voila, custom mixed up workout.
5. Make it a game
Instead of approaching a workout like it is a task or chore, go into it with a buddy and make it a scored challenge. Have you ever played golf in the water? Count your strokes and add your time to get your score. How low can you get it? For a 50? For a 100? The distance is up to you! Can you hold an average score for a set of 10 x 50’s perhaps? Or, can you hold your best score for 4 x50’s of a broken 200 maybe?
Mix it up, have fun, and whatever you do…keep it fresh!
Learn More About Competitive Swimming:
