Swimming Workouts For Beginners

Too wet, too boring, too much trouble, most runners avoid the swimming pool as the plague. But in a busy game season you can rest your muscles and joints after a hot race or you help them recover in the following, quieter months.

Torso

Swimming is an excellent form of cardiovascular training, while the tired muscles are relieved, "says triathlon coach Nils Goerke. 'In addition, the upper body and torso muscles neglected by runners (and thus often plagued) are reinforced by swimming.'

Advantage

The advantage of swimming is that the upward pressure of the water needs to catch your joints, tendons and spine, while your cardiovascular system does make an effort. "You have to imagine it: the engine keeps running, but the body is being rescued," says Goerke.

SCHEDULE

The following schedule, with two trainings per week, is for runners with little swimming experience.

Abbreviations:
FS = Favorite Style: Style That Best Manages You, For example, Schoolstroke
AS = Alternative style: So not your FS, for example backbone or breast crawl

• WEEK 1

1st training: 100, 75, 50 and 25 m FS with 20 sec. Break, 4 x 50 m breastcrawl bone stroke with swim shank and always 30 sec. Pause, 100, 75, 50 and 25 m as above
2nd training: 8 x 50 m alternating fast / quiet FS, 4 x 50 m watertrapping, 10 x 50 m FS alternated with AS with every 30 sec. Break

• WEEK 2

1st training: 1-2 sets of (200, 2 x 100, 4 x 50 m) in FS with every 30 sec. Break and 1 min rest at the end of the set
2nd training: 4 x 100 m alternating fast / quiet FS with 20 sec. Pause, 4 x 25 m fast FS with 45 sec. Break, 4 x 100 m fast / quiet FS

• WEEK 3

1st training: 2 sets of (300, 200, 100m FS) with 30 seconds each. Break and 1 min rest at the end of the set
2nd training: 8 x 50 m alternating fast / quiet FS and 30 sec. Break, 4 x 50 m beenslag with swim shank with 45 sec. Break, 4 x 100 m FS alternated with AS with 40 sec. Break

• WEEK 4

1st training: 200, 4 x 50, 200, 4 x 50, 200 m: 200 m FS with 30 sec. Pause, 50 m AS alternated with fast FS and 45 sec. Break
2nd training: 9 x 100 m FS with 30 sec. Break

• WEEK 5

1st training: 300, 200, 100 m FS with 45 sec. Break
2nd training: 2 sets of (200 m each 50 m FS alternated with 50 m AS, 2 x 100 m FS, 4 x 50 m stroke with swim) and at the end of the set 1 min rest

• WEEK 6

1st training: 12 x 100 m FS with 30 sec. Break between
2nd training: 4 x 50 m alternating fast / quiet FS and 45 sec. Break, 300 m with 50 m AS each alternating with FS and 45 sec. Pause, 3 x 100 m FS with 30 sec. Pause, 4 x 50 m fast / quiet FS with 45 sec. Break