i want to start swimming for fitness, any pointers?

Answer 1

Start with a 100 of plain freestyle. That is 4 laps. One lap is a 25, and 2 is a 50, etc. That shouldn't be too hard on your body. Then do a 100 kick w/ and kickboard. If you don't have one, float and kick. Then you start on 4(4x100) 1' rest. This means you will do four 100's with 1 minute rest inbetween each one and you do that whole thing 4 times. After you finish that try doing 8x50. That means you do a 50 eight times. Then at the end do a 200 cool down swim and a 50 of kick. All of these can be done freestyle. Once you get used to this order you can add on to it.

Answer 2

If you plan on swimming, have someone knowledgeable (coach, lifeguard, friend) evaluate your stroke and make suggestions for improvement. Technique tweaks can vastly improve your performance and efficiency and you will get more out of the time you spend in the pool.

30 minutes, 3 times a week would be the American Heart Association's recommendation for a healthy heart. That is 30 minutes of exercise not including the time spent stretching, adjusting goggles, etc. For basic fitness it would depend on where you are starting where you go from here.

If you swim for 30 continuous minutes at medium pace you'll build endurance, cardio fitness and muslce tone. If you mix up your workout with intervals, kicking, etc , you will have more focus on those body parts and systems. Swimming can be very enjoyable and is very good for you.

I recommend picking up a book called "The Fit Swimmer" by Marianne Brems. The books is small and easy to read and includes over 120 workouts, tips, tricks and drills wiith simple instructions. It will also instructor you how to:
- Determine your own fitness level
- Choose an appropriate training program and build upon that program with a variety of innovative workouts
- Use a timing clock and interval training to increase your speed and endurance
- Use various training equipment, such as kick boards, hand paddles, and swimming fins to strengthen stroke technique
Improve your cardiovascular fitness, muscle tone, and flexibility

You may even be able to get it out of the library but I recommend owning a copy since it is so useful for every step of the way!

Here's a link for you:
http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Swimmer-Workouts-Training-Tips/dp/0809254549

Good luck!!!

Answer 3

Well, any amount of swim will help you. I would say try to swim about 2000 yards a day or 1500 meters. How you do this and how fast doesn't matter. I normaly do about 5000 yards a day but i'm on a swim team. to get really fit maybe a swim team would help? Good Luck

Answer 4

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i want to start swimming for fitness, any pointers?