9 Best Swimming Workouts for Summer
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You can run, bike, and hit the weight room any time of year. But swimming outside? That’s something that most of us can only do for a few short months this summer (unless you’re lucky enough to live in San Diego). So seize the opportunity and squeeze some swimming workouts into your regimen over the next few months. “Swimming is cardio, strength, HIIT, and flexibility all in one,” says Earl Walton, owner and head coach at Tailwind Endurance, an endurance sports coaching facility in New York City. “Plus it’s restorative — you can swim day after day after day and not suffer from overuse injuries.” As beneficial as swimming is, simple laps of freestyle can be boring. That’s where these nine fun workouts come in.
Related: 30 Workouts that Take 10 Minutes (or Less)
Pool: Skills Session
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“Human swimmers are energy-wasting machines,” says Terry Laughlin, founder of Total Immersion Swimming, which specializes in helping late-starting adults become efficient and confident swimmers. “Dolphins convert 80 percent of their energy into forward motions while the average lap swimmers converts only three percent of their energy into moving forward.” How to improve? Work on specific skills when lap swimming. This workout is designed for a 25-meter pool.
Warm up: Swim four laps of the pool. Each lap, count your strokes and rate your effort on a scale of one to five. The goal is to keep stroke counts the same each lap while maintaining an effort at three or below.
You are going to perform five rounds of four laps, each time focusing on a different skill. Start each round by swimming four to six strokes away from the wall without breathing, then swim back to the wall without breathing. This improves your focus. Do four sets of that exercise, then move on to the skill work.
Round one: Swim four 25-meter laps, starting each one without breathing for the first five strokes (try to maintain the same focus once you begin breathing). For these laps, focus on hanging your head and letting the water support it completely. You should find yourself looking more at the bottom of the pool than in front of you and your head should feel weightless.
Round two: Swim four 25-meter laps, starting each one without breathing for the first five strokes (try to maintain the same focus once you begin breathing). For these laps, focus on how your hands are entering the water. You want to try to cut a slot in the surface with your hand and then slide your forearm through the same slot your hand created (imagine sliding a letter into a mail slot at the post office). You will probably feel like your arm is entering the water much steeper and closer to your head than usual. Try not to make a sound or splash with your arm as it goes into the water.
Round three: Swim four 25-meter laps, starting each one without breathing for the first five strokes (try to maintain the same focus once you begin breathing). For these laps, focus on swimming taller. After you slide your arm through the slot in the water, reach as far forward as possible with it. Reach directly in front of your shoulder (don’t cross your arm towards the center), slightly downhill (the hand should be below your bodyline in the water) and try to eliminate bubbles.
Round four: Swim four 25-meter laps, starting each one without breathing for the first five strokes (try to maintain the same focus once you begin breathing). For these laps, you aren’t allowed to kick. Let your legs follow behind you with as little effort as possible. Your upper body is doing all the work.
Round five: You can either pick your favorite from the first four rounds and repeat it, or do each of the first four skill sessions for one of the 25-meter laps.
Finisher: Repeat the warm-up but this time focus on one of the skills you just learned and see how your effort levels and stroke counts compare.
Related: Laird Hamilton’s High Performance Breathing Tips
Ocean: Power/Sprint Workout
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“The ocean has currents, surf, waves, and sand—why not incorporate those things into your workout!” says Walton. “Just make sure to swim with a friend and alert any nearby lifeguards what you’re up to.”
Warmup: 10-minute jog in the sand
Walk into the ocean, swim 50 strokes straight out, then swim easily back to the shore. Do three times.
Run into the ocean, swim hard for 50 strokes, then swim easily back to the shore. Do three times.
Run into the ocean, dive into the water as deep as you can, then when you resurface swim hard for 50 strokes. Swim easily back to the shore. Do three times.
Head out into the ocean and swim parallel to the shore line for 10 minutes. Get out, rest briefly, then repeat.
Related: America’s Best Beaches for Swimming
Ocean: Alternating Current Workout
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For this workout by Walton, you need to see which way the current is pushing you. To do that, run into the ocean, swim out 50 to 65 strokes, and see if you’re getting pushed left or right. Now you’re ready to begin the workout.
Swim for two minutes against the current hard, then 90 seconds with the current easily. Do four times without resting between.
Rest for one minute.
Swim for four minutes hard against the current, then three minutes with the current easily. Do four times without resting between.
Rest for one minute.
One last push: Swim for 20 minutes at moderate effort against the current, then swim easily back to where you started with the current.
Related: 10 Ways to Swim More Effortlessly in Open Water
Lake: Sprint Pyramid
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Lakes may not have currents or huge waves, but the same rules apply here as when you’re swimming in the ocean. “Be aware of your surroundings and always swim with a friend,” says Walton.
Warm up: Swim easily for five to 10 minutes along the shoreline.
Swim five strokes fast, then five strokes long and slow.
Swim 10 strokes fast, then 10 strokes long and slow.
Swim 15 strokes fast, then 15 strokes long and slow.
Swim 20 strokes fast, then 20 strokes long and slow.
Work your way back down the ladder, finishing with five strokes fast, then five strokes long and slow.
Lake: Let’s Race!
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For this workout, Walton wants you to grab a friend and challenge them to a race in a best-of-seven series. Pick a target along the shore and see who can get there first using the following guidelines for each of the races:
You can’t use your hands
You can’t use your feet
You have to swim on your back
You have to keep your head above the water the entire time
Racer #1 counts down 3, 2, 1 and calls out the rule or stroke of his choice and you both go
Racer #2 counts down 3, 2, 1 and calls out the rule or stroke of his choice and you both go
You have to swim all four strokes (butterfly, back, breast, and free) at some point during this race
Related: How to Swim Stronger
Lake/Ocean: Fin Time
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You’ll need a kickboard and a set of fins for this workout by Coley Stickels, coach for Speedo and Canyons Aquatic Club.
Warm-up with 10 jumping jacks, 10 air squats, and a 50-meter sprint to the water.
Pick a target about 75 meters away, like a pier or buoy. Swim out to it and then swim back to shore. Run to your equipment, put on your fins, grab your kickboard, and head back to the water. Kick swim holding on to the board out to the same point you got to before, then return to shore. Repeat entire series (swimming without the fins, then with them) one more time.
Stand in the water up to your knees. Run parallel to the shore for 15 seconds, then swim for 15 seconds. Repeat once.
Come back to dry land and do 10 push-ups and 10 burpees. Do four sets.
Head back to the water and swim hard to the point that’s 75 meters away, then swim at an easy pace back to shore.
Related: The Best Lake Beaches in America
Pool: In-n-Out Workout
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You’ll be exercising both in the water and next to the pool for this long workout designed by Stickels.
Jump into the pool and swim 100 meters using any stroke you’d like. Get out of the water and perform 10 burpees. Get back into the water and do a flutter or freestyle kick (keep arms out in front of you and only use feet to propel you forward) for 50 meters. Place your hands on the ledge of the pool and pull your body up and out of the pool, then lower yourself back down into the pool slowly five times. Do four sets of this entire series of moves (starting with the 100-meter swim).
Swim a 100-meter individual medley (25 meters of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle) and then immediately go into a 50-meter butterfly as hard as you can.
Place your hands on the ledge of the pool with your back facing the wall. Lift yourself up and out of the pool, then lower yourself back down into the water slowly six times.
Swim another 100-meter individual medley, then immediately go into a 50-meter backstroke as hard as you can.
Get out of the pool and lie on your back with your legs straight. Engage your core and lift legs up until they are vertical. Push your legs up and lift hips off ground. Lower legs back down to ground slowly. Do six reps.
Get back into the pool, perform a third 100-meter individual medley, this one immediately followed by a 50-meter backstroke as hard as you can.
Get out of the pool for six quick push-ups.
Get back into the pool for your fourth and final 100-meter individual medley, finishing with a 50-meter freestyle swim as hard as you can.
Head to the pool deck and hold a plank for as long as possible. Rest, repeat holding a plank for as long as possible, then cool down with an easy 100-meter swim.
Related: The 10 Moves You Need to Get a Rock-Solid Core
Pool: Lots of Laps
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This workout by Nick Iwaniuk, a personal trainer at Equinox Lincoln Park in Chicago, requires a stopwatch to time yourself.
Warm up on the pool deck with 60 jumping jacks, 10 spiderman step-ups (start in a plank position with elbows out to sides and lift one knee up to reach your elbow, then the other), and 20 air squats. Do three sets.
Stand in the shallow end of the pool and do high knees for 10 meters. Do three sets.
Perform dolphin dives the entire length of the pool in the shallow end. Dolphin dives are where you dive down, touch the bottom of the pool, bring your feet to meet your hands on the bottom of the pool, and explode up with your feet, pushing your body up and out of the water. Do three sets.
Hold on to a kickboard and kick yourself for 200 meters.
Perform five rounds of 100 meter freestyle, resting for 15 seconds in between them. Time yourself and try to keep your time the same for all five sets. Rest for one minute.
Perform seven rounds of 50 meter freestyle, resting for 10 seconds in between them. Try to keep your time the same for all seven sets. Rest for 90 seconds.
Perform eight rounds of 50 meter broken IM (50 meters of butterfly, 50 meters of backstroke, 50 meters of breaststroke, 50 meters of freestyle, then repeat for a total of eight 50-meter swims), resting for 20 seconds in between them. Try to keep your time the same for all eight sets. Rest for one minute.
Perform seven rounds of 50 meter freestyle sprints, trying to make each sprint faster than the one before and resting 10 seconds between them.
Cool down with an easy 300-meter freestyle or backstroke.
Related: 9 Ways to Recover From Your Workouts Faster
Pool: Go the Distance
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Iwaniuk suggests this workout to try going longer distances in the pool. You’ll need a kickboard and a pool buoy, which is held between your legs so that you can’t kick, forcing you to only use your upper body.
Warm up on the pool deck with three sets of 30 seconds maximum pushups, 30 seconds maximum air squats, and 45 seconds jumping rope.
Get in the water and go three lengths of the pool using dolphin dives.
Swim 300 meters with a pull buoy.
Swim 250 meters with a kickboard.
Swim 200 meters freestyle at a steady pace without stopping at 60-percent effort. Catch your breath and repeat two more times.
Swim 150 meters at a steady pace without stopping at 75-percent effort. Catch your breath and repeat five more times, alternating between freestyle and backstroke.
Swim 500 meters freestyle at a steady pace without stopping at 50-percent effort. Catch your breath and repeat two more times.
Swim 200 meters freestyle without stopping at 95-percent effort. Catch your breath and then repeat, trying to make your second 200 meters go faster than your first.
Cool down with an easy 300 meter swim using any stroke you’d like.
By Alice Oglethorpe
