Marion Freijsen A blog about Sports, Fitness & Health

Swim training

Of all the training sessions you can do, swimming is often overlooked – even by me. I realised suddenly I hadn’t written up any swimsessions yet! Major oversight, for sure. Swimming is great exercise. I once looked at a health magazine that posted pictures of sports men/women of various sports AND at various ages, so like at 20, 40 and 60. The swimmers aged the most graceful of all of the sports displayed by far. They kept a great shape (that nice V-shape) and long, defined limbs. Of course it doesn’t stop you aging – but it is still great to see that there are ways of doing it that do not require lifts or tucks!

I prefer open water swimming over anything else, but even then, to be strong in the currents or waves, you have to build up strength in the pool, doing laps, doing drills and simply getting a nice technique. Here’s a couple of quick suggestions of exercises you can do – I will write up a fuller schedule in a next blog for a longer swim.

As with everything – get warmed up first. Start with a 400m w/up (16 lengths in an olympic sized pool). Then try these drills to work on your technique:

a) Catch up. Using freestyle – you slide one arm out in front of you in the water, and KEEP it there whilst you bring your other arm over your head. Slide it out in front and only when you can tap your other hand, do you move that backwards and over. Do 2 lengths, alternating arms.

b) Kicks – Get a floating board, and holding it out in front, flipper two lengths.

c) One arm – only use your right arm, keeping your left out in front the whole time. On the return lap, you switch arms.

d) Kicks again – 2 lenghts

e) Do a full freestyle stroke, but instead of simply moving through the full movement, you make sure you trail your fingers just over the surface of the water with each forward reach. You should not ripple the water, you are hardly breaking the water. At the furthest point forward you finally put your hand through the surface and bring it back under water.

f) Kicks again – this time without the float – you keep your hands out in front, face down in the water (breathing by lifting your head up and then put it back again) and make slight flutter movements in the water. This will keep you afloat!

Lastly – do a speed drill – 3 x 150 is a nice distance. So do 6 lengths (olympic pool) at the best sustainable speed you can muster. Rest till your heartbeat slows to around 120 and repeat twice more, resting again in between.

Finish with another 400m full stroke, putting all your focus in making it a nice easy stroke encompassing the various elements you did in your drills. You will have completed 1550 metres in total by the end of this session!! Not bad going and you won’t even notice you have done it.