You don’t need to be an elite athlete to appreciate the benefits of a great swimming pool session. Swimming is not only an enjoyable form of exercise, but an efficient one as well because it increases your heart rate while the water provides support for your body, putting less pressure on it than, say, running or lifting weights.
Not only that, but some studies have shown that swimming can make children smarter and decrease the severity of conditions such as asthma. Do you need any more reasons to get them in the pool sooner rather than later? We didn’t think so.
As a low-impact activity, swimming is the perfect training aid to build endurance, muscle tone and all-round fitness levels and it’s accessible to people of all ages and physical abilities.
Whether you’re just dipping your toe into the water, or looking to perfect your speed skills, Olympic star Adam Peaty has some great advice for Muscle & Fitness readers.
The record-breaking breaststroke star of team Great Britain won Gold at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, and is now back in hard training for Tokyo 2021. If you haven’t already, check out our interview with him about his general training philosophy and how he’s dealing with quarantine in the U.K.
We can’t promise that you’ll ever smash 100 meters in less than 57 seconds, but the following tips will make you a better and stronger swimmer.
If you’re serious about improving your swimming skills, use the services of a swimming coach or, if swimming on a budget, find an online resource with lessons such as speed sets that you can follow. Peaty is developing an online platform called AP Plus, designed to offer content for swim students of all ages and abilities.
“AP Plus will be a two-year course, so when you sign up you start at week one, and then you can track the progress that you have made until you complete the course. No one has really done this in a professional way, at an accessible cost so we are excited about it,” says Peaty.
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Rogan Thomson/Swpix.Com/
Enjoy your swim and visualize
A great swimming experience begins with your mental approach to the water.
“Firstly, mentally, you’ve got to enjoy swimming. If you’re not enjoying it, it could be that you need to look at different strokes, or racing, whatever works for you,” Peaty says. “Relax the stroke. You see a lot of swimmers trying to fight the water. Be at one with the water and enjoy it. If you want to improve your speed, be obsessed with going faster inside your head. Visualize going faster.”
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TLA Worldwide
Prehab is better than rehab
While it’s fair to say that swimming is a low-impact sport, those who push themselves hard in the pool on a regular basis will still suffer the usual wear and tear issues on their shoulders and other joints.
As an Olympian, Peaty has learned to maximize his attendance in the water by avoiding injury, understanding that it’s a good idea to look after himself outside of the water with physiotherapy and massage when needed.
“It’s prehab rather than rehab,” says Peaty.
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Arena
Tether up
A tether is used to keep a swimmer in a fixed position and can be purchased online or cobbled together using rope and a belt (just look up how to install it properly). It provides a workout used by many of the world’s top swimming pros.
“If you’re really struggling for speed you can tether up. Either get someone to hold it, or wrap it around a block. Then naturally, the more resistance you create, the more your muscles will adapt going forward,” says Peaty.
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TLA Worldwide
Consider Intermittent Fasting
By including intermittent fasting into your daily eating regimen, you may find yourself more alert and ready to make waves.
“In the morning, while still on my fast, I get better sessions because your body has gone into the fat burning zone, using your energy store and not trying to process food. I used to have heavy meals before training and you would feel sludgy, and a lot of blood would be going to the stomach for digestion, whereas if you don’t have too much food in your belly, that blood can be going to your muscles and to your brain. You feel better and more alert,” says Peaty.
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Martin Meissner/AP
Maintain a healthy weight
Peaty is 6’3” and leans down to a ripped 210 lbs. for competitions. And while not all of us are built like a Greek god, we can still make improvements in the water by shedding weight in a healthy manner.
Fortunately, swimming is a great way to lose the pounds and thanks to the power-to-weight ratio, your swimming game will improve as the fat comes off because your muscles have been trained to move a heavier frame.
“Look after your diet and your overall health, because this compliments what you do in the water,” says Peaty.
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International Swim League
Periodize your Swimming sessions
To stay stimulated in the pool, don’t fall into the trap of repeating the same training routine and then being disappointed when improvement slows.
“More meters do not equal faster performances. You’ve got to really periodize your training,” Peaty says. “So, in September to December your routines could be higher in meters, high in aerobic training and then in January to March you could do a lot of anaerobic, VO2 work. For me, in April up to the championships this is when we work a lot on speed and more VO2. This way, by periodizing our training we can build a very steady block of work.”
