Trade your favorite lifting shorts for a pair of swim trunks. It's time to burn fat, build muscle, and challenge your cardiovascular ability with these aquatic WODs.
Strap your goggles on. It’s pool season. And swimming isn’t just a perfect way to get outside while it’s warm out—it’s also a great CrossFit-style workout, and a great way to recover from your normal gym sessions.
Of course, CrossFit boxes don’t typically program pool workouts, for the simple reason that most CrossFit boxes don’t have pools. But swimming routinely pops up in the CrossFit Games, and elite CrossFitters like Annie Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir routinely hit the pool for their workouts.
The following CrossFit swimming workouts aren’t the mind-numbing, stare-at-the-bottom-of-the-pool-for-two-hours workouts you used to do at the neighborhood YMCA. No, these pool workouts are just as intense as any terrestrial CrossFit WOD.
Note: Just as with any workout, make sure you warm up and loosen up your shoulders before jumping into these workouts full-bore. A good warmup is to swim slow and steady for 10 minutes. From there, do a shoulders warmup like this one on the pool deck before getting back in the pool.
5 CrossFit Workouts You Can Do in the Pool
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Submarining
8 rounds, as fast as possible:Swim under water until halfway point of the laneFreestyle sprint on surface to finishThis burner comes from Ray Cooney, the lead trainer and co-owner of Sopris CrossFit in Carbondale, CO. Make sure you’re properly warmed up so you can go all-out on the sprints, and try to minimize the time you spend clinging to the side of the pool between sets. To cool down, go for a leisurely 10-minute swim for distance.
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The Thrasher
In 20 minutes, do as many rounds as possible of:50-yard swim10 pushups15 air squatsSay goodbye to your legs and shoulders with this workout, courtesy of veteran CrossFit Games competitor Scott Panchik. Because you’ll (hopefully) be in the pool most of the time, make sure you’ve worked on your crawl technique.
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Swim “Jackie”
As fast as possible:Swim 1000 yards50 thrusters (45 pounds)30 pullupsThis workout, the pool version of the classic CrossFit benchmark WOD, comes from Jack Haire, a CrossFit trainer and USA Swimming-certified coach. It requires a barbell and a pull-up bar, but if you don’t have the former, sub with a dumbbell, kettlebell, or air squat. If you don’t have the latter, do chest-to-floor pushups.
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Teabags
As many meters / yards as possible, 20 minutes:100-meter / yard swim (any style)10 “teabags”10 V-ups”While the two other movements give you a little break from the swim, they’ll tax your arms and your core, which are crucial to swim efficiently,” says Hannah Caldas, a CrossFit coach and former Olympic hopeful for swimming who swims 4,000 meters a day. “For the ‘teabags,’ stand facing the side of the pool and pull yourself up (like a muscle-up) until you’re fully locked-out on top, like you’re about to get out of the pool. These should hit the triceps majorly, which will make you want to shorten your stroke when you swim. Resist it!”
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Aqua-Squat
Do 5 rounds, as fast as possible, of:50 air squats25-yard underwater swim”This workout is very mental,” says Caldas. “You don’t want to go too fast on the squats, which will affect how well you can swim underwater. You should be able to start the swim after a few catch-up breaths.”Furthermore, Caldas adds, “Don’t work too hard underwater. Keep calm and rely on glide. I prefer using a long breastroke kick (aka a frog kick). If one length of the pool (25 yards) is too long to hold your breath, then scale it by taking breaths midway through the workout, but come to a full stop in the water every time you need to take a breath.”
This burner comes from Ray Cooney, the lead trainer and co-owner of Sopris CrossFit in Carbondale, CO. Make sure you’re properly warmed up so you can go all-out on the sprints, and try to minimize the time you spend clinging to the side of the pool between sets. To cool down, go for a leisurely 10-minute swim for distance.
The Thrasher
In 20 minutes, do as many rounds as possible of:
50-yard swim
10 pushups
15 air squats
Say goodbye to your legs and shoulders with this workout, courtesy of veteran CrossFit Games competitor Scott Panchik. Because you’ll (hopefully) be in the pool most of the time, make sure you’ve worked on your crawl technique.
Swim "Jackie"
As fast as possible:
Swim 1000 yards
50 thrusters (45 pounds)
30 pullups
This workout, the pool version of the classic CrossFit benchmark WOD, comes from Jack Haire, a CrossFit trainer and USA Swimming-certified coach. It requires a barbell and a pull-up bar, but if you don’t have the former, sub with a dumbbell, kettlebell, or air squat. If you don’t have the latter, do chest-to-floor pushups.
Teabags
As many meters / yards as possible, 20 minutes:
100-meter / yard swim (any style)
10 “teabags”
10 V-ups
“While the two other movements give you a little break from the swim, they’ll tax your arms and your core, which are crucial to swim efficiently,” says Hannah Caldas, a CrossFit coach and former Olympic hopeful for swimming who swims 4,000 meters a day. “For the ‘teabags,’ stand facing the side of the pool and pull yourself up (like a muscle-up) until you’re fully locked-out on top, like you’re about to get out of the pool. These should hit the triceps majorly, which will make you want to shorten your stroke when you swim. Resist it!”
Aqua-Squat
Do 5 rounds, as fast as possible, of:
50 air squats
25-yard underwater swim
“This workout is very mental,” says Caldas. “You don’t want to go too fast on the squats, which will affect how well you can swim underwater. You should be able to start the swim after a few catch-up breaths.”
Furthermore, Caldas adds, “Don’t work too hard underwater. Keep calm and rely on glide. I prefer using a long breastroke kick (aka a frog kick). If one length of the pool (25 yards) is too long to hold your breath, then scale it by taking breaths midway through the workout, but come to a full stop in the water every time you need to take a breath.”
