How to Create a Killer Swimming Workout Routine

How to Create a Killer Swimming Workout Routine : Imagine an exercise that not only burns fat but strengthens muscles, all while going easy on your joints. Sounds pretty good, right?

Luckily, it’s not imaginary — a swimming workout routine can do all that and more.

Read on to learn the best way to maximize your swimming routine to lose weight and gain muscle mass.

Don’t Forget to Warm Up

With any exercise, warming up your muscles is essential to avoid painful cramps or even injury during your workouts. Before jumping in the pool, do about ten minutes of light stretching (think toe touches, arm rotations, and jumping jacks) to prep your muscles for the workout.

Work Against the Water

It’s easy to spend your time in the pool mindlessly swimming laps but that may not be the most effective workout.

Instead, challenge yourself to move vertically in the water. Simply adapt on-land exercises for the pool. For example, try doing jump squats or single leg raises in chest-high water. Not only are you working out your muscles, but the pressure from the water creates added resistance to help tone muscles.

Take Your Swimming Workout Routine Oceanside

As with any routine, doing the same thing over and over can get boring and cause you to lose motivation. If you’re able, try swimming in the ocean.

Not only is it a picturesque way to add variety to your workout routine, but the push-and-pull of the waves creates a natural resistance in the water.

To ensure your safety, do some research beforehand. Be sure to wear a wetsuit if the temperature calls for it (this wetsuit thickness guide is a great resource), check whether it’s high tide or low tide before you go, and make sure you know what to do in case you encounter a rip current or shark.

Emphasize Your Breathing

Knowing how to breathe in time with your strokes allows for increased endurance and, eventually, a longer workout. Spend a day or two out of the week focusing on your breathing and rhythm during longer, less intense swims to increase your stamina.

How to Burn Fat While Swimming

Apply aspects of HIIT (high-intensity interval training) to your swimming workout. Challenge yourself by doing sets with staggered intensities. For instance, try swimming 100 yards as fast as you can, then do a set of 20 jump lunges before swimming the 100 yards back to your starting position.

That way, you’re getting a strength training workout from the lunges and cardio push from the 100-yard sprint.

If You’ve Hit a Plateau, Take a Lesson

Working out on your own can make moving on to the next level of fitness difficult. Just because you feel like your form is right doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Having a swim instructor alongside you while you’re exercising allows for instant corrections and more effective workout routines in the future.

If you enjoy creative exercise like a swimming routine workout, check out our website for more fitness ideas.