Build Endurance in Swimming

AlyssaLoBello
AlyssaLoBello Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Anyone have any tips on how to build endurance in swimming freestyle swimming?

Replies

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    I am working on that right now too so will follow this post.
    I just try to add 25m x3 a week.
    There is a swim group that is supposed to be very helpful. Hopefully someone will post the link.

    Cheers, h.
  • CassidyScaglione
    CassidyScaglione Posts: 673 Member
    Keep swimming. Swimming is an intense workout, and burns tonnes of calories... You should expect to tire quickly at first. Keep swimming, push yourself to do a little bit more/better each time. It will happen.
  • gdyment
    gdyment Posts: 299 Member
    Follow this, 6 weeks, you'll swim a mile non-stop (or be close).

    http://ruthkazez.com/ZeroTo1mile.html

  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Thanks for posting the 6 week programme @gdyment.

    Cheers, h.
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
    What I did, back when I swam, was give myself a time bracket. I would swim for a half hour "solid." In the beginning I was pausing between each and every lap, but I didn't stop until that half hour was over. Over time, I tired less easily so I was pausing only every other lap, then every three laps, then...you get the idea. :)
  • tillerstouch
    tillerstouch Posts: 608 Member
    What kind of endurance do you want? to be able to swim long periods without stop? or do you want to be able to do sets? if sets, distance sets or sprint sets?
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
    as Dory says "just keep swimming". If you just want to be able to swim continuously for longer/farther without resting, you really just need to spend time in the pool. If speed is your goal, that is different....but my triathlon coach had me work on endurance first.

    Now...if you're a very beginner (ie resting after every 25-50 yards), a few sessions with a swim coach/teacher probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get form down. If your form is bad, you can be tiring yourself out more quickly simply due to that (and poor form will also affect speed - ie although I could swim for over an hour nonstop, I dropped 15 seconds off my 100y time right off the bat after ONE session with a swim coach by correcting a major crossover issue) :)
  • Ian_Davies
    Ian_Davies Posts: 122 Member
    I'm currently swimming 1km 3 days a week in the form of drills, with one longer slow swim at the weekend. I started off doing 500m backstroke and slowly mixed in freestyle and breaststroke, and added distance.

    I started with backstroke just to get me back in the water for a longer period without stopping, and because i wanted to improve my 'desk' posture...backstroke has been awesome in this.

    Backstroke - I mix drills from speed work 50m or 100m, single arm lengths and rotation completions (where you complete the full move with one arm before you start with the other) taking it slow, focusing on the move and the technique.
    Breaststroke - I use this as a filler - 4x25m slow and steady.
    Freestyle - I tend to just stick to drills on this, not tried a long weekend freestyle swim yet
    I bought a few bits of kit to help - kick board so i just work on legs; a pull buoy so i can focus on stroke technique and also hand paddles.

    The distance will come, stick with it, its worked great for me, and its lovely recovery work.
    Also I am lucky that the pool is an even depth...so i do run lengths...as it allows me to bring my knee to the surface and stretch without real strain...keeping my balance while running through the water is also helping my core.
  • stephc69
    stephc69 Posts: 5 Member
    I started swimming in my backyard pool this past August simply because I was so out of shape and I didn't like to sweat, but I wanted to get healthy. I did 6 laps my first time and I was sucking wind at that. I did it again the next day and swam 2 more laps. I did this over and over and just kept adding a couple more laps every time. I had terrible form and a slight phobia of water, but I was determined to get healthy. I saw results very quickly....lost some weight, felt so much better, starting toning up muscles. I live in the south so I was able to keep swimming in my pool until September 30th. Then I joined an aquatic center in my town and kept going. It was a bit of an adjustment switching to a pool that's twice as long as mine, but I adapted pretty quickly. The guy who ran the place started throwing out challenges to me, which secretly I thought I wouldn't be able to do, but I was determined and before I knew it I swam a mile! That was mid October, so about two months time. I now try to get to the pool three days a week and swim a mile each time. I have incorporated other exercise into my fitness plan now because I like variety, but I completely give swimming the credit for the 53 pound loss I've experienced. I feel great and I've gained some pretty awesome muscles too. So keep at it and don't give up. The endurance will come exponentially.

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