Swimming is a great workout with a number of key health benefits. It’s a relatively low impact form of exercise, placing less stress on your joints than exercises like running or weight-training. That means you can get your cardio fix while protecting your hips, shoulders, ankles and knees.
Low impact doesn’t mean low effect. Doing just 30 minutes of swimming can burn a substantial number of calories and develop your fitness.
“Swimming is one the few fitness activities that allows participants to engage every muscle in the body,” says Nuala Muir-Cochrane, Swimming Participation Manager at David Lloyd Clubs.
There are also plenty of mental health benefits of swimming.
Your swimming session doesn’t have to be complicated – simply doing laps for half an hour is enough. But what if you want to make it even more of a workout?
We asked Nuala how to maximise the benefits of a half-hour swimming session. She’s put together three example training sessions that last just 30 minutes and are easy to follow.
Three 30-minute swimming workouts
The key to starting to swim for fitness is to break down your workout and start thinking of ‘sets’. Incorporate sessions using different strokes, levels of intensity and distances to keep your workout interesting and your body guessing.
Take it easy to begin with, slowing increasing your intensity and periods of maximum effort as you get fitter and stronger – adapt to suit your level of fitness, and never be hesitant in taking a rest when you need it. Take care to warm up and cool down in order to fully prepare your muscles and help prevent injury.
Note:
If you prefer to work in lengths, it might help you to know the average length of a David Lloyd Clubs indoor pool is 25 metres.
m = metres.
Workout 1
This workout will increase your stamina and build strength as you gradually increase your time and distance. Take a short break after each repetition and keep track of your time.
Distance: 850m/approx. 34 lengths in a 25m pool
Time: 30-minutes
Warm up: 200m
1 x 100m Front crawl
2 x 50m Back stroke
Main set: 450m
1 x 50m Front crawl
2 x 50m Breaststroke
1 x 50m Front crawl
2 x 50m Breaststroke
3 x 50m Front crawl
Cool down: 200m
1 x 100m Backstroke
1 x 100m Front crawl
Workout 2
Build your core and strength through this kicking-based training session.
Distance: 900m/approx. 36 lengths in a 25m pool
Time: 30-minutes
Warm up: 200m
1 x 100m Front crawl
2 x 50m Breaststroke
Main set: 500m
4 x 50m Front crawl
2 x 50m Front crawl with a kick. Hold a kickboard or float vertically in front of you, using only your legs.
2 x 50m Backstroke with a kick. Hold a kickboard or float vertically in front of you, using only your legs.
1 x 100m Front crawl. Go as fast as you can here.
Cool down: 200m
1 x 100m Breaststroke
1 x 100m Front crawl
Workout 3
This workout focuses on pace as you do as many 100-meter repeats as you can with minimum amount of rest. This will help you build endurance and enable you to swim longer distances without tiring as quickly.
Distance: 1,000m approx. 40 lengths in a 25m pool
Time: 30-minutes
Warm up: 100m of any stroke you prefer.
Main set: 8 x 100 at a consistently challenging pace for you i.e. 2 minutes for every 100m. Try to hold the same pace for each 100m, resting for less than 10 second between each set.
Cool down: 100m of any stoke you prefer.
This a great workout for monitoring your progress as you slowly cut down the amount of time it takes you to swim 100m at a quick pace.
At David Lloyd Clubs we have both indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools perfect for training in. If you’re looking for any help getting started, learning the correct technique, or training for a competitive event, we have a number of expert coaches on hand. Discover more on our Swim page or find your local club here.
