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All Posts / How Often To Swim
How Often Should I Swim? Building the Perfect ROUTINE for Your Goals
Starting something new, like swimming, is like jumping into the deep end, which is exciting but a little intimidating. Assuming you are a beginner, you may wonder, "How often should I swim to improve without wearing myself out?"
The answer lies in the sweet spot between learning, building confidence, and having fun without overdoing it.
This article will dive deeper into recent research and expert recommendations to determine how often you should hit the pool as a beginner.
Whether you aim to perfect your strokes, get fitter, or feel at home in the water, knowing how frequently you should swim is the key to success.
Let's dive in!
The answer lies in the sweet spot between learning, building confidence, and having fun without overdoing it.
This article will dive deeper into recent research and expert recommendations to determine how often you should hit the pool as a beginner.
Whether you aim to perfect your strokes, get fitter, or feel at home in the water, knowing how frequently you should swim is the key to success.
Let's dive in!
How Often Should I Swim As a Beginner?
When just starting to swim, it’s essential to know how often to swim to build skill and confidence in the water. Several recent studies and expert recommendations agree that swimmers at the start of their journey should swim 2 to 3 times a week. This frequency is essential to balance learning and recovery, giving your body and mind enough time to adapt to this new activity.
Why swim 2 to 3 times per week?
Skill Development
Swimming is a very technique-oriented sport. Consistent practice is required to master breathing, stroke mechanics, and body position. Swimming multiple times a week will reinforce already learned skills, leading to faster improvement.Physical Adaptation
While enthusiasm is good, daily swimming for endless hours can burn you out beyond what you might expect. It would be best to allow your body some time off to recover. This recovery time will prevent chronic fatigue, thus keeping you injury-free and motivated in the long run.Building Confidence
At the beginning of your journey, you might face some fear of water. Frequent practice in the pool will ensure optimal exposure to the water. Soon enough, you'll notice the fear and anxiety fading away. As your fitness levels and confidence in the water grow, you'll get more enjoyment and results from each session!
How Long Should I Swim For?
When determining how long each swim session should last, consider your fitness level, current level of swimming skills, and your final goal. An optimal session should last 20 to 30 minutes for most beginner swimmers. In that short time, you can target both technique and endurance without overwhelming your body.
Why 20 to 30-minute sessions?
Start Small, Build Gradually
As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day, and you won't become an above-average swimmer overnight. Shorter swims lay the foundation of your swimming journey. You can gradually add more time as you get more comfortable, but there's no need to rush.Stay Fresh, Stay Focused
Initially, swimming exercises can be as much of a mental challenge as a physical one. Keeping your sessions to 20 to 30 minutes means staying fresh and focused throughout your workout, which is essential to maintaining proper swimming technique.Consistency is Key
Remember that you are developing a continuous routine. Regular short swims are the key to your long-term improvement and growth in swimming. Swimming 20–30 minutes several times a week will build a habit you can stick with to provide steady progress and a lifelong love of swimming.
The Importance of Periodization for Your Swim Training
Periodization is one of the central concepts that can take your swimming to an absolutely new level, especially once you are beyond the beginning stage.
It may sound complicated, but it's a very famous and straightforward way of structuring your swim training over time.
Periodization ensures continuing progress, avoids burnout, and provides variety and fun in swim workouts.
It may sound complicated, but it's a very famous and straightforward way of structuring your swim training over time.
Periodization ensures continuing progress, avoids burnout, and provides variety and fun in swim workouts.
What is periodization?
Periodization simply means breaking down the training process into periods. Each period focuses on different aspects of your swimming performance, such as technique, strength, speed, or endurance.
It's a roadmap where each training week, month, or year prepares you for the next one. Mixing up the intensity, duration, and type of training you do in each phase will diversify your swimming workouts as you continuously adapt and get stronger.
It's a roadmap where each training week, month, or year prepares you for the next one. Mixing up the intensity, duration, and type of training you do in each phase will diversify your swimming workouts as you continuously adapt and get stronger.
Microcycles
Microcycles are the smallest and shortest cycles that typically last a week.
You can work on one or two components of your swimming performance in one microcycle.
For example, one microcycle can focus on the freestyle technique, including drills and freestyle-centered sets, in every swim session that week.
Your next microcycle could focus on endurance, with the overall distance you swim gradually increasing in each session.
Microcycles target specific areas without overloading your body. By the end of each microcycle, you will feel satisfied that you have worked on—and maybe even improved—a given skill or one of your many physical qualities.
You can work on one or two components of your swimming performance in one microcycle.
For example, one microcycle can focus on the freestyle technique, including drills and freestyle-centered sets, in every swim session that week.
Your next microcycle could focus on endurance, with the overall distance you swim gradually increasing in each session.
Microcycles target specific areas without overloading your body. By the end of each microcycle, you will feel satisfied that you have worked on—and maybe even improved—a given skill or one of your many physical qualities.
Example of a Microcycle:
1
Technique day, focused on freestyle stroke
2
Active recovery day for yoga, stretching, or walking
3
Endurance day for longer swims
4
Rest day
5
Interval training day, mixing up sprints with longer recovery swims
6
Recovery swim day, centered around easy and smooth swimming
7
Rest or recovery day
Mesocycles
Mesocycles combine several microcycles. One mesocycle can range from several weeks to a few months.
For example, you can plan a mesocycle that targets general swimming endurance. Over several weeks, your workouts will gradually grow in length and intensity so your body has time to adjust to what is being asked of it.
Mesocycles work well for any specific event or milestone, such as a swim meet, triathlon, or setting a new personal best for distance or speed.
With its progressive overload and gradual increase in volume, the mesocycle allows the body to adapt and become stronger with no risk of injury, burnout, or overtraining.
For example, you can plan a mesocycle that targets general swimming endurance. Over several weeks, your workouts will gradually grow in length and intensity so your body has time to adjust to what is being asked of it.
Mesocycles work well for any specific event or milestone, such as a swim meet, triathlon, or setting a new personal best for distance or speed.
With its progressive overload and gradual increase in volume, the mesocycle allows the body to adapt and become stronger with no risk of injury, burnout, or overtraining.
Example of a Mesocycle:
Week 1-2
Building endurance with longer, steady-paced swims.Week 3-4
Introduce speed work and interval training to increase swimming efficiency.Week 5-6
Mix endurance and speed sessions, incorporating drills to refine technique.Week 7-8
Taper off (reduce intensity) to allow for recovery and peak performance.
Macrocycles
Macrocycles are the longest of the cycles, usually ranging from a few months to a year. A macrocycle combines all the training phases to achieve your final goal.
For example, if you want to swim in an open water race next summer, your macrocycles include technique and endurance work. As you get closer to an open water event, the last phases of a macrocycle focus on tunning up speed while dropping the distances.
Essentially, a macrocycle is your long-term plan. It puts every micro- and mesocycle into perspective and aligns them towards your final goal.
A proper macrocycle covers all the aspects of your success in the water, such as training, rest, and recovery.
For example, if you want to swim in an open water race next summer, your macrocycles include technique and endurance work. As you get closer to an open water event, the last phases of a macrocycle focus on tunning up speed while dropping the distances.
Essentially, a macrocycle is your long-term plan. It puts every micro- and mesocycle into perspective and aligns them towards your final goal.
A proper macrocycle covers all the aspects of your success in the water, such as training, rest, and recovery.
Example of a Macrocycle:
Months 1-3: Foundation Phase
Focus: Get comfortable with swimming and add it to your weekly routine.
Goal: Swim regularly, 2-3 times per week, to build endurance and improve basic swimming skills. During this phase, you learn the basics, get used to the water, and work on your technique.
Example Workouts: Short, easy swims focusing on the fundamentals of swimming and proper technique. As a beginner, remember to add some simple drills to develop good swim technique.
Goal: Swim regularly, 2-3 times per week, to build endurance and improve basic swimming skills. During this phase, you learn the basics, get used to the water, and work on your technique.
Example Workouts: Short, easy swims focusing on the fundamentals of swimming and proper technique. As a beginner, remember to add some simple drills to develop good swim technique.
Months 4-6: Building Confidence
Focus: Start challenging yourself as you get more comfortable in the water.
Goal: Increase the length of your swimming workouts and start working on specific goals, like learning different strokes, building strength, or improving endurance. Don't be afraid to push your limits.
Example Workouts: Incorporate longer swims, mix some interval training, and refine your technique with swim drills. Consider adding strength training to your fitness routine to improve your strength and prevent injuries from overuse.
Goal: Increase the length of your swimming workouts and start working on specific goals, like learning different strokes, building strength, or improving endurance. Don't be afraid to push your limits.
Example Workouts: Incorporate longer swims, mix some interval training, and refine your technique with swim drills. Consider adding strength training to your fitness routine to improve your strength and prevent injuries from overuse.
Months 7-9: Getting Closer to Your Goal
Focus: It's time to sharpen your skills for a specific goal you had in mind.
Goal: Focus on improving speed, endurance, and overall performance. If you have a goal, like a swim race or completing a certain distance, this is your time to get specific with your swim workouts.
Example Workouts: Plan more structured sessions that mix speed work (fast swims followed by swims at a leisurely pace) specific to the distance or conditions you’ll face in an event.
Goal: Focus on improving speed, endurance, and overall performance. If you have a goal, like a swim race or completing a certain distance, this is your time to get specific with your swim workouts.
Example Workouts: Plan more structured sessions that mix speed work (fast swims followed by swims at a leisurely pace) specific to the distance or conditions you’ll face in an event.
Month 10: Recovery and Reflection
Focus: Swimming is an extremely challenging sport, and each swim is essentially a full-body workout. After you've achieved your goal, give your body and mind a chance to rest and recover.
Goal: Spend time doing some light activities and swimming effortlessly. This is a time to relax, celebrate your progress, and plan your next steps.
Example Activities: Easy swims, gentle dynamic stretches, hiking, or walking. You can even consider taking a short break from swimming. The focus is on rest and enjoying your progress.
Goal: Spend time doing some light activities and swimming effortlessly. This is a time to relax, celebrate your progress, and plan your next steps.
Example Activities: Easy swims, gentle dynamic stretches, hiking, or walking. You can even consider taking a short break from swimming. The focus is on rest and enjoying your progress.
Essential Tips for Planning Your Swimming Routine
Here are some simple tips to keep your swimming journey effective, combat boredom, and bring variety to your workouts:
Rest up, seriously!
Plan at least a day or two between swim sessions. If you feel extra tired or sore, it's perfectly fine to rest a little longer. Your body will thank you, and you will come back stronger.
Careful with the Weights
Lifting weights tightens up muscles, thus limiting your mobility and restricting blood flow, which is the last thing you want before jumping into the pool. Try to avoid heavy lifting a day or two before swimming. If you do lift, make sure to stretch out after to keep your muscles loose. Or avoid lifting weights altogether before you swim. It is all about what works best for you.
Don’t Skip the Warm-Up
I know it’s tempting to jump right into your swim, but warming up is non-negotiable. You wouldn't run a marathon without at least warming up your lower body, right? You slowly prepare your muscles for a heavy load. It would be best to do it the same way in the pool.
Incorporate Different Strokes
Keep switching your swimming strokes. Focus on multiple strokes; it might get boring doing freestyle all the time. Imagine eating your favorite food every day. How long will it take until you don't want to see it anymore?
Nail the Basics First
First and foremost, beginner swimmers should focus on technique. Take your time with drills and technical aspects of the swimming strokes. Tackling challenging swimming sets shouldn't be a priority for beginners.
Think Long-Term
It's human nature to crave immediate results, but swimming is a marathon. Setting long-term goals will keep you motivated and foster real progress. Maybe you want to swim a particular distance, increase your speed, or master a new stroke—whatever it is, give it time. Enjoy the small victories and focus on steady, consistent improvement. Patience and consistency are your best friends here.
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