
TRAINING TIPS - SWIMMING
Phase 1: Strength Stage (30% of training time allocation)
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Goal: Build strength and power to improve starts, turns, body position, and stroke endurance throughout a race.
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Tips:
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Concentrate on the correctness and efficiency of swimming movements, such as stroke, breathing, and body position. The aim is to make swimming feel smooth and controlled, rather than chasing speed or distance.
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Develop a consistent swimming habit each week by finding a training rhythm that suits you.
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Target key muscle groups:
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Core
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Lower back
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Shoulders
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Deltoids
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Forearms
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Upper back
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Glutes
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Hamstrings
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Working on flexibility and mobility in your shoulders, lats, back and ankles will help make swimming easier.
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Key Workouts:
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Focus on exercises like Bench Press, Squats, Pull-ups, Bench Pulls, Broad Jumps, Squat Jumps and Planks.
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Water-based exercises like walking, jumping jacks, back wall glide, and leg kicks
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Phase 2: Cardio Stage/ Endurance Stage (30% of training time allocation)
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Goal: Gradually enhance endurance fitness, improve the ability to sustain swimming, and maintain stable technique.
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Tips:
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Increase swim time and distance to build cardiovascular and muscular endurance.
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Maintain a steady, relaxed rhythm to avoid early fatigue.
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Use a mix of continuous and interval training to build overall fitness.
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Prioritize recovery with regular rest and proper nutrition.
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You can vary the distance you do per repetition to build up to swimming longer per effort. If your total training volume is 1000m, you can break this up in to 20 x 50m efforts first, then 10 x 100m efforts, and then 5 x 200m efforts and so on, resting anywhere between 5 – 45 seconds depending on your fitness and planned training intensity for that session.
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Key Workouts:
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Dry land circuit: jog in place, jumping jacks, skipping, burpees, and squat jumps – performed in rounds with short rest intervals
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Interval Training
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Perform a series of short, high-intensity sprints followed by brief rest periods.
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Example: Swim four 50-meter sprints at maximum effort, then rest for 20-30 seconds between sprints. Repeat for several rounds.
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Endurance Ladders
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Swim progressively longer distances with short rest intervals in between.
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Example: Swim 200 meters, rest for 15 seconds, swim 400 meters, rest for 30 seconds, swim 600 meters, and so on.
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Phase 3: Breakthrough Stage (40% of training time allocation)
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Goal: Prepare specifically for the target event, strengthen water-based skills, simulate competition conditions, and optimize physical and mental states.
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Tips:
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Refine water skills like sighting, breathing on both sides, and swimming in varied environments.
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Practice with race-day gear and strategies to build confidence and familiarity.
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Reach peak endurance by pushing your longest swim sets before entering a tapering phase.
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Develop mental strategies to manage pressure and boost race-day confidence.
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Reference site:
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https://www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com/planning-endurance-swim-training/
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https://www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/learn/swimming/what-muscle-groups-do-swimming-develop
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https://swimswam.com/strength-training-exercises-for-swimmers/
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https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/pool-exercises
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https://www.competitorswim.com/swimming-workouts-how-to-build-endurance-and-speed-in-the-pool/
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