How to Make Swimming Laps More Effective

Since water has 12 times the resistance of air, any fitness activity you do in the water will make a naturally effective workout. As a lap swimmer, you might wonder how you can make the most out of your pool sessions. Find new and engaging ways to reap the many benefits of lap swimming, which include improved cardiovascular fitness, reduced stress and better joint flexibility.

Things You'll Need

  • Swim suit
  • Swim cap
  • Swimming goggles
  • Swim fins
  • Pull buoy
  • Resistance paddles
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Instructions

    • 1

      Consult your swimming pool's lap swimming schedule and its policies regarding lane-sharing to make sure you will be able to swim at the time you prefer. If possible, see if you can reserve a lane for your preferred time.

    • 2

      Arrive at the swimming pool early enough to prepare for your swimming session without losing time in the pool. Take this time to greet fellow swimmers, make sure you have all of your gear, take a pre-swim shower and wet your hair, put on your swimming suit, put on your swim cap and adjust your goggles.

    • 3

      Warm up before starting your official workout to make sure your blood is flowing and your muscles are ready to work. One possible warm-up might involve swimming a 200-yard freestyle set, then doing a 200-yard individual medley kick set and ending with a 100-yard pull set. There are many kinds of warm-ups you could do. Find something that is relaxing and simply gets your blood flowing.

    • 4

      Concentrate on your form throughout each stroke you swim. The more efficient you become as a swimmer, the faster and easier your swimming will be for you, so take the skills you already have and work to improve them. See if your swimming pool has a masters swim team or club or if you can take swimming lessons to help sharpen your stroke work to make your workouts more effective.

    • 5

      Mix up your stroke work for a more effective lap swimming session. "Confusing" the muscles used for the different swimming strokes -- including freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and side stroke -- will give you a more effective workout, as well as keep it interesting and challenging.

    • 6

      Add interval sets to improve your aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Make sure to vary your pace in the pool to get in some high- and low-intensity work within a single session. One possibility you might consider for interval or sprint work is doing a 25- or 50-yard sprint, all out, then doing a 75- to 100-yard recovery and repeating that up to four times. Another option for interval work is doing 50-yard build sets where you swim the first 25 yards at an easier pace, then build to a sprint finish in the second 25 yards, take 15 seconds of rest and repeat.

    • 7

      Perform swimming drills to improve your stroke, kick and swimming-specific strength. Incorporate equipment such as swim fins to help work on your kick or a pull buoy and resistance paddles to focus on your stroke.