Swimming Conditioning Workouts

Swimming is an attractive exercise option for people of all shapes, sizes and fitness levels because of its low-impact nature and potential for killer workouts. Before you jump in the pool and start your training, you need to design a workout with specific goals in mind. The tempo and effort you keep up as well as the drills you do depend on whether you're a beginner looking to test out the waters or an experienced swimmer attempting to push yourself to new levels.

  1. Conditioning Benefits

    • Keeping up a regular swimming routine is a low-impact method of losing weight, building endurance, improving strength and flexibility, strengthening your heart, rehabbing muscles and promoting muscular balance, according to the United States Water Fitness Association. MayoClinic.com states that you can burn 400 to 700 calories per hour swimming at a moderate pace, depending on your weight. The bouyancy of water allows you to perform exercises you couldn't do on land, while the added resistance of the water on your muscles -- 12 to 14 times more than on dry land -- conditions your entire body.

    Beginner Workout

    • Before you can experiment with swimming sprints and interval training, start with some easier pool workouts designed to test out your aerobic threshold and improve your technique. Joel Shinofield, head swim coach at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, recommends swimming four lengths of the pool at a moderate pace, taking 30 seconds of rest and repeating five to 10 times for the first two to three weeks of a new swimming program. Mix up your strokes to change things up and to get comfortable with new patterns of movement.

    Advanced Workouts

    • If relaxed freestyle workouts are too easy for you, former Navy SEAL and strength and conditioning specialist Stew Smith points to pool sprints as a way to get more out of your swim workout. Smith recommends structuring your workout to run 40 minutes to one hour. Start with sprints, swimming as fast as you can for 50-meter rounds and taking brief, 20-second rests between sprints. Take a one-minute rest after every set of five sprints. Swim sprints for 20 to 30 minutes and then do a long, moderately-paced swim for another 20 to 30 minutes.

    Drills and Land Training

    • To get the most out of swimming conditioning workouts, you need to get comfortable with different swim strokes and speeds. Swimming drills such as sculling -- treading water -- kicking and rhythm drills will improve your confidence and versatility in the water. Supplement your swim training with dry-land strength and conditioning, including dips and pullups, to improve full body strength and performance.