Swimming Workout Routine

A swimming workout routine is one of the best ways to get a toned physique in time for this year's bathing suit season.  Not only is it a low impact activity, which is good for those with joint injuries, but it an effective workout for people in all stages of their exercise regimen.  Seasoned fitness veterans, as well as those just beginning to exercise, will see results from a well planned swimming workout.  You will begin to see results even fast by adding these steps to your swimming workout routine. 

1. Swim in a regulation pool.  By completing your swimming workout routine in a regulation pool, you will be able to keep track of how much swimming you have done.  Olympic regulation pools measure 50 meters in length, while many others measure 25 meters.  Either choice is acceptable, as long as the length of the pool is known.  This way, you will be able to calculate your distance in terms of meters instead of laps.
2. Always begin your workout with a warm up.  You would not begin running five miles without at least walking for a few minutes to warm up your body.  The same concept applies to swimming.  Begin your workout with 100-150 meters of easy swimming on the stroke of your choice.  This will wake up your muscles and get your blood flowing.
3. Vary your stroke.  If done properly, swimming for exercise will target nearly all of the main muscle groups in the body.  Just as you would not only target your biceps on land, do not isolate one muscle group in the water by staying with the same stroke.  Challenging yourself to incorporate the four basic strokes into your workout.  These strokes are: freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke.
4. Breathe deep and often.  The circulation of oxygen is critical in your swimming workout routine.  Even though swimming requires your head to be underwater much of the time, do not forget to breathe whenever you need to.  For example, you should not swim more than fifteen meters in freestyle without taking a breath.  The millisecond it takes you to breathe will restore oxygen to your muscles, giving you more endurance.  On strokes like the backstroke, when breathing is uninhibited, try and steady your breathing.
5. Always end your workout with a cool down.  Similar to the warm up, you would never want to stop an exercise without cooling down your muscles.  A good cool down will keep your muscles from becoming stiff following a rigorous workout.  For a proper swimming cool down, swim 150-200 meters in the stroke of your choice.  Do not aim for speed, but swim at a relaxed pace.