You
came to the pool straight from the couch. You followed the
Zero to
One Mile in Six Weeks
plan
and now you can swim a straight mile just a little bit slower
than the slowest person in the pool. And that's good enough
because you want to swim for exercise, but you also want to enjoy
it. You have no interest in racing and you're not a triathlete
or any other kind of athlete. You simply want to enjoy doing
what is good for you. You're bored. Now what? |
Assuming
you want to swim one hour 3 times per week, it's probably a good idea
to continue the one mile on day one, but there are many ways of making
the other two sessions a bit more fun. For maximum fitness benefits,
it helps to exercise at different speeds to occasionally raise your
heart rate. Using different strokes strenghthens different muscles,
of course, but it is also less boring.
Swimmers
are generally very fond of numbers. 8 x 50 on 55, descending
by :02 feels natural in our minds. Writing all the numbers down
afterwards in pages in our notebooks or on the computer gives an afterglow
of measured accomplishments. I recognize that these numbers
contribute nothing pleasant to most recreational swimmers, so I'll
see if I can keep them to a minimum.
Day
One, each week: swim for as long as you know it
takes you to go one mile. If you have extra time in your hour,
do whatever other strokes you already know.
Day Two: Swim 15 minutes, Kick 10 minutes,
Swim as fast as you can 5 minutes. Swim any other stroke you
know 10 minutes. Swim the other stroke 1 length as fast as you
can. Rest and repeat 4 times. Run in the water for 10 minutes.
Day Three: Swim 15 minutes, Choose a
stroke you don't know and attempt to swim several lengths.
Kick the new stroke 5 minutes. . Swim freestyle 10 minutes.
Swim with one arm, changing arms after one length. Try breathing
on unnatural side. Swim with fists. Swim any stroke 5 minutes.
Day etc.These sessions can vary as much
as you like. The general scheme is: once per week distance,
once per week speed, once per week learn something new.
|
|