You often see that people jump into the water without a plan, swim with Lifeguard Course laps for half an hour, and then stop. So what they do is only endurance training. They swim 40 to 100 laps at a nice pace they can sustain for a long time. But if you want to swim faster, it is important to make sets. Are you planning to swim 70 laps? Then divide it into a warm-up of, for example, 14 lanes and then take, for example, 3 sets of 8 lanes with a minute of rest in between. Then swim another 6 laps and then take another set of, for example, 5 times 4 laps to which you swim 6 laps again.
Tips For Swimming Faster
Interval swimming sessions
In line with making the sets, you can, also vary the swimming speeds during these sets. Just like running, interval training in swimming is also very suitable for working on your speed. But like running, you don’t necessarily have to do interval sets every workout. Just try to take an interval session now and then. Interval workouts are heavier than ‘normal’ and have more impact on your body than most people think. An occasional interval swim workout will improve your speed.
There are plenty of options in terms of variation. For example, swim the distances within a set alternately hard and soft. Or swim the first 2 max of every 4 lanes and the second 2 relaxed. You can also swim sets in a pyramid shape (start relaxed, work up to a maximum speed and decrease until you finish relaxed). You can also build up sets in which you do 4 x 4 jobs: the first 4 at 50% of your speed, the second 4 at 60%, the third 4 at 70% and the last 4 at your maximum speed. The same can of course also be done vice versa.
Technique
Keep working on your technique at all times. That is the basis of your speed. So it is not bad to cover much fewer meters in training than usual because you focus on your technique. Keep practicing your technique yourself or take lessons. In almost every swimming pool, there are lessons, and in almost every place where they have a swimming pool, there is also a swimming club where you can register and take lessons at every level.
Efficiency Exercises
Ideally, you want to make as many meters as possible with as little effort. Of course, your technique is the most important for this. But you can practice this yourself very well with efficiency exercises. For example, try to stay in a streamlined position during the front crawl and only continue to pull with your right arm when it has touched your left arm (we call that compensating).
Another exercise that is often used for this is counting your strokes. You often use more strokes than you need. Try to get to the other side in fewer strokes each time! If you keep practicing this you will see that it works and you will swim more efficiently.
A third exercise is to swim with your fists instead of with your hands open and fingers extended. That way, you don’t go faster, but you feel what is happening and the difference. Feel what you do with your arms and then swim ‘normally’ again. You will see that afterward, you also get more speed from your regular stroke.
Work on parts
Most beginners only swim full strokes when they go swimming. But it is also good to train your arms, legs and posture separately. You may have a lot of trouble with the front crawl arms while swimming with your legs is quite good. It is then good to fully focus on that arm stroke without using your legs. You can do this with the help of a pull-boy or plank between your legs. You can also use a plank for your arms and only swim with your legs. The combination will improve if you master the individual parts better.
Swim quiet workouts too
One of the most common mistakes when it comes to getting faster with sports, in general, is that people train too fast. But to become faster, it is also very important to occasionally run quiet training sessions. If you try every workout to get faster, go hard, and get the most out of it, your body will get tired.
Moreover, you always train your body within a certain zone, so the range remains limited. If you increase your training range, i.e. train in different heart rate zones, you will eventually increase your speed. So you need very heavy workouts such as interval workouts where you occasionally really go to the limit and (almost) reach your maximum heart rate, but also workouts where you swim your laps at a very relaxed pace and can still breathe and relax. have a calm heartbeat.
Combine swimming with core (stability) training
Like in many other sports, your core is important in swimming. Your position in the water is much better with a strong back and stomach. And your posture is one of the most important things in swimming. The moment lying in the right position costs you less energy because you have a strong core, then swimming in itself costs you much less energy and you can focus even better on the technique of, for example, your breathing, legs or arms. . And in the end it is easier to swim faster.
