Swimming Plan For Beginners

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Swimming Plan For Beginners

February 13, 2009

I am a fan of the Couch to 5k program for helping people get up off their couches and out onto the streets. I also like the Beginner Bike Plan for preparing folks for endurance biking. Now I bring you a plan to get you in the pool, since swimming indoors is a great Winter workout.

Swimming, like running and biking, takes time to build up the endurance and strength needed for lengthy workouts. With running, the first benchmark is a 5k, and with swimming it is a swimmer's mile, which is 1,650 yards (1,500 meters), not 1,760 yards like a normal mile.

I found this wonderful program created by Ruth Kazez. Her Zero to 1650: A Mile in Six Weeks plan is totally doable, all it needs is you . . . and a pool.

To see an example of the workout you should do three times in your first week at the pool, just read more.

Distance	Rest	Repeat	Total
100 yards	12 breaths	4 sets	400 yards
50 yards	8 breaths	4 sets	200 yards
25 yards	4 breaths	4 sets	100 yards
		Grand Total	700 yards

Most pools are 25 yards long, so this workout would be 14 laps, or 28 lengths. Doable, right? Each week you add 50 to 200 yards to your workout. You slowly build up your endurance. Breaks in between swim sets are generally part of a swimming fitness plan. Plus, this is similar to the beginning running programs that mix walking with running.

Source

11 Comments

4 years 6 weeks

3 weeks ago I was 38, @ 336lbs and made old man grunting noises just waddle-walking DOWN a set of stairs. I started swimming at the local Y (Y's are NICE facilities now). NOW when I see a set of stairs, I SPRINT to the top. YES even a mere ONE WEEK of swimming will do THAT TO YOU! I have lost TWO INCHES off of my waist in THREE WEEKS and I am down 17lbs. I stopped snoring too! No more being winded from just waddling my fat ass to the car! YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT BIG BOY! I swim EVERY DAY 30-70 minutes. When I started, I would swim 25 yards and stop to rest (out of breath) for a minute at least, AND THAT IS FINE, IT'S NORMAL SO DONT BE DISCOURAGED!!!!. I would keep doing this. I am up to 100 yards before stopping now, and growing. The others at the pool will only encourage you so PLEASE do not worry about thier thoughts! They have been where you are and they love to see you doing this!!!!! Are you fat and lazy? Afraid to let other people see your big flobbely man boobs, or your 12-inch side bags? There will always be someone else with bigger, flobbelier man boobs than you (and trust me, there will be) so who cares? DO IT, IT'S FUN AND REALLY EASY!!!!! IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE, FATTY!!!!!! I SWEAR IT WILL! JUST DO IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO NOT LISTEN TO THE SO CALLED 'EXPERTS' who claim that swimming is not a good way to loose weight THEY ARE FULL OF CRAP!!!! Of course, you can't eat like a damned pig at the trough anymore, choose your food carefully. High protein low carb and NO REFINED CARB has worked wonders for me. I munch on peanuts throughout the day, start my day with eggs and sausage every morning. JUST AVOID THE JUNK CRAP! Posted with Love.

pequeña 4 years 13 weeks

I love swimming! It's my favorite exercise along with yoga. It really helps me deal with stress. I normally go the pool three times a week, four if I can.

NatashaAlexis 4 years 14 weeks

I don't mean to be rude, but I've been noticing a common theme here and in certain fitness magazines lately where everyone seems to be giving advice about swimming or exercising in a pool. It's true that's great exercise, but I know most people like myself don't have access to an indoor pool, and it's snowing outside!

mscc 4 years 14 weeks

If only I had a pool...!

runningesq 4 years 14 weeks

I'll be swimming 2.4 mi in Cozumel Mexico in T minus 9 months !!

Mariana48 4 years 14 weeks

i used to swim a lot, havent done so in a while. anyone kno of a cheap place to swim in manhattan?! the ymca is just to expnsive for me, 80 dollars a month its waaaay too mcuh!

Spectra 4 years 14 weeks

I should really learn how to swim. I can dog-paddle to save my life, but that's about it. I'm so wildly inefficient at moving through the water...I need to take swimming lessons. I never learned to swim when I was a kid because my mom thought that if I came near water, I'd drown. My cousin was never a good swimmer either, but he took swim lessons at the Y as an adult and now he does triathlons, so maybe it's something I should look into.

tlsgirl 4 years 14 weeks

I think swimming is so hard. I mean, I can swim, I just get out of breath so fast in the pool for some reason.

GlowingMoon 4 years 14 weeks

I fitness swam for over 20 years. Be forewarned that swimming regularly can really dry out, and lighten the hair (to the point of damage). That's why I had to cut my long locks into a short, pageboy style. For an extra, effective workout, learn to flip turn against the wall. It's a terrific core exercise. One would lap swim continuously, and flip turning is really fun. It's somersaulting in the water, and pushing off the wall. It takes coordination and timing, but really, it's fun.

wackdoodle 4 years 14 weeks

Hmm...first I need to see a psychotherapist regarding fear of drowning. One of my older brothers (the crazy one) tried to drown me when I was 2 years old and so I am not comfortable with my face in the water or with water near my neck. But oddly I can swim. My mom was a lifeguard as a teen so she made sure we all (all 5 of her kids) could swim. I was forced every summer to take lessons and every year I refused to take the final test which was to jump into the deep end, touch the bottom of the pool then swim underwater to the other side of the pool. No way was I doing that especially with crazy brother taking lessons at the same people at the same time.

aimeeb 4 years 14 weeks

Thanks!

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11 Comments

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