An extract from our upcoming Swim Chapter.
Two years ago, I’d taken a decade off swimming.
Here’s the plan I used to get myself back in the game.
The Raw Reality
Most aspiring swimmers don’t last long enough to see improvement.
Their program:
Too Much
Too Fast
Exhausting
At the first speed bump, they have an excuse to stop… and take it.
The first step is not improvement.
The first step is enjoyment.
The Swim Game
Let’s play a game.
Three swims a week
Ten weeks
For Five Weeks => no swim longer than 1500 meters
The idea:
Build a habit of getting to the pool
Leave while we're still having fun
Associate "fun" with "pool" in our brains.
Habit + Fun = Sustainable Consistency
Where To Focus
RELAX
SLOW your breathing rate
DEEPEN your breath
Three-stroke breathing pattern - if you need more rest to maintain three-stroke breathing then take it (also slow down)
TURNS
Flip turns off every wall
Long off the wall
Tight streamline
Breathe on the 2nd stroke off the wall
Just do it - you will get better with practice
Ten weeks of workouts can be found in this document. Work your way through the series, in order. It’s OK if it takes you more than ten weeks.
Each two-week block has a theme:
Head Position & Relaxation
Recovery & Entry
Pull Pattern
Extend Continuous Duration
Change Speed While Swimming
Along the way, you will improve your technique while learning:
Your Swim Paces
Swim Lingo
Remember, this ten-week block is the first step towards a lifelong enjoyment of swimming.
We want you to:
Relax
Have Fun
Exit The Pool While You Are Still Having Fun
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