Training For A Swimming Tournament

by bosanac
(Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Before I start, I have to mention that this is not a simple workout -- this is training, which is about stamina and strength.

I am 21 years old and I was training for swimming for ten years (I started when I was nine). The training I am about to mention is the training I used to practice before tournaments. It is very hard, and it takes lots of time each day, but the results are amazing...

Before achieving anything hard in your life, you have to be mentally strong. Do not expect that your muscles will grow up by doing this training one time in a month -- and do not think that you'll lose weight by doing this once!

You should repeat the training 3-5 times a week for at least one month.

Before doing anything, you need to have a bottle of water to prevent dehydration. When you become thirsty during the training do not drink the whole bottle but only a gulp or two.

You should not eat anything for an hour or two before training, because you'll be inactive, and you could get a stomachache.

Now, this training should be done in a park, for more reasons -- all parks have trees and trees produce clean air, which is important for breathing. Second, you should pick a park which is upland and has stairs (if it is possible).

The first part of training is warming up -- about 5-10 minutes -- you can find plenty of sites which describe how to warm up on Google.

After warming, you run a half mile to mile. Running should be easy and slow, because you prepare and warm up your body that way.

You do it for 3-4 times, then take a break for one-two minutes. When you're taking a break, you should breathe as much as possible -- you should take a deeeeep breath. And do it through your nose, because it's a natural way for humans to breathe.

After the break, you do sprints. For example, sprint 100 meters, then go back to the start by walking. And repeat it 4-5 times, that should be enough. If there are stairs in a park, do the sprint on them.

After this, do not rest, but walk or run (easy) for a half mile.

This is only one part of the training by foot we used to do while were preparing for tournaments. Be creative -- don't drive yourself by taxi or car to a park -- use a bike! This way you'll prevent pollution and warm yourself up.

Be creative in the training, also. You should do the training about an hour or an hour and a half. After you've finished with the park, go to the swimming pool.

The second part of the training is at swimming pool. First, warm yourself up. It's not good to get into water without warming your body, and there are multiple of reasons...

First, try to swim 50 meters without a break. Then 100. Then 150...and so on. The more you can swim without the break, the more stamina you have.

Do not swim fast because you'll get tired at the fiftieth meter. When you get tired, stop and relax yourself.

Then try to swim fast for 25 meters. Repeat this 5 times and every time you do it, get out of the pool and do 15 push-ups. After every time, rest yourself.

After finishing a sprint, swim as you did at the start of the swimming training. And that should be it for non-professional...

Scientists agree that swimming is the best sport for your body. I think there's a plenty videos describing the swimming technique on the internet, so try it, give swimming a chance, and you won't be disappointed.

That's all for now. I'm really sorry for my bad English -- it's 1:45 a.m and I'm really tired.......best wishes!