Do you aim to boost your swimming speed with lifeguard recertification? Keep in mind the following points and exercises to improve in this very important facet of swimming.
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Taking courses of different distances in the pool in the shortest possible time is the main objective of competitive swimming. For this reason, many athletes are interested in the various ways to gain swimming speed in order to enhance their performance. Are you interested in knowing what they are? We will tell you about it in this article!
What does speed depend on when swimming?
There are certain factors that can lead an individual to swim faster or slower. Of course, the physical condition of each person is included with lifeguard recertification, and there are even genetic factors that determine in advance the ability of each one in this regard. Neural linkages and the timing of the central nervous system also play a role.
However, there are also other factors that are perfectly trainable. To swim faster, technical gestures, posture, and even breathing also influence; equally, muscle strength and power are important. As you will see, all are qualities that can be worked both inside and outside the pool.
Methods to gain a swimming speed
In the following list, we propose some recommendations and exercises for the athlete to gain swimming speed.
Technical exercises
Clearly, the kick and stroke are critical to speed in the aquatic environment. In this sense, performing specific exercises with a personal trainer can be of great help; To isolate the movements, elements such as boards, pull buoys or fins can be used.
Sprints are generally done at maximum speed to improve in this facet. In these practices, the duration should not be too long – between 8 and 15 seconds – and there must be an adequate rest between each series – at least 3 minutes. It is usually recommended to do between 5 and 7 series.
Regarding the action of the arms, it is extremely important to maintain coordination and make a correct turn of the body when bringing a limb forward.
On the other hand, kicking is one of the times when energy is wasted unnecessarily for lifeguard recertification. That is why it becomes essential to maximize your efficiency. It is important, then, to keep the feet together and the ankles extended; Remember that the movement must come from the hips and not from the flexion of the knees.
Another crucial point is posture. In the horizontal position assumed when swimming, the head, torso, and hips are aligned to maintain the center of buoyancy, usually located in the chest. The swimmer should try to stay stable and reduce resistance while preventing the chest and hips from sinking too far.
The head, meanwhile, has to stay fixed looking towards the bottom of the pool. To breathe, the chin must be turned a maximum of 90 degrees; if we exceed that incline, the muscles tense, and stability is compromised.
Breathing does not limit swimming speed
In the past, it was common to hear that breathing was an attack on speed in the crawl style, which requires the swimmer to make an extra movement – that of sticking their head out – to take a breath.
However, today this has been denied, and there are even swimmers who breathe in each stroke cycle. As long as the technique is good and that the breathing does not affect the power of the stroke or the stability of the body, there will be no problem in going out to breathe more frequently.
Strength and power work in the gym
The training outside the pool allows the development of greater muscle strength. This physical fitness, added to the resistance and mobility that these exercises provide, helps to move better in the water.
The reaction speed, which we apply when we jump into the pool at the beginning of the race, can also be exercised with work of this type in and out of the pool. Concentration is key in this case since external stimuli such as the movements of other swimmers can lead to an early departure.
Another benefit of strengthening muscles is that the onset of fatigue is delayed, which helps to sustain a high effort for a longer amount of time. This is an important quality in long races.
The work for the arms and shoulders is very important, as well as exercising the strength of the legs. Similarly, strengthening the abdomen, back and chest will allow you to gain stability when swimming.
We should not only think about exercises with heavy bars to strengthen the indicated areas. Work with your own body weight or a medicine ball and the use of elastic bands are very effective to work all the muscles of the body.
Gaining swimming speed demands practice and perseverance
While doing the exercises and work mentioned above, you should measure your times to evaluate your progress. Setting goals is very useful to motivate you to go for more; Of course, make sure that these are not too demanding, since you could injure yourself by overexertion or, worse still, get frustrated and abandon training for lifeguard recertification.
In short, gaining swimming speed is possible if we polish the technique to the maximum, eradicate errors that take away hydrodynamics, and strengthen the muscles involved in this action. With all this and a lot of will, we will achieve the objectives. Be faster than ever and improve your performance!
