3 Tips to Excel in Endurance Swimming

One of the hardest sports that I have ever heard
of is endurance swimming.
Anyone who does this, whether it’s during a triathlon or just a swim race, is way tougher than I am.
If it’s something you want to do, let me warn you. It’s not for the faint of heart.
It’s not like you can just stop in the middle and have a seat to catch your breath. It’s basically all or nothing.
So, here are three endurance swimming tips to excel. I hope it may help you.
 

Train, train, train

Now, this one may seem obvious. But hang with me for a second. You may think that it’s enough for you to just swim really far and you’re good to go.
Well, while that is important, I would recommend diversifying your workout.
Do sprints and slow swims. Also, do some work outside of the pool to train your breathing and increase your lung capacity.
Running and lifting will help strengthen your legs and arms. Just make sure you’re doing low weight and high reps so you get the muscle endurance without bulking up too much.
 

keep your form

As you swim for a long distance, you’re going to find that it is easier to fall out of good form in order to just push through and finish the race. You may not even notice that your great endurance swimming technique has gone all wonky.
You may also lose your form while trying to go faster than your form will allow.
While you can get some temporary gain from swimming like a crazy fool, you will lose a lot of energy by making unnecessary movements.
You should only swim as fast as you can while still maintaining good form. If you do this, you will end up moving faster in the long run.
 

keep your head down

So, one of the bad habits that many endurance swimmers have is that they lift their head out of the water to see where they are way too often.
While I don’t recommend swimming until you crack your head against something, you should trust your other senses and look for land marks on the bottom of the pool or river. This trick can help you swim straight.
Lifting your head up will lower the rest of your body lower in the water and give you more drag and slow you way down. Also, it will force you to expend more energy to get back on track.
 

Pull It together

As you race, make sure to pull your stroke together so no energy is wasted. Keep these tips in mind as you go and I’m sure you will excel in endurance swimming! If you have additional tips to share, please leave them in the comment section below. And don’t forget to bring your Underwater Audio Waterproof iPod to the pool with you!