May 12, 2020
Alternatives To Swim Training During The Coronavirus Quarantine (Or When You Can’t Get To A Pool)
Sometimes you just can’t get to the pool. In this article we share four alternatives to traditional swim training.
With pools and beaches closed due to Coronavirus, it’s a bleak time for triathletes trying to get their swim sessions done.
While one option is to forget about swimming until the government lifts the restrictions, a better option is to alter the way you train for swimming.
In this post, I am going to share four alternatives to swimming that you can use independently or together, to help you maintain your swim specific fitness during this frustrating time.
1. Stretchcordz
Stretchcordz is an elastic tubing used by swimmers to simulate swimming on dry land and to perform strength training.
Stretchcordz is one of our favourite pieces of equipment for busy athletes, especially for those of you who travel a lot on business, because you can do them anywhere.
If you’re ever short on time, travelling, or can’t access a pool like we are facing today; you can complete a good “swim” session with cordz.
If you don’t yet own any Stretchcordz, you can buy the official branded Stretchcordz here, or purchase some replicas from China here.
I recommend you buy a set with light resistance. You can increase the resistance by standing further back from the anchor point. This approach gives you a wide range of flexibility, and the cordz become more versatile.
We’ve put together a few videos for you that demonstrate some of our favourite Stretchcordz exercises to get you started.
Complete each exercise on a 1-minute cycle, based on your current level of strength.
Beginner: 20 seconds on / 40 seconds rest.
Intermediate: 30 seconds on / 30 seconds rest.
Advanced: 40 seconds on / 20 seconds rest.
A session should last 10 – 20-minutes depending on your level of fitness and time available.
Double Arm
Catch
Exit
Single Arm
Swimmer
Cut Race Times, Not Corners.
Racing at your potential and enjoying training is easy when you’re following the right programme.
2. Strength Training
While gyms and functional training studios may be closed, there are plenty of bodyweight exercises that you can perform from the comfort of your home.
Here’s a video with a few exercises to get you started, and you can also search Google or YouTube for push-ups and push up variations, pull-ups and pull up variations and dips for more upper body strength exercises.
Like with Stretchcordz, I recommend you complete each exercise on a 1-minute cycle, based on your current level of strength.
Beginner: 20 seconds on / 40 seconds rest.
Intermediate: 30 seconds on / 30 seconds rest.
Advanced: 40 seconds on / 20 seconds rest.
A session should last 20 – 30-minutes depending on your level of fitness and time available.
3. Mobility & Stretching
The majority of age-group triathletes I work with are tight in their chest, shoulders, lats and back. This period is a great time to work on your mobility and increase your range of motion in your primary swim muscles.
Here’s a great video of a guided mobility session for swimmers that you can start with.
4. Vasa Trainer
A Vasa Trainer is the Rolls Royce of swimming equipment. If you’re fortunate enough to have one of these at your home, you have no excuse not to be putting in the work on your swimming.
Ben Pulham