You might be fortunate enough that your coach has already set some guidelines for what you should (and shouldn't) do during the vacation. If that’s the case, stick to the plan! But if you've been given free rein, it can be tricky to decide how and how much to train over the holidays. At Watery, we've gathered our experiences and crafted them into a set of tips and tricks for you to use. This way, you can avoid making the same mistakes we did!
Water Sensation
I personally dislike the initial dive into the pool after a long and enjoyable summer break where water training has been limited. Over the years, I’ve always tried to maintain some level of water sensation during the holidays. Does this mean you should continue training 20 hours a week during the break? Absolutely not! Note that we’re talking about water sensation here, not aerobic conditioning. Water sensation simply means having contact with the water every other day. You can achieve this by swimming a few easy kilometers (perhaps using zoomers) or by taking a trip to the beach or a dip in the pool with friends. Water sensation definitely doesn't have to be boring or a chore. That said, it's also crucial not to suddenly go from no training to completing a very demanding water program spanning several long kilometers. This only risks overworking the small muscles around your joints (particularly those shoulders of yours). Using zoomers can be especially beneficial here!
If you don't own a pair of zoomers (or fins), we're currently offering 5% off ALL fins from DMC on our website: https://www.watery.dk/collections/svommefodder
Shoulder Exercises
As mentioned, it's important to take care of your shoulders. If you want to start the season injury-free, it's also advisable to continue doing shoulder exercises over the summer. Shoulder exercises don't count as intense physical labor but are essential for strengthening the small stabilizing muscles around the shoulder joints. These exercises can often be performed with just a band and your body weight. So there's no excuse not to do these essential shoulder exercises, even if you're relaxing at a campsite in Italy!
GET A DISCOUNT CODE WITH 10% OFF
The discount code can be used by all new customers on all products on the website, including the products recommended here in the article.
What are you waiting for? Get more out of your time in and on the water!
Strength Training
Besides maintaining the muscles around your joints, it's also a good idea to engage in light strength training. If you choose to strength train during the vacation, steer clear of doing few repetitions with heavy weights. Instead, focus on basic training where you perform many repetitions (up to 15 reps) with 80% of your maximum weight. Conducting your strength training as circuit training is highly beneficial since it also provides cardio training. Another advantage of circuit training is that it prevents overworking the same muscle group for extended periods. If you opt for circuit training, it's important to consider the sequence of exercises (don’t start with all the arm exercises, for instance). When doing shoulder exercises, you can easily incorporate them into your strength training program!
Cardio Training
Last but not least, we should talk about cardio training. Swimming is an endurance sport, meaning that swim training involves prolonged efforts and primarily burns carbohydrates. To perform well over extended periods, maintaining good fitness is crucial. You build a solid base by working out for long durations at a high heart rate. This is achieved not only through swimming but also by cycling, running, rollerblading, and more. (NB: Find running and cycling equipment at bgh.dk). The summer vacation is a great opportunity to try something new. By engaging in activities other than swimming, you can give some of the major muscle groups a break, which you usually only work during swimming. This is often very healthy and can be injury-preventive. In addition, you get to train new muscle groups and have the chance to enhance the social aspects of your sport since trying an "alternative" sport for your swim training might involve different people than your usual swimming pals. Lastly, running, cycling, soccer, etc., are excellent alternatives for exercise when on holiday and you might not have access to a swimming pool.
[section=featured_product1]
Still need some vibrant workout gear for your summer vacation training sessions? At Watery, we have just received a batch of delightful, festive, and colorful training apparel from Funkita.
You can find the training gear here: https://www.watery.dk/collections/svommeudstyr
// Watery Team wishes you a great summer vacation!
