Running, while a great way to stay fit, can be hard on your body, especially on your joints, muscles, and heart.
That’s where swimming comes in.
It’s a low-impact exercise, meaning it’s gentle on your joints. Still, it’s also a fantastic way to build endurance, strengthen different muscle groups (which can help prevent running injuries), and improve recovery after challenging runs.
Whether training for a marathon or enjoying a regular jog, incorporating swim workouts can enhance your running performance.
This article will explore specific swim workouts designed for runners, explain their benefits, and show how they complement your running schedule!
Recovery swims are all about active recovery. Your muscles accumulate lactic acid after a hard run or race, contributing to soreness and stiffness.
Swimming helps flush out this lactic acid by increasing blood circulation and delivering oxygen to your muscles for repair. The water’s buoyancy is a key benefit, supporting your body weight and minimising stress on your joints, which are often pounded during running.
Workout Details (Total: Approximately 400 metres)
This workout is designed to be gentle and restorative. Focus on smooth strokes, controlled breathing, and a relaxed pace throughout. Don’t worry about speed; the goal is recovery, not performance.
Warm-Up (200 metres):
Main Set (200 metres):
4 x 50 metres Alternating Freestyle and Backstroke: This is the core of the recovery swim. Alternate between 50 metres of freestyle and 50 metres of backstroke.
Freestyle: Focus on a relaxed, efficient stroke. Breathe every 3-5 strokes, whichever feels most comfortable.
Backstroke: This is a great way to open up your chest and shoulders after running. Keep your body horizontal in the water and focus on a smooth, alternating arm action.
Rest Intervals: Take 15-30 seconds rest between each 50-metre repetition. This allows your heart rate to recover slightly.
Cool Down (100 metres):
50 metres Light Swimming (Choice of Stroke): Choose any stroke you find comfortable (freestyle, breaststroke, or even a gentle doggy paddle). Maintain an effortless pace.
50 metres Gentle Kicking with Kickboard (Optional): Using a kickboard for the final 50 metres can help loosen up your leg muscles. Focus on a relaxed kick and avoid kicking too hard. Alternatively, you can simply float or perform very gentle kicking without a board.
A long-distance swim mimics the cardiovascular demands of a long run but without the pounding on your joints. Long-distance swims strengthen your lungs and improve overall blood circulation.
It also helps develop mental focus and pacing skills crucial for successful long-distance running.
Workout Details (Approximately 2000 metres):
Warm-Up (300 metres): Swim 300 metres of freestyle at a steady, moderate pace. This prepares your muscles and cardiovascular system for the main set. Focus on good form and a consistent rhythm.
Main Set (1600 metres): Perform 4 repetitions of 400 metres freestyle. Maintain a consistent, moderate effort throughout each 400. The key is to find a pace you can sustain for the entire distance.
Remember to take 30 seconds of rest between each 400-metre interval to allow for a brief recovery.
Cool Down (100 metres): Finish with 100 metres of slow backstroke or breaststroke. This helps your heart rate gradually return to normal and promotes muscle relaxation.
By working on your anaerobic capacity, this workout improves cardiovascular efficiency, sprint speed, and overall running performance.
These short, high-intensity swims mirror running interval workouts, which are known to improve speed, lung capacity, and anaerobic efficiency. The sprints also engage and strengthen fast-twitch muscle fibres, which contribute to explosive power during races and hill climbs.
Workout Details (Approximately 800 metres):
Warm-Up (200 metres): Swim 200 metres of freestyle at a slow pace to prepare your body for high-intensity intervals.
Main Set (500 metres): Perform 10 repetitions of 50 metres freestyle sprints. Swim each 50 at your maximum effort. Take 20–30 seconds of rest between each sprint to allow for partial recovery.
Cool Down (100 metres): Finish with 100 metres of gentle swimming using mixed strokes. This helps your body recover from the intense interval.
This workout isolates and strengthens the lower body muscles essential for running, such as the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
By isolating the legs, kickboard workouts improve leg strength, power, and endurance without the impact stress of running. More muscular legs translate to better stride efficiency, reduced fatigue during runs, and improved hill climbing ability.
Workout Details (Approximately 400 metres):
Warm-Up (100 metres): Swim 100 metres freestyle at a relaxed pace to warm up your legs.
Main Set (250 metres): Perform 5 repetitions of 50 metres kicking with a kickboard.
Alternate between:
Flutter Kicks (Freestyle Kick): Focus on a fast, shallow kick originating from the hips. Keep your legs relatively straight and your ankles relaxed.
Frog Kicks (Breaststroke Kick): This kick engages different muscles and helps improve hip flexibility. Focus on a powerful outward and inward motion of the legs.
Cool Down (50 metres): To cool down your leg muscles, perform 50 metres of light flutter kicks without a board.
This workout is ideal for injured runners, those recovering from strenuous efforts, or those looking for a low-impact cross-training option.
Pool running maintains cardiovascular fitness and strengthens running-specific muscles without the risk of further injury. It’s a great way to stay active and keep your running form during recovery periods.
Workout Details:
Warm-Up (5 minutes): Perform 5 minutes of water jogging in the shallow end to get your body moving.
Main Set: Perform 3 repetitions of 5-minute deep-water jogging. Use a flotation belt if needed to maintain proper upright posture. Alternate between:
Cool Down (3 minutes): Finish with 3 minutes of easy water jogging or treading water.
While running is primarily a lower-body activity, a strong upper body and core are essential for maintaining good posture, stability, and efficient running form, especially during long-distance events. This workout helps prevent fatigue and reduces the risk of injury.
Workout Details (Total: Approximately 650 metres):
Warm-Up (200 metres): Swim 200 metres freestyle at a relaxed pace.
Main Set (400 metres): Perform 4 repetitions of 100 metres using a pull buoy between your thighs. The pull buoy provides buoyancy for your legs, allowing you to focus on your arm strokes. Focus on a firm pull and maintaining good body alignment.
Cool Down (50 metres): Finish with 50 metres of light backstroke or breaststroke.
The pyramid structure mirrors the varied pacing during runs, especially during races. It helps improve your ability to change gears, maintain consistent effort, and build mental resilience for handling different paces.
Workout Details (Total: Approximately 800 metres):
Warm-Up (200 metres): Swim 200 metres of easy freestyle.
Main Set (500 metres): Follow the pyramid structure:
Remember to rest for 20–30 seconds between each pyramid segment.
Cool Down (100 metres): Finish with 100 metres of light swimming using mixed strokes.
Running is known to put significant stress on your joints, mainly on your knees, ankles, and hips, over time.
Swimming, on the other hand, is a non-weight-bearing exercise. The buoyancy of the water supports your body weight, eliminating the impact forces experienced during running.
This makes swimming an ideal cross-training activity for runners. It allows you to work your muscles and cardiovascular system without the constant pounding on your joints.
This is especially beneficial for runners who are prone to injuries or are recovering from one. It allows them to maintain their fitness levels without exacerbating their condition.
After a strenuous run, your muscles accumulate metabolic byproducts like lactic acid, contributing to muscle soreness and stiffness. Swimming helps facilitate recovery by increasing blood flow to your muscles.
This enhanced circulation delivers oxygen and essential nutrients to the damaged tissues, promoting repair and reducing inflammation. The gentle pressure of the water also provides a soothing massage-like effect, further aiding in muscle relaxation and relieving tension.
A recovery swim can be a much more effective way to reduce muscle soreness than simply resting.
Swimming is an excellent cardiovascular workout that engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously. This challenges your heart and lungs, improving your aerobic capacity and overall cardiovascular fitness.
A more muscular cardiovascular system translates directly to improved endurance for running, allowing you to run for longer distances and at higher intensities with less fatigue. Swimming can also improve your breathing efficiency, which is crucial for running performance.
While running strengthens the legs and lower body, swimming engages every part of the body’s muscle, including your back, shoulders, core, and arms.
This balanced muscle development helps to prevent muscle imbalances that can contribute to running injuries. Swimming also strengthens key running muscles, such as the glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves, but without the impact stress associated with running.
One of the most significant benefits of swimming for runners is its role in injury prevention and rehabilitation. Because it’s a low-impact activity, swimming allows injured runners to maintain their fitness levels without further aggravating their injuries.
It can also be used as a form of physical therapy to aid recovery. For example, swimming can help improve range of motion, reduce swelling, and strengthen weakened muscles after an injury.
By incorporating swimming into their routine, runners can proactively prevent injuries and stay active even when they are unable to run.
Swimming is the perfect solution for runners looking to boost endurance, recover faster, or simply mix things up.
It’s low-impact, highly effective, and helps strengthen the muscles you rely on for running without adding stress to your joints. From recovery swims to endurance training, swim workouts can make a real difference in your performance and overall fitness.
Want to get started? Swimwerks’ swimming lessons are here to help! With expert coaches, tailored swim programmes, and a supportive environment, they make swimming easy and enjoyable for runners of all levels. Whether you’re entirely new to the pool or want to refine your technique, Swimwerks has everything you need to hit your goals.
Ready to dive in? Contact us today and discover how swimming can take your running to the next level!
Swimming provides a low-impact way to improve cardiovascular fitness, build muscle strength, and enhance recovery. It also helps reduce joint stress and prevent injuries caused by repetitive running impacts.
Yes, endurance-focused swim workouts build aerobic capacity, improve lung efficiency, and strengthen muscles used in running, helping runners perform better on long-distance runs.
Runners should aim to swim 1–2 times per week, depending on their goals. Recovery swims, endurance workouts, and aqua-jogging sessions can replace or complement running days.
Aqua jogging, or deep-water running, mimics the running motion without impact. It’s particularly beneficial for injured runners or those looking to maintain fitness while reducing joint stress.
Swimming can replace recovery runs or intense running sessions to reduce overuse injuries. For injured runners, swimming can fully substitute running until recovery is complete.
Basic swim tools like kickboards (for leg strength), pull buoys (for upper-body focus), and flotation belts (for aqua jogging) can enhance swim workouts and target specific muscle groups.
