Increased Endurance and Health Benefits
Practicing the same swimming technique for a few days can help strengthen your muscles and increase physical endurance. In addition, swimming can help prevent heart problems due to clogged up arteries since swimming helps the body burn fat in a healthy manner. Swimming is also known to clear up skin problems such as clogged pores and acne that occur due to a buildup of toxins in the body. People who swim on a regular basis are more likely to experience other health benefits such as reduced stress as compared to people who do not participate in water sports.

Weight Loss
Swimming can help you lose weight by burning calories. Researches indicated that the easiest way to burn fat and to lose weight is to swim for 1 hour for at least 3 days a week. People who opt for diet plans are more likely to lose weight easily and maintain a healthy weight. Swimming can also help a person develop stamina while burning fat. Increased stamina and weight loss can in turn help you swim better, more efficiently and with ease. Increased stamina will also allow you to swim for longer periods of time which will allow you to practice your form and technique. It is important to note that if you have just started swimming, then you should not over do it. After practicing workout techniques for a few weeks, you should slowly increase the amount of time you spend exercising in water.

Better Technique and Form
Practicing easy techniques for a few days can help you understand how to use the easy techniques to master tougher techniques. Practicing the same technique for a few days can also help you master tough techniques such as the butterfly stroke. To ensure that you get maximum benefits while learning both easy and tough techniques, you should preferably ask someone reliable to watch you practice so that you can get feedback later on.

Social Benefits
A group workout can help you meet other people who have the same interests. Group workouts can help you meet like-minded people, mingle with others and help you learn techniques from others as well. By practicing swimming workouts in a group, you can pick up on tricks and tips from other people and share your own techniques as well.

Majority of the swimmers, who are looking to improve their swimming technique, often make 1 mistake that is chest breathing or breathing shallow breaths while swimming. Luckily, this problem is simple to solve and swimmers who want more energy to swim can practice diaphragmatic breathing. This technique is often known as deep breathing since this technique requires the swimmer to take in large amounts of air and exhale equal amounts of air. Remember, while practicing diaphragmatic breathing, the goal is to not only inhale but also exhale a significant amount of air.

While practicing deep breathing, one must remember to first practice this exercise while on land and then practice it in water. Practicing this technique tip directly in water will most likely cause the swimmer to forget to take in and exhale equal amounts of air once he starts swimming.

One of the common misconceptions about swimming workouts is that swimmers who have maximum dry land training have the best technique. This is not completely true since practicing out of water does not have the same benefits as practicing in a pool. However, an exception to this rule is in the case of practicing breathing exercises since deep breathing exercises first need to be performed while out of water. Swimmers, who want to swim at a good speed, should not only concentrate on practicing technique but should also concentrate on increasing their speed by learning how to apply force to the water and how to increase their strength levels.

It can be concluded that although dry land swimming practicing is a good way for beginners to get comfortable to the idea of swimming, practicing basic swimming workouts in water can help you achieve good strength levels and this can also help you achieve other goals such as good technique. While practicing basic techniques in water, one should remember to concentrate on his form and also his drag technique since minimizing drag is not always the best way to maximize power. Appropriate roll, wearing the right suit for swimming and good body swimming alignment can help you maximize power while swimming.

400 Meter Endurance Training Exercises
Beginners who have just started practicing swimming exercises should consider opting for 400 meter endurance exercises that consist of a warm up, the main set and a cool down. The warm up should consist of 4 sets of 25 counts each. The main set should consist of a drill and ladder exercise. The drill should consist of 2 sets of 25 counts each. The ladder exercise should consist of 25, 50, 50 and 25 counts in this order. The cool down should consist of 2 sets of 25 counts each.

800 Meter Endurance Training Exercises
After completing the 400 meter exercises, the swimmer can move on to 800 meter exercises which consist of 3 warm up sets, 2 drill sets, 7 ladder sets and 3 cool down sets. The warm up sets can range from 25 – 75 counts, with the first set being 25 counts and the last set being 75 counts. The 2 drill sets should consist of 25 counts of pulling exercises and 25 counts of kicking exercises.  The ladder sets should begin with 25, 50, 75, 100 counts and should end with 75, 50 and 25 counts. The cool down exercises should consist of 75, 50 and 25 counts in this order.

Endurance Exercises
Pulling exercises involve using a pull buoy and using only one arm to stroke and the other arm should be extended forward. The swimmer should first pull with the right arm keeping the left arm forward then he should pull with the left arm keeping the right arm forward. Kicking exercises can either involve using a kicking board or fins.

Speed
Although it is very tempting to learn how to swim with a good speed, beginners are encouraged not to concentrate on speed for the first few weeks. Beginners who are new to swimming workouts should concentrate on improving their form and increasing their endurance with the exercises mentioned above since doing so will eventually help them to increase speed. After learning the right form and increasing endurance, the swimmer can practice speed exercises once a week if he practices workouts thrice a week. Remember, the key to being a good swimmer is not only to swim with a good speed but also to learn how to swim correctly with good form while taking deep breaths.

Right Arm and Left Arm Exercises
To practice these exercise first the swimmer should only use his right arm. The swimmer should preferably use a pull buoy in front of him, extend the left arm and stroke with the other arm. The same exercise should be done extending the right arm. Right and left arm exercises are important to improve endurance and form. After completing these 2 exercises, the swimmer should practice the catch up exercise in which he should complete the stroke using one arm before catching up with the other arm. A pull buoy should also be used for this exercise.

Kicking Exercises
Kicking exercises consist of using by using a flutter board and using fins. However, while practicing kicking exercises one can choose not to use the fins if he is not comfortable with them. While using the flutter board the swimmer should extend his arms over his head and   roll on to the side every time he wants to breathe. Kicking exercises are very important to improve both endurance and speed.

All the exercises mentioned above should be completed in 3-5 sets of 25 counts. Before starting the set, the swimmer should do warm up exercises and after completing the set he should do cool down exercises. Warn up and cool down exercises can prevent problems such as sprains, aches, pains, cramps and other muscle related issues. Both warm up and cool down exercises should be done in 2 sets of 25 counts each.

Remember, the swimming workouts mentioned above are meant for beginners who want to practice 400-1200 meter exercises. Intermediate workouts are meant for swimmers who are ready to tackle the 2000+ meter exercises. The exercises mentioned above can be done by anyone who wants to increase endurance and speed. While performing the exercises mentioned above, it should be noted that it is always better to pay more emphasis to form and endurance exercises. Speed exercises can be practiced regularly once the other two types of exercises have been mastered, till then speed exercises can be practiced once in a week or two weeks if you are swimming thrice a week.

Kicking With a Board
Although beginners are encouraged to opt for floater boards and kick boards while kicking, people who want to improve swimming techniques and increase endurance, are usually advised not to use external aids such as boards. The only exception to this rule is while practicing breast strokes since while doing these strokes you will have to use a soft kick board to help you maintain the right position and form.

Kicking Without a Board
Kicking without a board has one main benefit that is; it allows you to kick in the same body position of the stroke you are performing. For the freestyle stroke, you should start by kicking on your side on your side with your bottom arm extended before your head in the line of your shoulder. The arm which is on the surface of the water should be kept at your side in a relaxed manner with your hand preferably in your hip and out of the water. Your head should be in line with your spine in the same position as you would be while swimming freestyle.

Fist Swimming
Fist swimming consists of swimming with your hands completely in a fist and not using your open palm while making strokes. While practicing fist swimming, the main things you should concentrate on are your body position and using your forearm in the catch position while bending your elbow optimally during each stroke. Fist swimming is definitely one of the hardest endurance improving techniques for beginners however, once the swimmer goes back to using open palms he will not only be able to swim faster but also with ease.

Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is probably the most important of all the swimming techniques that should be practiced regularly in all swimming workouts since deep breathing exercises allow the swimmer to swim with ease. In the beginning, deep breathing exercises can be practiced on dry land by inhaling large amounts of air and exhaling equally large amounts of air. After the swimmer has learned how to practice this swimming technique successfully, he can move on to practicing this technique while swimming in a pool.

People who are overweight or obese often find it hard to participate in sports due to staminaproblems. Contrary to the popular belief, swimming is actually ideal for people who areoverweight since this low impact sport helps people effortlessly improve their stamina and loseweight. Swimming also helps improve the metabolic rate and helps people get good sleep atnights.

People with arthritis and other joint problems are often advised not to exercise due to pain,swelling and other problems. Since swimming doesn’t put pressure on the joints, back andbones, people with joint problems can swim provided they take things slowly. People who havethese problems should always consult a trainer before the first session and they should informthe trainer of their health problems. The trainer will then make a special schedule and helpthe person get healthy by swimming. Other people who can benefit with swimming includepeople who want to put on muscle mass and people who want to improve their strength levels.Swimming is also an ideal sport for people who have stress problems and mild hyper tensionproblems.

Although swimming can benefit people of all ages, children below the age of 7 years may notbe allowed to participate in swimming drills. Most swimming pools have special baby pools forchildren below the age of 7 years. Children above the age of 7 years who know swimming maybe allowed to practice in workout. Senior citizens are usually allowed to swim in the shallowparts of pools provided they meet criteria set by the pool authorities.

It is important to note that even though swimming is ideal for everyone, swimming workoutsare not ideal for people who have skin allergies, chlorine allergies or have epileptic seizures. Inaddition, people who are afraid of water should not attempt to swim unless they have someoneto guide them. People with respiratory problems should consult a physician before attempting toswim. It is also important to note that swimming when done right can benefit people significantlybut when done wrong can cause temporary inner ear problems and other minor problems.

#2 – Freestyle Leg Kick – Most amateur swimmers make the mistake of bending the leg toomuch while swimming freestyle which causes the leg to extend out of the water. This in turncauses no forward push while doing freestyle swimming. To correct this mistake, swimmersshould practice freestyle swimming without extending their legs outwards, this means that theleg should barely surface outside the water.

#3 – Freestyle Arm Catch Up – While swimming freestyle many people do not realize how theirarms move, for instance most people move both arms simultaneously while swimming. Thisis incorrect since while swimming freestyle the swimmer should note move his right arm untilthe left hand has completed the stroke. To practice this drill, keep one arm extended and do notmove it until the other arm has fully completed the stroke.

#4 – The One Arm Front Drill – The one arm front drill helps swimmers improve the glidingmotion while swimming freestyle. To practice this drill the swimmer should use only his rightarm to compete one lap while keeping his left arm in front of him. While swimming the secondlap, the swimmer should use only his left arm while keeping his right arm in front of him.

#5 – Practice the Right Technique – The best of all the swimming workouts is to concentrateon technique rather than speed. While swimming, people should try their level best to not onlynotice how they move their arms and legs but also how they breathe. If possible, swimmersshould ask an experienced swimmer to provide constructive criticism. Remember, at first yourswimming speed may reduce due to using the right technique, but after you understand howto use the right technique, your swimming speed will improve drastically with practice. It isimportant to note that while practicing the drills mentioned above, swimmers should rememberto practice only one drill at a time rather than practicing all the drills at once.