By Karen Creasy
I frequently have swimmers tell me they get bored swimming back and forth in a pool. If you are a swimmer (or any exerciser actually), bored with your workout routine and wondering how to improve, consider adding equipment. Here is a short list of a few must haves for swimmers:
1. A good pair of goggles. Goggles function as eye protection, increase visibility, and disrupt boredom by enhancing enjoyment of the water both recreationally and competitively. Correct fitting goggles are important. Choose from flat lenses or rounded ones. It is best to select goggles that feel comfortable against your face and don’t place too much pressure against your eyes.
2. A swim Cap is an important tool because it keeps hair out of your face, protects your hair from chemical damage, and keeps you warm when swimming if the air is chilled.
3. Using hand paddles helps you utilize swim-specific muscles more effectively and helps remove boredom from your workout. They build upper-body strength for a more powerful underwater catch, pull, and finish. When you have a technically proficient stroke, a hand paddle with a surface area larger than your hand will provide an increase in resistance through the water.
4. The buoyancy of a kick board allows you to swim with your face out of the water providing added confidence as you practice your kick technique. They are a helpful tool to use as part of your complete cardiovascular workout. They bring additional challenge back into the swim drills and help combat boredom when used to isolate specific movements within a stroke.
5. Swim fins come in all shapes and sizes and are used to improve many parts of swimming strokes. Fins increase ankle flexibility thus resulting in a more efficient flutter kick. Using fins enhance body position allowing you to break boredom by focusing on additional parts of the swim technique, such as body roll or timing. They strengthen the kick and increase your workout pace.
For more ideas on ways to spice up your swim workout and overcome boredom call Karen at the Palm Desert Aquatic Center. 760-565-7467.
