Swimming laps
Laps around the pool is a classic. A workout that lets you exercise the swim styles we all know: front crawl, back crawl, and the butterfly stroke. Doing laps is the basis, but you decide your rhythm and training intensity. Start with 10 laps in a tempo of your choice. Switch between styles. And remember, the butterfly stroke is the one that burns the most calories- an average 1160 calories per hour!
TIP: It’s a good idea to plan your pool training early in the morning. If you’re staying in a resort, you’ll share the pool with other hotel guests during the day. Navigating your laps to avoid collisions can be a challenge.
Water treading
You may remember that your swimming test, way back, included a 1-minute water-treading routine. This exercise improves your condition generally and in particular trains your leg muscles. The technique is used by water polo players to keep their heads above water during the match. Try water treading for 1 minute and rest for half a minute. If you enjoy a challenge, extend the exercise by another 30 or 60 seconds to beef up your pool training.
Water crunches
When doing laps, it’s important to tighten your belly muscles, since this increases your floating capacity. You can also do water crunches to improve your abdominal muscles.
How? Rest your back to the side of the pool and place your elbows on the edge of the pool. Relax and let yourself hang from the poolside. Pull your legs up to a 90° angle and move them down and up again. Try tightening your abdominal muscles while performing these motions.
Complete pool routine
Feel like training your whole body and working on your condition? The formula below is for a complete workout, building both muscle strength and stamina.
- 10 laps
- 4-minute water treading
- After every minute, take a rest to avoid cramps.
- 50 water crunches
No pool at your hotel or require other type of exercises? Try our 10 exercises for indoor training in your hotel room. Prefer the gym? Read our tips for a complete workout in your hotel’s fitness facility.
