Michael Klim's Top 10 Hints for Serious Swimmers

1. Consistency - consistency in training is key to better time and improvement.
2. Technique - swimming is probably the most technical sport so getting the stroke right will improve time and efficiency.
3. Stretching - as swimming doesn’t come naturally to humans and our bodies aren’t exactly designed to swim, we have to stretch to make sure we don’t put our muscles and joints under too much stress. Stretching is important as it will assist in recovery.
4. Diet (fuel) - it’s crucial that we fuel our bodies sufficiently before, during and after swimming. Keeping the fluids up is also very important; a mixture of water and carbohydrate drink is ideal.
5. Squad – I have found over the years that to get the best results out of myself I tried to surround myself with swimmers of similar ability. That way we were able to assist each other and push each other in the training sessions.
6. Ocean swimming – it’s a great way of mixing up the mundane nature of swimming training. Doing an occasional ocean swim will keep things fresh.
7. Cross training - it’s important to have great core strength and good strength in general for swimming and it’s impossible to improve that just by swimming as the load is constant, so supplementing your training with weights and core exercises will put you in good stead.
8. Equipment - there is a lot of different equipment on the market to aid stroke technique and different areas of swimming but using paddles and a pull buoy is a good start to isolate the arms and build strength.
9. Kicking – having a good kick is fundamental to being a good swimmer. Using your legs to the best of their ability will not only make you improve your times but give you good body position in the water which will enable you to swim for longer. Kicking should take up about 40% of the whole training volume.
10. Fun - don’t forget to have fun; it’s important that you enjoy the process.