9 Ways to Stay in Shape in the Off-Season

Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Muller

By Allison Peters, Swimming World College Intern

Most swimmers look forward to a break from swimming, but soon find themselves looking for ways to justify the swimmer diet. Here are 9 ways to stay in shape when you are not logging laps in the pool…

1. Yoga

It’s actually harder than you think! My first class I broke a sweat like I was doing suicides. Yoga is a great way to build your strength, stay lean and stretch out your body in the off-season. A lot of colleges actually offer yoga classes to students, so make sure to keep an eye out for the schedule if this interests you!

2. Jog

Photo Courtesy: Huffington Post

Yes, not a lot of us are coordinated enough to be marathon runners, but a nice jog out in the sun when the weather is starting to warm up can be great for not just your body, but your mind as well.

3. Spin Classes

With a good instructor, these classes can be harder than a 10,000-yard practice. Okay, maybe not harder but they definitely comes close. Spin classes will help you to work on your endurance in the off-season, and possibly event assist you in keeping the six-pack your swim coach gave you this season.

4. Intramural Sports

A lot of athletes at my school will take up softball in the off-season and play other teams that are also on break. Not going to lie, it was funny to see my swim friends play softball against our school’s baseball team last year.

5. Start up your own club

Photo Courtesy: Albright Athletics

My coaches and a group of swimmers actually started a new club a few weeks ago called the triathlon club. The goal is to have five practices a week, varied between swimming, running and biking, and at the end, they all do a triathlon together. It keeps you in shape because you have a goal set that you work towards, just like we are used to in swimming.

6. Work out with a buddy

Some days it’s hard to pull yourself away from the pizza and into the gym. What better way to stay in shape then by doing it with your friend? You can hold each other accountable for making it to the gym when you plan to meet up there.

7. Watch what you eat

Photo Courtesy: Masahiro Ihara

This sounds simple but it can actually be a huge struggle for the swimmer in the off-season. We are so used to being able to eat whatever we want, whenever we want, that we tend to forget that when we aren’t doing doubles, we can actually gain weight from what we put into our bodies. The key here is to just make sure you balance the good with the bad. If you had a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner, it’s okay to eat those cookies you’ve looked forward to all day!

8. Create a simple workout schedule

I’m the type of person that even in the off-season, I like to workout everyday. For me, having a routine of getting my classes out of the way, getting to the gym, going to dinner and then doing homework before bed keeps me in line. As swimmers, we are so used to working on a schedule that when the season is over and we have free time, we don’t know what to do with ourselves. Having a routine will help keep you up with your time-management skills.

9. Water polo

Perhaps every swimmer’s second favorite sport. I never played this until I got to college, and I can’t believe I even waited that long to try it. It’s an amazing way to get your teammates together for some healthy fun.

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