Swimming Workouts For Hikers

In this article, I share a few ideas on how a hiker can incorporate swimming (and pool-related activities) into their training.

A little while back, I bought my first pair of swimming goggles in many years.

I am not an expert swimmer by any means. And lap swimming has to be one of my least favourite forms of exercise.​

Whenever I do it, I always get gassed very quickly. I struggle to find a good rhythm. And it is just not an enjoyable experience.

But, in the spirit of 'doing what you suck at' (which is something I have been trying to do recently), I decided to give lap swimming another go.

And that got me thinking about how swimming can be incorporated into hikers' training.

This is a situation I have come into a lot. A hiker comes to me who is preparing for a hike, but they also state they LOVE swimming and are curious about how it might work into their program.

So on that note, here are four ways swimming (or pool-related activities) can fit into a hiker's training:

1) Steady State Swimming

Steady-state swimming involves just accumulating long periods of casual-paced swimming. This is a simple and effective way of helping build your aerobic fitness.

For a hiker, this can be a great complement to our 'hiking-specific' cardio (such as pack walking, stair/hill climbing and other walking sessions).

The key to steady-state swimming for hikers is to ensure we add 'volume' over time.

So each week, aim to either do a few extra minutes of swimming OR try to fit in a few more laps within the same time.

2) Interval Swimming

Interval training involves doing periods of higher-intensity exercise followed by periods of rest (or lower-intensity work).

For hikers, doing interval training in the pool can be a great option, as it allows you to access higher intensities (and push the body in a different way to our usual walking sessions) with minimal stress going through the joints (which can be good for hikers who might struggle with foot or knee pain).

As with any type of interval training, hikers will typically get the best benefits from predominantly doing 'longer interval' training.

So, instead of doing short bursts of 30-60 seconds of quick work, try to aim for intervals of 2,3 or 4 minutes+ of quicker work.

(Getting timing exactly right in the pool can be a bit tricky, so you will have to do some rough estimates on the number of laps/distance you will swim each interval)

In between intervals, you can either have complete rest, do some walking laps or continue swimming at a significantly reduced pace.

3) Water Walking

Walking up and down a body of water can be a fantastic recovery workout for a hiker.

This is an excellent option for those with a challenging training week (and can help the body bounce back and feel good between sessions).

It can also be fantastic for a hiker who has had a recent flare-up of lower body discomfort (such as knee pain). It can be nice for both pain relief and aiding the recovery process.

4) Water Running

This is a workout that I only usually use for hikers who are on a winter adventure (who need to prepare for hiking in the snow). But in all honesty, it can probably be beneficial for most hikers.

To do this, you need to find a body of water that is no higher than hip deep for you (which, admittedly, can be a bit tricky).

You will then do running intervals in this water (and you might run for 5 minutes and then walk for 5 minutes).

You will notice quickly that this is an interesting challenge on the legs. It can be hard to find momentum or rhythm, but it gets a good burn going.

It's a bit of a different workout, but it can be worth playing around with!
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While it should never be the primary method of training for a hiker, swimming can be a nice way to complement your more hiking-specific training in the week.

So if you love the pool and are looking for an excuse to incorporate that into your training for hiking, now you have a few simple ideas!

Yours in trekking,
​
Rowan

Pool Workouts For Hiking

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