How to Swim Front Crawl Without Getting Tired

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Do you struggle to complete your swimming workouts? Sometimes swimming front crawl can feel totally exhausting. This can be disheartening and make you feel like you’ll never achieve your swimming and fitness goals.

But, not to worry, this is totally normal for a beginner swimmer, and we can help. In this article, we’ll explain how to swim front crawl without getting tired so you can burn those calories and really make the most of your swimming workouts.

 

Why Do You Feel Tired while Doing a Front Crawl?

Essentially feeling tired from doing a front crawl can be attributed to two things. Your technique and your overall stamina and fitness. 

It’s very important to ensure that you have the correct technique when swimming front crawl. The incorrect technique is one of the main reasons behind getting tired quickly when swimming. 

In addition, incorrect breathing techniques and body position can make swimming in the front crawl stroke much harder on the body. 

Adjusting your technique and speed can help you swim more efficiently. Often when swimming front crawls, it can be tempting to swim too fast without even realizing it. 

Swimming too quickly or not paying attention to your movements to ensure they are smooth and controlled is another huge reason you might become so tired when swimming front crawl.

Your fitness levels are likely to be another key factor as to why you get so tired doing front crawl. 

It’s important to remember that swimming fitness is unique compared to other types of fitness. When you swim, your body uses entirely distinct energy systems than when you do other sports. It’s key to remember that the more you swim front crawl, the fitter you become.

 

How Can You Swim Longer Without Getting Tired?

 

Breathe Correctly

The first step to swimming front crawl for longer without getting tired is to master a technique known as trickle breathing. This is when you slowly and consistently exhale your breath. 

Holding your breath and rapidly exhaling and inhaling when you need air can be tempting. 

But trickle breathing makes it easier to fully exhale all of the air in your lungs. In addition, this way of breathing leads to a rhythmic cycle of breath. 

This keeps you calm and focused. It also leads to a lower concentration of Co2 in your bloodstream. All these things help make swimming easier, so you can swim longer without feeling tired.

 

Position Your Body Properly

Having the incorrect body position when swimming means that you’ll use more energy and work harder than someone with the right body position. When your body is not in the right position, you’ll be fighting against excess drag.

A frequent mistake is that your legs might be sinking. This is caused by holding your head too high in the water, leading to uneven weight distribution. This can be corrected by focusing more weight on your upper chest to balance things out.

 

Go at the Right Pace

It’s very common when swimming in the front crawl stroke for swimmers to go too fast. Learning how to pace yourself is essential if you want to swim longer without getting tired.

Knowing your abilities and limits to ensure you don’t use up too much energy too early helps you to swim longer.

Splitting your swimming sessions into sets can be helpful instead of trying to complete one long swim. You can often swim total distance with this approach if you allow for rests in between sets. 

 

Relax Your Kick Slightly

Because your legs contain the largest muscles in the body, they can frequently use more energy than they provide power when swimming. The muscles in your legs also require a large amount of oxygen to sustain themselves.

When swimming in front crawl, the majority of your drive comes from your upper body. Your kick contributes roughly 20-30 % of your drive, but your leg muscles require a lot of oxygen for this. 

Even though a solid kick is important, taking it easy on your kick can help you swim longer without getting tired.

 

Practice More Frequently

Swimming front crawl is like any other sport. The more you practice, the better you become. Because swimming fitness is very specific, it’s important you practice swimming front crawl often. If you do this, you’ll be able to swim longer without feeling tired.

Preferably, you should try to get in at least two swimming sessions a week. If this is not possible, any increase to your current swimming schedule and duration will help you to swim longer without feeling tired.

 

Six Tips for Building Front Crawl Stamina

1. Go slow and steady 

To improve your front crawl stamina, it’s important to be patient. You don’t want to over-exert yourself as a beginner swimmer and find yourself losing motivation. 

Actually, having and sticking to a consistent routine is essential for building up your front crawl stamina. In addition, taking time allows you to become comfortable in the water and learn the correct front crawl technique. 

 

2. Cross-training

Adding strength training to your current fitness routine can also help you build your front crawl stamina. 

Adding some upper body weight and back and core exercises will help you strengthen the muscles you use for swimming front crawl and improve your overall fitness level.

 

3. Vary your speed

Switching up your swimming speed is another tip for building front crawl stamina. This lets you train different energy systems in your body. 

When you’re at the pool, do some short sprints mixed with longer, steady-speed swims. This allows your body to get used to the different breathing patterns required and helps you to push your limits.

 

4. Practice swimming drills

Swimming drills are a fantastic way to improve your stamina and endurance when swimming, especially as a beginner. Drills let you focus on a few aspects of the front crawl stroke at a time. 

By breaking the stroke down into its different elements, you’re able to master the required movements more easily.

Thanks to the repetition of each phase of the front crawl stroke, drills help you to improve your technique greatly. They also improve your front crawl stamina because they require time and effort in the pool. 

To improve your front crawl stamina, it’s recommended that as a beginner swimmer, you should aim to practice at least 1-3 front crawl drills in your swimming sessions. 

 

5. Use equipment

No matter what level you’re currently at with swimming, using equipment can help improve your front crawl stamina. Using kickboards, paddles, pull buoys, and fins can be helpful.

 

6. Rest

To improve your front crawl stamina, it’s vital that you give your body the necessary time to rest and recover. This allows you to avoid injury, fatigue, or overexertion, which will greatly impact your stamina in the pool.

 

Final Thoughts on How to Swim Front Crawl Without Getting Tired

Swimming is, without a doubt, one of the most effective full-body workouts. It helps you to burn undesired calories and achieve your fitness goals. Swimming as a workout also strengthens your muscles and bones and increases your lung capacity. 

So, if you’re serious about improving your front crawl abilities and stamina, make sure to go slow and steady, vary your speeds, practice some front crawl drills, use equipment, and even try to incorporate some additional strength training into your routine. 

Giving your body the rest it needs is also vital. If you follow these steps, you’ll be able to swim front crawl for longer without getting tired.