meet your new swim coaches. and are here to help you swim. Let’s swim

Swimming is a huge passion of mine and I would like to share it with as many people as possible. is an easy way to improve your overall health and fitness and adds a whole new dimension to your exercise routine – it doesn’t have to be competitive. Yet, I’ve found that many people are not sure about what to do in the pool and how to reach their goals. I’ve designed a general swim training programme that will guide you in the pool and help you improve. Together with Chad le Clos, we’ll show you the basics and get you comfortable in the water.

My best advice to those of you starting out is to take it easy. Focus on your technique and build a good base to work from.

Ryk Neethling Olympic Gold Medalist A bit about Chad

If you haven’t heard his name around yet, you will soon. Chad is one of ’s most talented swimmers. He’s a champion, he won five medals at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore and holds the world record for the 200-meter butterfly.

Age: 20 years old Weight: 82kg Height: 6ft 2inches. Strokes: Individual Medley, Butterfly and Freestyle. Distances: 400IM, 200IM, 200 Butterfly, 100 Butterfly, 200 Freestyle.

Proudest achievement? When I became the youngest world champion in Dubai 2010. Greatest ambition? To win Olympic Gold. Training schedule? Anything from three to five hours a day of swimming and one to two and a half hours of gym four times a week. Distance covered? 10km - 16km daily. Diet? Lots of pasta and meat. Biggest support? I chat with my family when I’m struggling – usually my Dad steers me in the right direction. Inspiration? Beating the top three swimmers in the world. Plans? I’ve been offered scholarships to study overseas but I love South Africa and I’m definitely staying. How to use the programme

Choosing your workout The programme uses Virgin Active’s Colour Me Fit and is divided into three types of workouts: red (cardio), orange (strength) and yellow (balance). Each workout is divided into three levels of difficulty and caters to entry, intermediate and advanced swimmers. Decide what kind of workout you want – colour – and how hard the workout should be – level – and off you go.

Once you’ve chosen a workout, use 1-5 as a guide to indicate how much effort you should be putting in.

1 easy 2 medium effort 3 good effort 4 pushing hard 5 maximum exertion

Rest periods Use the rest periods to recover in between sets. Use the clocks to time your rests – start timing your rest from when you touch the side and push off immediately when your time is up.

Need to adjust the difficulty levels? To make it easier for yourself, you can increase your rest periods or take intervals more frequently. If you are an absolute beginner you can also reduce the number of laps by up to a third. Do what feels comfortable for you.

To increase difficulty you can reduce your rest periods and take them less frequently. A good way of measuring your progress is by seeing if you can do the same number of laps with shorter and fewer rest intervals. Warming up You can warm up your joints and muscles outside the pool first with some basic stretches. Then take your time easing into your workout with some slow laps, increasing intensity toward the end.

Using props Using props is an excellent way to build muscle strength and coordination and gives you time to work on body position, form and stroke technique.

Kickboards – these aren't just for beginners – they're for anyone in the water at any level. A kickboard takes the arms out of the equation, allowing you to focus on isolating the large muscle groups in the legs that do the hard work. Hand paddles - this is a flat attachment to the hand, which helps you push the water efficiently. They isolate the back, chest and arm muscles. Pull buoys - you hold these between your thighs, just above your knees. Allow your legs to float while you pull yourself through the water without kicking. It's a strength workout for your arms. Fins - swim fins condition your legs, propel you through the water and help you work on your stroke technique.

When will I see results? You should be able to see improvements after a week. If you can improve a small amount every day, after a week it adds up to quite a bit. Try to be consistent with at least two workouts a week.

Choosing your stroke Breaststroke and backstroke are recommended for swimmers who are starting out. More experienced swimmers can opt for freestyle and advanced swimmers can swim butterfly. Unless a particular stroke is specified in the programme you can choose whatever stroke you are most comfortable with.

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set rest focus effort kickboard fins pull buoy paddles level

warm up, mix 4 laps 1 min 1 optional strokes kicking on back, arms 2x1 lap 30 sec 2 optional on side

4 laps 1 min mix strokes 2 optional

kick on back, arms 2x1 lap 30 sec 2 optional above head

4 laps 1 min swimming backstroke 3 optional

sidekick (1 arm above 2x1 lap 30 sec head, other arm on 2 optional the side)

warm down

easy continuous 4 laps 1 optional swimming

Tip: It is important to focus on a streamlined and strong body position during this workout. intermediate

pull set rest focus effort kickboard fins paddles level buoy

8 laps 1 min warm up, mix strokes 1

kicking on back, arms 2x2 lap 30 sec 2 optional on side pulling upper-body - 8 laps 1 min 2 yes optional buoy between ankles

kick on back, arms 2x2 laps 30 sec 2 optional above head

8 laps 1 min mix strokes 3

2x2 laps 30 sec fly kick on back 2 optional

8 laps 1 min breathing every 5 strokes 3 optional optional

sidekick (1 arm above 2x2 laps 30 sec head, other arm 2 optional on the side)

8 laps 1 min mix strokes 3

max underwater 2x1 lap 30 sec 3 optional distance

warm down

easy continuous 1 optional 8 laps swimming

Tip: Swim slowly with a good stroke rather than faster with a bad stroke. It’s better to focus on keeping good technique than only trying to building fitness in the water. advanced

set rest focus effort kickboard fins pull buoy paddles level

warm up, mix 16 laps 1 min 1 strokes kicking on back, arms 4x2 laps 30 sec 2 yes on side optional pulling upper-body - 4x1 laps 8 breaths 2 yes yes optional buoy between ankles

8 laps 1 min mix strokes 3

sidekick (1 arm above 4x2 laps 20 sec head, other arm on 2 optional the side) max underwater 4x1 laps 1 min 3 optional distance swimming, breathing 16 laps 1 min 3 optional every 5 strokes

4x2 laps 30 sec fly kick on back 2 optional

8 deep 4x1 laps All out effort 4 yes optional breaths

warm down

easy continuous 8 laps optional swimming 1

Tip: The sidekick is a swimming drill which teaches you good kicking technique, balance and body control.

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set rest focus effort kickboard fins pull buoy paddles level

warm up

4x2 laps 30-40 sec easy swimming 1

4x1 lap 30-40 sec kicking with a board 2 yes optional

main set

10x1 lap 20 sec even effort for all 4 optional

warm down

4 laps easy swimming 1 optional

Tip: This is a good overall body workout. Try to keep going as much as possible so your heart does not drop below 70% of your max at any time. intermediate

set rest focus effort kickboard fins pull buoy paddles level

warm up

4x4 laps 30 sec mix strokes 1

4x2 laps 30 sec kicking with a board 2 yes

4x1 lap 15 sec upper body 3 yes optional

main set

fast, best average for 8x2 laps 30 sec 4 optional all 8 sets

rest 1 min rest

12x1 laps 20 sec fast, best average for 5 optional optional all 12 sets warm down

4 laps easy swimming 1 optional

Tip: Build up the freestyle in the main set to fast. Keep going in the transition between sets so that your heart rate does not drop below 75% advanced

pull set rest focus effort kickboard fins paddles level buoy

warm up

2x8 laps 20 sec mix strokes 1

2x4 laps 20 sec kicking with a board 2 yes optional

2x8 laps 20 sec pulling - upper body 3 yes optional

main set

fast, best average for 4x2 laps 20 sec 4 optional all 4 sets fast, best average for 4x2 laps 15 sec 4 optional all 4 sets

4x2 laps 10 sec fast, best average for 4 optional all 4 sets

rest 2 min rest

16x1 lap 30 sec all out effort 5 yes optional

warm down

8 laps easy swimming 1 optional

Tip: The kickboard isolates the kick, which is the basis for every stroke. It also helps with your body position.

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set rest focus effort kickboard fins pull buoy paddles level

warm up

2 laps 40 sec easy swimming 1

2x1 lap 30 sec kicking with a board 2 yes optional

warming up, faster 2 optional 1x2 laps 40 sec than first

2x1 lap 30 sec kicking with a board 2 yes optional

swimming, 4 laps good effort 3 optional

main set optional

4x4 laps 40 sec smooth swimming 4 optional

warm down

2 laps easy 1

Tip: It is important to focus on a streamlined and strong body position. Start with a great kick, then focus on body position and then add the arms. advanced

pull set rest focus effort kickboard fins paddles level buoy

warm up

warming up, 16 laps 20 sec mix strokes 1

4x2 laps 20 sec kicking with a board 2 yes optional

16 laps 20 sec pulling - upper body 3 yes optional

main set

16 laps 20 sec swimming freestyle 4 optional

4x2 laps 15 sec mix strokes 4.5

12 laps 10 sec swimming freestyle 4 optional

4x2 laps 2 min mix strokes 4.5

8 laps 30 sec swimming freestyle 4.5 optional optional

4x2 laps mix strokes 4.5 optional

4 laps swimming freestyle 5 optional optional

warm down

freestyle and 8 laps 1 optional backstroke

Tip: Pull buoys isolate the upper body, help buoyancy and build power in the arms and torso. intermediate

set rest focus effort kickboard fins pull buoy paddles level

warm up

8 laps 20 sec mix strokes 1

2x4 laps 20 sec kicking with a board 2 yes optional

4x2 lap 20 sec mix strokes 2

main set

smooth swimming 8 laps 1 min 4 optional (freestyle)

4x1 lap 30 sec mix strokes 4.5

faster than the first 8 laps 1 min 4 optional (freestyle)

4x1 lap 30 sec mix strokes 4.5

warm down

8 laps freestyle and 1 yes backstroke, easy

Tip: Start slowly with easy strokes and increase intensity, peaking toward the end. Don’t tire yourself out too soon. Why swim?

• Builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness • Low impact so reduces stress on your body • Helps maintain healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs • Tones muscles and builds strength • Provides an all-over body workout – all of your muscles are used • Alleviates stress – it’s a relaxing form of exercise • Improves coordination, balance and posture • Improves flexibility • Provides good low-impact therapy for certain injuries

At the pool

• Remember to wear your cap and goggles. • There’s no diving or running in the pool area. • If you feel faint or dizzy, stop exercising immediately. • If you are ill, please don’t swim. • Children under 14 must be supervised by a legal guardian . • Children who are non-swimmers must wear armbands or a flotation device in the pool area at all times.

learn the basics or perfect your technique