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"If you&amp;#039;re fed up of doing the same stroke lap after lap, use this six-week workout to shake up your routine.  Swimming exercises all the major muscle groups of the body as well as the heart and lungs, making it a great activity for overall fitness. It builds lung capacity, endurance and strength. Swimming is a non-impact activity so it&amp;#039;s a good alternative to high-impact exercise like running and aerobics. It&amp;#039;s kinder to the joints so a good choice for those with achy knees and ankles. It&amp;#039;s also good exercise in pregnancy. If you&amp;#039;re fed up of doing the same stroke lap after lap, use this six-week workout to shake up your routine. You&amp;#039;ll need a float (kickboard) for the drills, which aim to improve your technique over the two main strokes: breaststroke and front crawl. Six-week swimming plan: before you start  Non-swimmers  If you&amp;#039;re a non-swimmer it&amp;#039;s never too late to learn, and most pools offer adult-only lessons. And if you haven&amp;#039;t swum in years, it&amp;#039;s worth taking a few lessons to ensure you develop an efficient technique.   This six-week workout is designed for a 25m pool. It includes continuous periods of swimming and technique drills, as well as bursts of faster swimming. A lot of the workout is drills-based to ensure safety and that good technique is developed before the faster swimming is introduced.  There are also a few of lengths of basic front crawl drills at the end of each workout to help with general swimming development. You&amp;#039;ll need a float for the drills.  Where freestyle is listed the choice of stroke is up to you. For the front crawl arm drills, start with the easier catch up drill. Once you&amp;#039;ve mastered it, move on to the breathing drill. Rest periods are given after harder segments, but take extra rest breaks of 30 to 60 seconds between segments whenever you need. Complete each workout two or three times a week. If you find a particular week too challenging, stay on the same workout until you feel ready to move on.   Six-week swimming plan: drills   Front crawl is the most energy efficient stroke to use, allowing you to swim for longer periods, burn optimum calories and improve your fitness. Use these drills to perfect your crawl technique. Front crawl catch up drill This helps to develop a long stroke so you travel the furthest distance with the minimum of effort.   Keep one arm extended forward and stationary on a float. Perform a full stroke with the other arm. As you take your arm out of the water and extend it again, bring it down on the kickboard. Switch hands on the kickboard and repeat with the other arm.   Front crawl breathing drill  Once you&amp;#039;ve mastered the catch up drill, you can use this drill to practice your front crawl breathing technique.   Start with both hands on the float. As you let go of the board with one arm and perform a stroke, turn your head to the side, keeping your ear in the water, and take a breath. When your fingers reach your armpit and your elbow is high, your hand returns to the board and your face returns to the water. Blow bubbles in the water to expel the air you have breathed in. Repeat on the other side. When you are confident with your face in the water, try breathing on every third stroke.   Front crawl legs only drill This drill helps you practice your front crawl leg technique.   Hold a kickboard out in front of you with your fingers over the end. Rest your forearms on the board for support. Concentrate on kicking with the legs. Keep your legs straight and your toes pointed. You should make a small splash with your feet.   Many people do breaststroke without putting their heads under the water, which limits speed and places extra strain on your back. These drills will improve your technique. Breaststroke arms drill This drill will help you master the breathing needed when immersing your head under the water. Use a pool buoy or float between your legs.   Start with your arms out in front of you and your face in the water. Turn the palms outwards and downwards at 45\u00B0. Keeping your fingers together, pull your hands down through the water, which will pull you forward. Bring your elbows into your sides and your hands toward your chest. As your arms come back, bring your head out of the water and breathe. Push your arms out in front of you (ideally with palms turned in and touching) and put your face back in the water, ready for the next pull.  Breaststroke legs only drill  To improve your breaststroke technique, practice legs only with a kickboard.    Hold a kickboard out in front of you with your fingers over the end. Rest your forearms on the board for support. Bring your knees up towards your chest. Turn your feet out ensuring your knees stay together. Kick round in a circular movement until your feet come together again.  Six-week swimming plan: warm up  Circle your arms in both directions to loosen the shoulders. Link your fingers, turn the palms away and push your hands out in front of you. Hold for a slow count of 10. Now raise your linked hands above your head for 10 seconds. Link your fingers behind your back. Turn the palms away and push your hands out behind you. Hold for a slow count of 10.   Six-week swimming plan Week 1: 26 lengths   2 lengths freestyle warm up, easy pace. 6 lengths continuous breaststroke at a medium pace (60 per cent effort). 4 lengths breaststroke legs drill. 4 lengths continuous breaststroke at a faster pace (80 per cent effort). 4 lengths breaststroke arms drill. 2 lengths front crawl catch up drill. 2 lengths front crawl legs only drill. 2 lengths freestyle cool down, easy pace.   Week 2: 28 lengths  Backstroke technique Use this checklist for the arms to make sure you&amp;#039;ve got an efficient technique.   Turn your palm in as it moves towards the ear. Turn the palm out when it passes the ear. Your little finger should enter the water first.    Your hand will now be in the correct position to propel you through the water.   2 lengths freestyle warm up, easy pace. 8 lengths breaststroke at a medium pace. 4 lengths backstroke. 8 lengths breaststroke, alternating between medium and fast pace for each length. 2 lengths front crawl catch up or breathing drill. 2 lengths front crawl legs only drill. 2 lengths freestyle cool down, easy pace.  Week 3: 30 lengths   2 lengths freestyle warm up, easy pace. 12 lengths continuous breaststroke, alternating between medium and fast pace for each length. Rest 2 minutes. 6 lengths backstroke concentrating on kicking with the legs. 4 lengths front crawl catch up or breathing drill. 4 lengths front crawl legs only drill. 2 lengths freestyle cool down, easy pace.  Week 4: 32 lengths   2 lengths freestyle warm up, easy pace. 4 lengths fast breaststroke. Rest 1 minute. 4 lengths breaststroke legs drill. 4 lengths fast breaststroke. Rest 1 minute. 4 lengths breaststroke arms drill. 4 lengths fast breaststroke. Rest 1 minute. 2 lengths fast backstroke. 2 lengths front crawl catch up or breathing drill. 2 lengths front crawl legs only drill. 2 lengths front crawl, easy pace. 2 lengths freestyle cool down, easy pace.  Week 5: 34 lengths   2 lengths freestyle warm up, easy pace. 20 lengths continuous breaststroke at a good steady pace. 4 lengths front crawl catch up or breathing drill. 4 lengths front crawl legs only drill. 2 lengths front crawl, easy pace. 2 lengths freestyle cool down, easy pace.  Week 6: 36 lengths   2 lengths freestyle warm up, easy pace. 20 lengths continuous breaststroke alternating between a medium and fast pace for each length. Rest 2 minutes. 6 lengths backstroke concentrating on pulling with the arms on every stroke. 2 lengths front crawl catch up or breathing drill. 2 lengths front crawl legs only drill. 2 lengths front crawl, easy pace. 2 lengths freestyle cool down, easy pace.  Outdoor spots for swimming  Fed up of chlorinated pools? Here are the five top places in the UK for an outdoor dip from Wild Swim author Kate Rew.  1. Fairy Pools, Skye  The Fairy Pools are a series of clear cold pools and waterfalls, formed as water tumbles down from the foothills of the Black Cuillins into Glen Brittle.  The location of the pools beneath the looming bulk of the Cuillins is wonderful, while the waterfalls and the sinuous beauty of the rock formations give the Fairy Pools a magical feel. 2. Wastwater lake, Lake District  The deepest lake in England, Wastwater is remote, unspoiled and surrounded by steep valleys that give the illusion of sharply disappearing into the vast expanse of water. Add to this that it&amp;#039;s overlooked by England&amp;#039;s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, and it becomes an area of dramatic extremes. 3. Porthtowan, Cornwall  A tidal pool at the foot of a cliff. You can watch the waves break on the cliff and there is a rock-encased seawater swimming pool providing safe bathing. 4. Spitchwick, Devon  This beautiful stretch of the river Dart with a grassy patch beside is popular with families and Dartmoor ponies. The Spitchwick pools offer swimmers plenty of choice.  Horseshoe Pool above New Bridge has a big square rock to jump off into the fast-flowing water. Downstream, there are pools by Spitchwick Common for longer swims and higher jumps.  5. Thames, Lechlade  An eight mile stretch of pretty Cotswold countryside along the Thames path (you can swim all the way to London if you like). Walkers can accompany you and you can even stop for a pub lunch! Wild Swim by Kate Rew is published by Guardian Books and available direct from Amazon. Last updated 08.10.2008 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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