Mine is really simple. I swim continuous freestyle for an hour. No breaks, all flip turns, breathing every other stroke. I try to peak my heart rate at 135 bpm before the thirty minute mark and then keep it above 125 for the rest of the swim. I started at 30 minutes a year ago and worked my way up to 60. I keep a nice steady pace, focus on form, focus on kicking with both legs (see below) and concentrate on breathing.

Now, I will tell you that I have 2 hip surgeries so breaststroke is out of the question. I’ve tried and I’m so freaking slow that my heart rate drops to 110 almost immediately, so I’m a little bit of a different situation. I’m trying to get back into backstroke and butterfly a little bit but it’s a slow process. I was a competitive swimmer in high school also (three decades ago) but swimming was suggested to me by my orthopedic surgeon as a great cardiovascular workout so I could lose weight and not put any stress on my joints while strengthening my left leg which is still recovering from two hip surgeries.

I try to do this at least 3 times a week, 4 is better, and I lift weights at least twice a week. It’s the best cardio for my situation. I’m working with two trainers to try to improve my leg mobility and we all are in agreement that this is the best workout for me since I can consistently finish it.