Morning Swimming Training

Last Updated on June 30, 2023 by admin

**As swimmers develop, they may be required to undertake more training.**

In this article, we’ll provide advice, hacks and tips on establishing routines to make morning swimming training more enjoyable and effective.

The importance of morning swimming training

As swimmers develop, they may be required to undertake more training.

In order to meet that need, swimming clubs need to utilise all the pool time available to them.
This requires many of them to provide morning training sessions. Morning training sessions are an important part of the training programme at many clubs.

Beginning morning swimming training

Younger swimmers may start their morning training by attending one session a week.

The number of morning sessions may gradually increase as they develop.
It may be a good idea to introduce young swimmers to morning sessions during a school holiday, to allow them to establish a morning routine without affecting their schoolwork.

A morning swimming training routine

To be able to effectively manage the introduction of morning training, it may be a good idea to establish a morning swimming training routine, for both the swimmer and the parent.

This should ensure that all the necessary preparations for morning training sessions are in place, thus saving time and reducing any unnecessary anxiety.
Being properly prepared from the night before can also allow the swimmer (and parent) to stay that extra few minutes in bed.
Listed below are some of the things that should be a part of a swimmer’s pre-morning training routine.

Recover correctly from the previous training session

Cool-down

It’s important that swimmers ensure that they a properly prepared for morning training by correctly recovering from their previous training session.

This requires helping the swimmer’s body and nervous systems repair and recover, by way of a proper cool down.

This includes a swim-down and dryland stretching exercises. This should start towards the conclusion of each training session.

Nutrition

Ensuring a swimmer refuels, with good nutrition, within 20 minutes after training, is also an important part of the swimmer’s recovery process.

Some ideal recovery snacks

Milk/flavoured milk
A banana
A cereal bar, fruit bar or sesame snap
Dried fruit and/or nuts (not salted)
Rice cakes

Hydration

To aid the recovery process, swimmers should ensure they are fully hydrated. The best time to achieve full rehydration is within 30 minutes after training.

Go to bed early

The key to a good night’s sleep is to establish a bedtime routine.

For example:

Go to bed early and at the same time every day.
Don’t use phones, computers or watch TV within half an hour of going to bed. These excite and stimulate the mind which is not conducive to a good night’s sleep.
Have a hot shower, before going to bed. This is a natural sedative, which can also reduce stress and ease anxiety.
Read a relaxing book for 30 minutes, as reading is one of the best and fastest ways to relax.
Set an alarm clock or better still set two alarm clocks. When the alarm clock goes off in the morning, swimmers should not press the snooze button. Some swimmers position their alarm clock out of their reach, forcing them to get up and turn the lights on. This removes the temptation of pressing the snooze button and then rolling over and going back to sleep.

Prepare for training the next day

Swimmers should take the responsibility of checking the night before, that they have all the kit and equipment they require for the morning’s training, including costume, cap, goggles, kickboard and pull buoy.

Swimmers should ensure that they pack their drinks bottles. During training, swimmers should aim to drink around 500 ml per hour (A standard sized sports water bottle)
To save time in the mornings, many swimmers travel to training in their club tracksuits with their costumes underneath.

Prepare for school the next day

Again, swimmers should take the responsibility of checking the night before, that they have all the kit they require for school the next day, including their homework, uniform, gym kit, packed lunches etc.

Prepare any breakfasts and/or pack lunches the night before

It’s important when training in the morning, that a swimmer refuels their energy levels, with good nutrition, before training starts. A swimmer’s fuel levels will drop while they are sleeping. Training, without refuelling, can reduce or impair the swimmer’s training performance.

Some swimmers prefer to have a light snack-type breakfast before training, and another breakfast to fully refuel afterwards. Ideally, swimmers will consume a light snack-type breakfast 1 to 2 hours before training. For some swimmers, a liquid breakfast such as a smoothie or a protein milkshake is the best option. Ideally, swimmers will consume their post-training breakfast no later than 20 minutes after training. Some examples of nutritious swimmer’s breakfasts include,

Porridge with fresh fruit
Natural yoghurt with fresh fruit
Whole wheat and oat cereals. (Not cereals that are full of sugar)
Wholemeal, granary or brown toast, with a small amount of jam, honey or marmalade.
Poached, scrambled or boiled eggs.
Dried or fresh fruit
Milk, milkshakes or smoothies

On a training morning

Once out of bed, swimmers should keep moving to help the process of becoming fully awake and to properly prepare for the training ahead.
Swimmers should consume their pre-training breakfast. (see above)
Swimmers should rehydrate themselves after sleeping.
Double-check that all training and school kit, equipment, homework and food are packed
Leave in good time for your journey, swimmers need time to change and start their dryland warm-up before the start of training.

Establish a post-morning training routine

Some swimmers live either close to their pool and/or close enough to their school. This enables them to travel, train, change and refuel at home, in enough time before school starts. But many swimmers may not live close enough to their pool or their school to allow this to happen. This may require some pre-planning to ensure morning training can take place effectively. For example

How long is the journey to the pool in the mornings?
Is there a venue where the swimmer can have breakfast? Can this be at the pool or at school?
What is the best route to travel from the pool to the school?
Can a parent drop the swimmer off early at school, if they need to get to work straight after morning training?

Taking responsibility

Swimmers should understand the importance of and take ownership of their morning swimming training.

They should not rely on their parents, to prepare them for their morning training the night before, for getting them to bed early, getting them up in the morning and for checking their kit.
Swimmers should be motivated enough to do all this for themselves.

Extra motivation

Sometimes swimmers need a little bit of extra motivation, to attend morning training sessions. Many swimmers make attending morning training a part of their swimming goals process.

Some swimmers have their goals, inspirational swimming quotes or images displayed where they can see them a soon as they wake up.
Certain swimmers send and receive texts to and from their swimming partners/buddies as soon as they wake up. They send one another short motivational messages. For example ‘see you at the pool, together we’ve got this!’
All these methods can be excellent ways of providing the extra motivation to get out of bed, especially on cold dark winter mornings.

Just do it

Many swimmers find that once they are at the pool, talking to a teammate and beginning their warm-up routine, they begin to feel more motivated about morning training.

Many find that when they start swimming it is often one of the best ways of boosting their mood.
It’s very common for competitive swimmers to feel highly motivated after a good training session.

Takeaways

As part of a swimmer’s ongoing development, morning training sessions are an important part of the training programme at many clubs.

To be able to manage the introduction of morning training effectively, it may be a good idea, to establish a morning swimming training routine, for both the swimmer and the parent.

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