Product Description

This book puts an end to the drudgery of merely counting laps by showing you how to create your own individual fitness program--and have fun doing it! Learn how to:

• Determine your own fitness level
• Choose an appropriate training program and build upon that program with a variety of innovative workouts
• Use a timing clock and interval training to increase your speed and endurance
• Use various training equipment, such as kick boards, hand paddles, and swimming fins to strengthen stroke technique
• Improve your cardiovascular fitness, muscle tone, and flexibility

Included for quick reference are tips for streamlining strokes, checklists for proper stroke execution, and a helpful glossary of training terms as well as a section on the joys and challenges of open water swimming. "I am constantly looking for new approaches which will do at least one of the following, and possibly all three:

1. give me a change from normal routine
2. make me a faster swimmer
3. challenge me to work harder

The Fit Swimmer addresses all these in an informative and entertaining way, making this book a valuable resource for all swimmers." -- James E. Counsilman Swimming Coach Indiana University Marianne Brems is a Masters swimmer, coach of the San Mateo Master Marlins, author of Swim for Fitness and 101 Favorite Workouts, and a regular columnist for Swim Swim magazine.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28662 in Books
• Published on: 1984-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

About the Author
McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide

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Customer Reviews

A wonderfull book for initiate a daily fittness program.
It is a fantastic book for start a real and serious fittness program on swiming.I started the program stated in the book 3 month ago being a fresh beginner , and now I can swim 1600 meters per day with no problem at all.I do each training tip during 3 days in a row ,and I am improving very fast. It is easy to read,simple with a very good glosary of vocabulary for swimming.I STRONGLY recommend for people who want to start a performing swimming program without having a coach.(THE BOOK ITSELF IS YOUR COACH)

Indispensable for first (and beyond) year swim coaches
Swimming is one of those curious beasts of the American athetic sports scene: vast multitudes participate (recreational, summer, competitive, etc.), but very few really know how to improve. As in other sports, many parents wind up coaching as their children get involved in swimming as there are too few coaches available. There is much to learn! Stroke technique, using the clock, training the aerobic and non-aerobic energy systems, how to author and conduct a productive and interesting workout, etc.

To those who might feel intimidated by all this, this book brings help in the form of workout structure. The workouts range from basic beginner to advanced workouts for accomplished swimmers. I have used Marianne's book to keep my workouts (as an age-group coach and Master's swimmer) interesting and my swimmers are always eager to swim.

I highly recommend this book for coaches and swimmers who are self-coached.

A great training guide for anyone
Like many triathletes I had a bit of swimming in my background when I started racing, but certainly not enough to be competitive. I occasionally swam with organized groups but my consultant travel schedule made sure that was infrequent. I got a copy of The Fit Swimmer, read it cover to cover and made up about a dozen workouts from the suggested routines. The section on open water racing was particularly valuable. While training diligence was definitely part of it, this book was the #1 resource for me in competitively placing in events ranging from local races to National and Ironman distances. Ms. Brems meets 2 imperatives: she explains things simply and she gives you the tools you need to progress from a relative novice to a competitive swimmer. Like a craftsman and apprentice, she leaves it up to the reader to figure out how to best use the extensive toolset in the book. I found that creating about a dozen workouts on 3x5 cards from her suggested routines and rotating them did the trick (store them in a ziploc bag for use poolside). You can experiment with different routines to test how your body responds. I now coach people on an occasional basis, and strongly encourage each of them to read the book before we start.