I started swimming a few weeks ago and I’ve been focusing on freestyle, specifically front crawl. I’m still getting the hang of my breathing, but I’m making progress!
As someone who is moderately active, I want to set some realistic goals for my swim sessions. In a 25m pool, what would be a good number of laps to aim for in 30 minutes? I was thinking about 20 to 30 laps, which is around 500 to 750 meters at a relaxed pace with breaks.
Does that sound reasonable for freestyle, or should I aim for more or less? Any tips for building endurance or improving my breathing would be appreciated!
That really depends on your skill level. When I first started swimming as an adult, I could barely manage 25m before stopping to catch my breath for 30 seconds. If I was doing that, then 500-750m sounds about right.
But remember that swimming 750m with poor form is not as effective as swimming 200-300m with good form.
If you can, take a few lessons to learn the basics.
Kirin said: @Hal
Can you explain that part about good form? I’m not sure I understand. Thank you.
If you keep training day after day with bad technique, you’ll build stamina, but in a not-so-great way. You might be able to swim longer distances eventually, but you’ll also get stuck with poor technique.
Unlike running or biking, swimming really relies on technique. If your body position is off, it makes your legs sink and you’ll tire out quicker.
So my main point is: don’t just focus on building endurance with poor technique. Early on, it’s better to learn good freestyle form and swim less than to later struggle to fix bad habits.
Finnick said: @Hal
My form is okay; I had some lessons a few weeks ago. Now I’m thinking about setting some goals for what I’ll call my next phase
That’s great! I struggled for a while with YouTube tutorials before deciding to take lessons. I wanted to help you avoid that frustration.
As others mentioned, the 0-1650 program is great for working towards your first mile. After that, if you really enjoy it, consider joining a local Master’s team.
I’m currently focused on triathlons, but I swam with a Master’s team for a year. Now I mostly train alone because of time, but I join their practices occasionally.
Hey there! I’m also new to lap swimming and asked similar questions recently.
One great tip I got was to pick a set distance and count how many strokes it takes to swim it. Then try to reduce that number of strokes. That applies to most distances, although the longer you swim, the more difficult it can be to keep track.
I’m also aiming to swim a mile in 30 minutes. I just reached half a mile (with rests) the other day. So I’ve been working on my breathing and building endurance. I’m not too close yet, but it’s a fun goal for me!
I’d suggest pushing yourself a little while swimming, but not too much. Just beyond your comfort zone. That helps with building stamina, and just accept however many laps that is.
Listen to your body to find how many laps are right for you, but pushing yourself within reasonable limits is key.
When I was in shape, I’d swim a mile in about 40 to 45 minutes. I was decent but not competitive. That’s about 3520 feet or 1173 yards, which equals roughly 47 laps in a 25-yard pool.
Given I don’t know your specific skill level or goals, I’d say 30 to 40 laps would be good for someone who’s more than a casual swimmer.
You could set a goal of swimming 30 laps in 30 minutes. See how that goes, and if you don’t quite hit it, keep working toward it. Once you reach that, consider aiming for 35 laps in 30 minutes, then 40, and so on.
Ultimately, let your body guide you on how many laps you can swim, and push for a couple more each time.
Think of it like weight lifting: if someone can lift a certain weight 10 times but struggles on the 11th, that extra lift is what makes them stronger. If your goal is to improve swimming, then gently pushing beyond what feels comfortable is how you’ll get better.
I usually do about 80 laps in 30 minutes at a relaxed pace. My advice is to be honest with yourself about when you need a break, and how long you should take it. Establish a solid baseline and try to beat it the next time you swim.
@Zorion
Right now, I’m doing around 12 to 15 laps in a 25m pool, and that’s my baseline for now. I’m focusing on setting realistic goals to increase my endurance.
Your next step could be to swim continuously for 30 minutes.
Swimmers in medium pace lanes typically swim around 2:00 to 2:20 per 100 meters. At the 220 per 100 mark, that leads to about 1280 meters. Aiming for 1200 meters as your next goal could be good.
Getting under 30 minutes for 1500 meters is a common benchmark for mid-pack triathletes. So aiming for 1500 meters would be a solid goal.
I’m a junior high school swimmer and have been swimming for 5 years, focusing mostly on distance. In 30 minutes, I can maintain a pace just below my 500 time. Currently, my 500 is around 6:20, which means I could cover about 2300 yards in that time. If you’re newer to swimming, I’d recommend aiming for around 1000 yards.
I’m a 54-year-old man who’s overweight. I’ve been swimming four times a week since April. In 30 minutes, I usually swim between 1200 and 1300 yards, which comes out to about 24 to 26 laps.
There’s no one-size-fits-all number. It’s similar to asking how far one should aim to run in 30 minutes. The answer really depends on your current fitness level.
