Front Crawl (or Freestyle Stroke)The front crawl is what you see competitive swimmers do the most because it's the fastest of the strokes. The reason why the front crawl is fast is because one arm is always pulling underwater and able to deliver a powerful propulsion.
Breaststroke: Breaststroke is the slowest competitive stroke, but uses most energy. Breaststroke: Your head comes out of the water after each stroke, so it's an easier option to start with. But it's the hardest stroke to do correctly because of the timing between arms and legs.
The leg movement, colloquially known as the "frog kick" or "whip kick", consists of two phases: bringing the feet into position for the thrust phase and the insweep phase. From the initial position with the legs stretched out backward, the feet are moved together towards the posterior, while the knees stay together.
While in the short term there is not much to worry about, swimming head-up breaststroke over a longer term can cause serious damage due to the extra stress and strain on your neck and back.
Pull in your abdominal muscles to support your straight back. Keep your hips as close to the surface as possible to avoid a bend in your lower spine. As your arms start the pull phase, bring your head out of the water and breathe in through your mouth. Keep your head and shoulders relaxed and free from tension.
Swim freestyle one day, and the next day do the butterfly stroke. “The butterfly stroke is the most demanding, working the entire body and will burn the most calories,” says Hickey. “The breaststroke would come in second, and the backstroke third.”
Long course
| Time | Name | Date |
|---|
| 58.46 | Cameron van der Burgh | July 29, 2012 |
| 57.92 | Adam Peaty | April 17, 2015 |
| 57.55 | Adam Peaty | August 6, 2016 |
| 57.13 | Adam Peaty | August 7, 2016 |
Men
| Event | Time | |
|---|
| 50m breaststroke | 25.95 | sf |
| 100m breaststroke | 56.88 | sf |
| 200m breaststroke | 2:06.12 | |
| 50m butterfly | 22.27 | |
50 Meter Pool (Olympic Size)
| Miles | Yards | Lengths |
|---|
| 100 meters | 2 lengths |
| ¼ mile (Sprint Distance) | about 400 meters | 8 lengths |
| ½ mile | about 800 meters | 16 lengths |
| 1 mile (Olympic Distance) | about 1700 meters | 30 lenghts |
The average middle guy swims at 2.02/100m for an Ironman and at 2.06/100m for a 70.3. The average middle lady swims at 2.09/100m or an Ironman and at 2.12/100m for a 70.3. It is interesting that average pace of a 70.3 swim is slower than that of an Ironman.
Some good guidelines would be about 60 to 80 laps or about 1500m for beginners, 80 to 100 laps for intermediate swimmers, and roughly 120 laps or more for advanced swimmers. Those are the recommended guidelines if you want a good swim workout.
Swimming creates a slightly elongated, broad-shouldered, thin, and fit body shape, which many of us covet. Back: Swimming, especially when you do backstroke, will work wonders for your back muscles. Glutes: Regular swimming also works your glutes like no other exercise out there.
Core Body WorkoutThis makes breaststroke an effective core muscle group exercise. The upward and downward motion of the chest in a wavelike motion engages the core body muscles. The core muscles stabilize the body in performing breaststrokes, and the more your engage your core muscles, the stronger they will become.
Continue to alternate a stroke of No-Breath Breaststroke, with a normal stroke of Breaststroke. As you continue to breathe every other stroke, focus on keeping your head and neck in line and rock steady.
Breaststroke is a much better cardiovascular workout than the other strokes. It helps strengthen heart and lungs while toning thighs, upper back, triceps, hamstrings and lower legs. It helps to work and tone the chest muscles.
A lot of beginners hold their head up high, and their lower body low in the water, this means they get too much drag through the water for any form of efficient movement in the water to happen. If you swim more flat, you will reduce the drag and decrease the time you swim.
Fitness Pace Chart
| 100 | 200 | 1500 |
|---|
| 1:55 | 3:50 | 28:45 |
| 2:00 | 4:00 | 30:00 |
| 2:05 | 4:10 | 31:15 |
| 2:10 | 4:20 | 32:30 |
Freestyle and backstroke are the two variations of flip turns. Done correctly, they speed up a swimmer while allowing a brief respite from swimming, thus explaining why short-course times are faster than long-course times for the same events.
I would say the best swimmers in my club do this in 4:30-5 minutes. I'm about a 6-7 minute averagethe new swimmers take about 10-14 minutes.
