Why You Should Take a Break from Swimming

A carefully managed period of lighter training now could help you swim stronger next summer.

Why Take a Break?

Around this time of year, I try to scale back my swimming for a few weeks. It feels like a good opportunity for a gentle end-of-season break from hard training and racing. As I do most years, over the summer, I did several long open-water swims and a couple of swim runs. In spring and autumn (and even once in mid-summer), I raced in the pool.

Training for these events means swimming and running a lot, mixing endurance with sprint work. The events are challenging. It’s fun, but it can be tiring. Taking some time out is physically and mentally beneficial. It’s a common training principle to allow a few weeks for deeper recovery, and it aligns with Renaissance Swimmer principles of balance and harmony.

The Perfect Timing

Summer is over and the opportunity for long-distance open-water swims has passed with it. Outdoor swims become brief, restorative cold plunges. National Masters, the big pool swimming event of the year, is at the end of October. It’s an exhausting weekend, so a break after that makes sense anyway. I might as well combine it with an end-of-season recovery phase.

Reflect and Plan Ahead

Autumn is also a good time to reflect: Which events do you want to do next year? What skills do you want to improve? What changes could make your training more effective? I’m not a fan of sudden New Year resolutions. I like to let ideas ferment and develop for a couple of months before deciding, rather than picking something on 31 December because it sounds good at the time.

Complete Stop or Light Training?

I don’t stop swimming completely. After Nationals, I took a few days off, then eased back into my routine. The main difference is that I dial down the intensity and cut some sessions short, which I find works better for me than a total break.

In the past, I’ve found taking a complete break counterproductive for a few reasons. First, I miss swimming and the people I swim with. Second, regular swimming is a habit that’s easy to lose. If I stop for a few weeks, those slots get taken by other things. Third, going back after a complete break is hard. The water feels different and my stroke is uncoordinated.

Keeping the routine going with short, low-intensity sessions seems like the best way for me to both recover and then pick things up again when I’m ready. Swimming at low intensity is also useful for working on technique, especially if I’m trying to make changes.

Everyone Is Different

However, some people prefer a complete break. Others wait until a break is forced on them, such as when pools close over the festive period or if they go on holiday or get ill. Other people don’t feel they need a dedicated break, as their year is punctuated by periods when they can’t or don’t swim so much anyway.

Whatever approach you take, make it a conscious decision. Taking a break is not as completely straightforward as it sounds. You might worry about losing hard-earned fitness or dislike the idea of being “lazy.” But if you get it right, a well-managed period of lighter training, or even complete time off, will set you up for swimming at your best next year.

However, I have to confess, I haven’t managed this year’s break perfectly. Despite my good intentions, I let myself get talked into a 1,500m race next weekend!

Tips for Managing Your Break

Set a timeframe: Try to find a time that fits with your event or challenge cycle. Then decide how long your break will be, whether it’s a few days, or a few weeks. Having a return date is reassuring and helps ensure your break doesn’t extend so long that you struggle to come back.
If you don’t want to stop completely, at least reduce intensity. Keep the swimming habit by doing shorter, easier sessions and cut yourself some slack to skip some sessions too.
Focus on technique: Use low-intensity sessions to work on drills and stroke improvements.
Plan your next season: Reflect on goals and events while you’re less busy. Also, take a moment to look back on what you’ve done and achieved over the previous year.
Listen to your body: If you feel exhausted or mentally drained, give yourself permission to rest fully.