Top Tips

Pick up knowledge to improve your outdoor swimming. Learn how to plan routes, train with others, complete events, and overcome obstacles like nerves or fitness level. Get guidance on skills like bodysurfing, underwater swimming, and adapting your stroke for rivers and seas. Experts and seasoned swimmers share their top tips so you can swim safer, stronger, and with more joy.

Night training – finding the right balance

Training at night can be highly effective, and with the right balance, it can support both fitness and overall wellbeing,…
Executing hard sessions in the pool …the right way!

Tougher swim sessions are the engine room of swim performance - but they need intention, structure, mindset and execution, says…
Endurance swimming: the night element

Take your time, start small and prepare well for the nighttime element of your endurance swim, says Olympian Alice Dearing
How improving posture can improve swimming

Effective breathing is central to swimming performance, so improving posture is one way to positively impact your swim technique, says…
Love your local leisure centre!

Build a balanced training programme all in one place, says fitness coach Vivienne Rickman
Lengthening your swims

April is about lengthening your time in the water, lengthening your stroke and lengthening your attention span so you can…
Strengthen your core in the pool

One of the most effective (and often overlooked) places to build a powerful, stable core is the swimming pool, says…
How to improve your front crawl: four simple technique fixes

Master the fundamentals of front crawl in four weeks - with quick wins you can try in your very next…
Flourishing through swimming: practical principles from positive psychology

For our March Virtual Event we were delighted to host Leadership Coach Lexi Tinkler who shared fascinating insights about how…
Use the outdoors for dryland training

Avoid busy, stuffy gyms and get outside for your dryland training, says fitness coach Vivienne Rickman
Get event ready with Vassos Alexander

How to swim your best at the Great North Swim and other open water events this summer – with sports…
How to boost your endurance and swim stronger

Boosting endurance in the pool isn’t just about swimming more laps, says swim coach Nicola Butler. It’s about training smarter,…
How to keep swimming strong as you age, with World Record Holder Deborah Gardner

How do you keep swimming strong and even improving into your 50s, 60s and beyond? Long distance swimmer Deborah Gardner…
Boost your strength and mobility for better movement

Make 2026 the year you move better – understanding the link between strength and mobility, says personal trainer Liz Lowe
Sustainable fitness for 2026

When fitness becomes part of your life rather than something extra you have to “fit in,” you are far more…
Use the pool to transform your technique

Swim coach Nicola Butler explains how using pool features, from the lane ropes to pool markings, can improve your swim…
Build your resilience over winter

In her first coaching feature for Outdoor Swimmer, Olympian Alice Dearing explains how resilience in winter is worth it when…
Introducing our new expert contributor Alice Dearing

We’re delighted to welcome Alice Dearing, British marathon swimmer and Olympian, as our new challenge and endurance swim guide
Ice swimming with Stephen Gould: expert guidance, inspiration and practical tips

Watch our webinar with ice swimming expert Stephen Gould – we cover preparation and safety, training and what to expect…
Shouldering on… continuing our two-part dive into shoulder mobility

Personal trainer Liz Lowes shares the second part of her shoulder rehabilitation guide
Your guide to festive fitness

Christmas can be a tricky time for anyone who likes to train regularly. Fitness coach Vivienne Rickman shares her advice…
Top tips for festive dips

Christmas morning dips, New Year's Day swims and loony dooks: are you joining a madcap dash into the sea this…
Where does swimming fit in your life?

Simon Griffiths shares some thoughts on swimming, training and life
Healing shoulders in the water

Swimming coach Nicola Butler offers her guide to pool-based rehabilitation for your shoulders
Shoulders fit for swimming

Efficient swimmers need strong, mobile shoulders, says personal instructor Liz Lowe