A healthy lifestyle should not be a choice, but a necessity with the rise of sedentary behaviour among people. While regular exercise and a balanced diet are important for maintaining your health, including pre-workout supplements in your routine can supercharge your workout. Especially designed to enhance your workout performance, increase energy levels and improve focus during exercise, these supplements can help you inch closer to your fitness goals. Made from a mix of ingredients, they can wake up your brain, pump up your muscles with creatine or increase the blood flow with nitric oxide boosters. It is your gym buddy in a bottle that can help to maximise your performance. So, check out this list of the best pre-workout supplements and support your fitness goals.
Discover the best pre-workout supplements to support your fitness goals.
What is a pre-workout supplement?
Pre-workout supplements are dietary products that are formulated to enhance your workout performance. They are typically consumed 20 to 30 minutes before exercise. Available in different forms like powders or tablets, they contain a blend of ingredients that helps to boost energy, focus, endurance and overall physical performance. It can prepare your body and mind for the physical demands of exercise, help you push harder and achieve better results. Packed with ingredients like creatine and caffeine, they can help increase alertness and reduce fatigue. But make sure to consult your healthcare provider before including the supplements in your diet to avoid the risk of any adverse reactions.
10 best pre-workout supplements in India
Check out this list of the top 10 pre-workout supplements to support your fitness journey:
Improve your focus and support your fitness goals with the MuscleBlaze Pre Workout 200 Xtreme and Creatine Monohydrate Supplement. Packed with 200 mg caffeine and 200 mg theanine, the MuscleBlaze Pre-workout 200 Xtreme may provide an instant sustained release of energy to keep you active and focused. It also contains 2000 mg beta-alanine which can enhance your endurance. The presence of 3000 mg L-Citrulline in this dietary supplement may help enhance blood flow in nerves and boost the pump. The Creatine Monohydrate may help in muscle volumisation and lean muscle gains.
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Specifications of MuscleBlaze Pre Workout 200 Xtreme and Creatine Monohydrate Supplement:
Flavour: Berry bolt + unflavoured
Item form: Powder
Item weight: 200 grams
2. Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy Pre-Workout Supplement
Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy Pre Workout Supplement promises to support muscle recovery and endurance. This easy-to-mix powder is packed with amino acids that can give a boost of energy and alertness. Each scoop of this powder claims to provide 5 grams of amino acids, 100 mg of caffeine from natural sources, 50 mg of green tea extract and zero sugar.
Specifications of Optimum Nutrition Amino Energy Pre-Workout Supplement:
Flavour: Orange
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Item form: Powder
Item weight: 270 grams
Naturyz Pure – Form X6 Pre Workout Supplement is loaded with the power of 6 blends containing the highest 19 ingredients. Suitable for fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders and athletes, this Aam panna-flavoured pre-workout supplement can deliver power, pump and energy to your muscles. Each scoop of this supplement can provide 3500 mg of the highest strength beta-alanine to build endurance and enhance your physical performance. This is an ideal pre-workout supplement, which promises to provide a muscle pump with L-Citrulline. It also contains L-Arginine which can help to increase blood flow to the muscles for an effective workout session. The presence of alpinia galanga extract in this powder can help improve the focus and intensity of the training. It may also help to keep you hydrated, reduce fatigue, build muscles and boost athletic performance.
Specifications of Naturyz Pure – Form X6 Workout Supplement:
Flavour: Aam Panna
Item form: Powder
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Item weight: 400 grams
Also Read: Best collagen supplements: 10 top choices to boost skin, joint and overall health
Support your fitness journey with the Bigmuscles Nutrition Karnage Pre-Workout Supplement. Packed with a blend of ingredients like L-Citrulline, caffeine, black pepper extract, green tea extract, taurine and more, this supplement can fuel your workouts and help you pass through intense training sessions. This pre-workout supplement may help minimise distractions and maximise productivity. It may also help you push your limits with improved stamina and endurance.
Specifications of Bigmuscles Nutrition Karnage Pre-Workout Supplement:
Flavour: Sex on the beach
Item form: Powder
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Item weight: 300 grams
Boost your workout performance with MuscleTech Vapor X5 Pre-Workout Supplement. It promises to provide an energy boost and enhance muscle pumps and performance. Consume 1 or 2 scoops of this supplement 30 minutes before the training to get an intense sensory experience, and increase strength and lean muscles.
Specifications of MuscleTech Vapor X5 Pre-Workout Supplement:
Flavour: Fruit Punch
Item form: Powder
Item weight: 270 grams
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Also Read: Best iron supplements for women: Boost your energy, vitality and wellness with 10 top picks
Doctor’s Choice Pre-X5 Professional Pre-Workout Supplement is designed to cater for the needs of your body. It may help to take your workout regimen to an advanced level with storming energy and endurance. Packed with a blend of caffeine and beta-alanine, this supplement can help to boost focus, amplify the intensity of training and enhance your energy. It promises to improve your performance by giving monstrous spikes in vitality levels, improving the oxygen stream to muscle tissues and improving strength.
Specifications of Doctor’s Choice Pre-X5 Professional Pre-Workout Supplement:
Flavour: Cola candy
Item form: Powder
Item weight: 350 grams
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Take your workout performance to an advanced level with the MuscleBlaze Pre-Workout Wrathz Supplement. It is packed with the unique combination of caffeine, EnXtra and theanine that can provide an energy boost. With refreshing fruit fury flavour, this supplement can help to give you a monstrous muscle pump. It also contains taurine, tyrosine and choline, which can lead to improved focused and athletic performance. This pre-workout supplement may help reduce fatigue, increase endurance, strength, lean muscle gains and ensure optimum performance.
Specifications of MuscleBlaze Pre-Workout Wrathx Supplement:
Flavour: Fruit fury
Item form: Powder
Item weight: 500 grams
Also Read: Best creatine supplements: Top 10 choices to maximise muscle growth and boost your workout
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Bigmuscles Nutrition Freak Pre-Workout Supplement is specially formulated for intense energy, maximum focus and amplified pumps. It may also support cognitive function, enhance mood, expand muscle endurance and reduce fatigue. The brand claims that this product is designed to post 3 years of research with five core matrix, including a freak performance blend, strength matrix, endurance matrix, explosive energy matrix and N.O matrix to help you make the most of your workout. Free from fillers, this supplement can help to increase strength, muscle pumps and physical performance.
Specifications of Bigmuscles Nutrition Freak Pre-Workout Supplement:
Flavour: Sex on the beach
Item form: Powder
Item weight: 180 grams
This non-caffeinated pre-workout supplement from Wellcore may help enjoy an extraordinary workout experience. It is designed with 6500 mg of citrulline complex, 50 mg extra and other ingredients to increase strength, provide intense pumps, and enhance mind-muscle synergy and power. It also promises to provide sustained energy throughout your workout and foster heightened focus during the workout.
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Specifications of Wellcore-Warrior Pre-Workout Supplement Powder:
Flavour: Warrior
Item form: Powder
Item weight: 390 grams
Muscle Asylum F9 Pre-Workout Powder is packed with 180 mg of caffeine, which can provide energy during workouts. It also contains 3 grams of beta-alanine, 1 gram of citrulline and 500 mg of L-tyrosine to support your fitness goals. Free from any proprietary blends, this pre-workout supplement may provide sustained energy and endurance to help you achieve your fitness goals.
Specifications of Muscle Asylum F9 Pre-Workout Powder:
Flavour: Orange
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Item form: Powder
Item weight: 400 grams
What are the benefits of pre-workout supplements?
Increased energy levels: Pre-workout supplements generally contain caffeine that can enhance alertness and reduce the perception of effort. This can help you pass through tough workouts, reduce fatigue and prepare your body for intense physical activity.
Improved focus and concentration: Packed with the goodness of ingredients like caffeine, L-theanine and more, the best and the most affordable pre-workout supplement can promote mental clarity and focus. It can help you stay focused on the workout, maintaining a mind-muscle connection for enhanced performance.
Enhanced stamina and endurance: The best supplement for a workout is formulated with ingredients like beta-alanine that can help buffer acid build-up in the muscles, reduce fatigue and enable you to push through challenging repetitions.
Increased strength and power: They can contribute to increased strength and power during the workouts. Packed with ingredients like creatine and nitric oxide boosters, these supplements may help promote better blood flow to muscles, produce energy in muscles and lead to improved muscle performance.
Muscle recovery: Some pre-workout supplements also contain BCAAs that can help to reduce muscle soreness and speed up recovery times after a workout. By minimising muscle damage during exercise, they can allow for quicker recovery.
Better muscle pump: They may help increase blood flow to the muscles. The increased blood flow can also deliver more nutrients to the muscles, supporting growth and recovery.
Top three features of the best pre-workout supplement
Best pre-workout supplements
Price
Flavour
Recommended dosage
MuscleBlaze Pre Workout 200 Xtreme
1,049
Berry bolt, unflavoured
2 scoops
Optimum Nutrition (ON) Amino Energy – Pre Workout
2,064
Orange
2 scoops
Naturyz Pre – Form X6 Pre Workout Supplement
1,599
Aam Panna
Half scoop
Bigmuscles Nutrition Karnage Pre workout
1,339
Sex on the beach
1 scoop
MuscleTech Vapor X5, Fruit Punch Blast
1,471
Fruit punch
1 or 2 scoops
Doctor’s Choice PRE-X5 Ultimate Professional Pre-Workout
1,448
Cola candy
1 scoops
MuscleBlaze Pre Workout Wrathx With Creapure
2,299
Fruit fury
1 scoops
Bigmuscles Nutrition Freak Pre-Workout
999
Sex on the beach
1 scoops
Wellcore-Warrior Pre Workout Supplement
1,199
Warrior
1 scoops
Muscle Asylum F9 Pre-Workout powder
1,187
Orange
1 scoops
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How to choose the best pre-workout supplement?
While choosing the best pre-workout supplement, consider your fitness goals. Look for ingredients like caffeine, beta-alanine, creatine and more. Make sure to check for reputable brands, read reviews and avoid excessive stimulants. You may also consult your healthcare provider for better guidance.
How to use pre-workout supplements?
Mix the recommended dose of the pre-workout supplement with water and drink it at least 20 to 30 minutes before the workout. Start with a lower dose to assess tolerance and do not exceed the recommended amount.
Are pre-workout supplements safe?
Pre-workout supplements are generally safe when used as directed. But safety depends on ingredients and health conditions. Overuse or high doses can lead to side effects like digestive issues or jitteriness. So, always follow dosage recommendations and consult a healthcare provider for guidance.
Disclaimer: At Hindustan Times, we help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and products. Hindustan Times has an affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase. We shall not be liable for any claim under applicable laws, including but not limited to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, with respect to the products. The products listed in this article are in no particular order of priority.
“Forget living longer, exercise can make life easier right now”—a 72-year-old fitness influencer and marathon runner shares two accessible ways to start moving
Retirement is often a time when people slow down, but in Christine Hobson’s case, she’s speeding up. When her daughter persuaded her to join a running club so she wouldn’t get bored, she had no idea she’d get the fitness bug and run 125 marathons in total, visiting all seven continents.
And the 72-year-old former teacher has plans to run the North Pole marathon in 2027.
Hobson, who believes that exercise is the best anti-aging hack, tells Fit&Well: “I think what makes you old is not doing anything and just being sedentary, sitting around watching TV all the time. I really believe the less you move, the less you’re able to move, so when I retired at almost 61, I decided that my new job was to get fit.
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“Aging isn’t just about age—if you make life easier now, the future will look after itself,” she says.
Hobson, who strength trains too, has since become a fitness influencer, amassing over 132,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares workouts and her thoughts on exercise.
“I get loads of messages from people who are scared to exercise because they don’t want to fall over and get injured,” she says. “But getting stronger builds your confidence and means that you can do the things you want without needing help. It’s not about living forever. And it’s never too late to start. You’ve got to start from where you are.”
Here shares her two best tips for getting started with fitness, whatever your age.
Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.
1. Perform the sit-to-stand exercise
Hobson says an essential exercise to incorporate into your day is the sit-to-stand—a move that involves sitting and standing up from a chair without using your hands.
To build your strength, Hobson suggests doing the sit-to-stand 10 times each time you walk past a chair in your house. Once you’ve got the technique, she recommends trying it from a lower chair or couch to make it more challenging.
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“The sit-to-stand is critical,” says Hobson. “If you can do that, that’s the thing that’s going to keep you independent in your own home. Because if you live alone and you can’t get up, then how are you going to look after yourself independently? The next thing will be that you can’t get out of your bed, and then you’re in trouble.”
Hobson began with the sit-to-stand exercise, and has progressed to squat with a 35kg barbell and deadlift 75kg.
Many people think motivation will just appear, says Hobson, but she says: “There’s no such thing as motivation really. It’s discipline. It’s building a habit. You’ve got to book your workouts in like a meeting at work, which is what I did when I retired. I prioritized fitness like a job.
“I also have my workout clothes ready to make sure I exercise—even if I’m planning to do it later in the day. I get dressed so I can’t talk myself out of it.”
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2. Walk a mile a day
If you’re totally new to exercise, or returning after a long break, Hobson says walking is an excellent place to start.
“We are a species that is supposed to move, and even a short 20-minute walk will support your heart, your ability to control your blood sugar levels, and help you mentally and physically,” she says.
Her trick is to listen to audiobooks while she walks to encourage her to go further.
“This is how I started before I ran my first marathon,” she says. “I walked a mile a day and I really forced myself to do it come rain or shine. After about five or six weeks I found that I wanted to go more.
“And one of the things that helped was listening to audiobooks. If I got home and I had got to an exciting bit in the book I would have to go back out again to hear the next chapter so it would make me walk a bit further.”
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Hobson describes herself as a run-walker, saying she has completed all her marathons that way. “I started exercising for something to do when I retired. Now I do it because it makes life easier.”
CrossFit means a lot of things to a lot of people – because it’s made up of a lot of things.
Since the rise of the fitness giant, countless brands, events and training methods have sprung up around it – not claiming to be CrossFit, but looking suspiciously CrossFit-esque.
There are, however, a handful of things that are uniquely CrossFit: the ‘Girls’ benchmark workouts. The Hero WODs and, of course, its signature rep schemes.
Chief among them is ’21-15-9′.
The 21-15-9 rep scheme may just be the single most CrossFit thing in existence. But what exactly is it? Where did it come from? And why might it actually be better at building muscle in a hurry than its conditioning roots would have you believe?
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Let’s have a look.
What Is 21-15-9?
If you’ve never encountered it before, the format couldn’t be simpler. Choose two exercises (occasionally more) and perform 21 reps of each, then 15 reps of each, then nine reps of each, completing the entire workout as quickly as possible – with good form.
Probably the best-known example is ‘Fran’: 21 thrusters and pull-ups, followed by 15 of each, then nine. On paper it doesn’t look especially intimidating. In practice, it’s one of the most feared benchmark workouts in fitness.
Where Did it Come From?
Unlike many modern training methods, 21-15-9 didn’t come out of a study. It came from the gym floor.
CrossFit founder Greg Glassman has explained that the format emerged through years of coaching and experimentation in the 1990s. Rather than chasing a perfect sets-and-reps prescription, he was looking for a workout that allowed athletes to maintain a high power output from start to finish.
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The thinking is surprisingly elegant. You begin with 21 reps while fresh. By the time you reach the set of 15, your ability to produce force has already fallen. By the final nine, you’re significantly more fatigued – but the workload has dropped by almost the same amount.
Instead of grinding through increasingly miserable sets of the same length, the workout ‘meets you where you are’, reducing the work required as your capacity declines. The result is a workout that encourages you to keep moving instead of standing around trying to recover.
The numbers themselves are also remarkably practical. Forty-five total reps per movement provides plenty of training volume without turning the session into an endurance slog, while every set divides neatly into thirds if you need to break it up.
(Although I’ve got to be honest, I’m a 20-15-10-5 man myself, just for the sake of round numbers.)
Why Does it Work So Well?
Although there isn’t research showing that 21-15-9 is somehow the magic formula, there are obvious reasons why it consistently produces brutally effective workouts.
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Descending reps help maintain intensity. As fatigue accumulates, reducing the target allows movement quality, bar speed and overall work rate to stay higher than they would if you simply repeated the same number of reps over and over.
It also tends to land in a physiological sweet spot. Most 21-15-9 workouts take between three and eight minutes, depending on the movements and the athlete. That’s long enough to create a serious cardiovascular challenge while still requiring meaningful force production throughout. You’re taxing your anaerobic systems hard while relying on your aerobic system to help you recover just enough to keep going.
Finally, there’s the psychological trick. The hardest-looking part comes first. Once you’ve survived the opening 21, every remaining round appears more manageable. ‘Only 15 left.’ Then, ‘Just nine.’ In reality, you’re becoming more fatigued with every rep, but the shrinking target keeps you attacking the workout instead of pacing too conservatively.
Why it Might be Surprisingly Good for Building Muscle
Perhaps the biggest misconception about 21-15-9 is that it’s ‘just cardio with weights’.
Choose the right load and something interesting happens. Very few athletes complete every round unbroken. Instead, the workout naturally evolves into a series of short, broken sets separated by only a few seconds of rest.
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Your 21 might become 11-5-5. Your 15 becomes 8-4-3. Your final nine might stay unbroken – or become 5-4.
In effect, you’ve accidentally turned the workout into a form of rest-pause training.
Those brief pauses allow just enough recovery to squeeze out more high-quality repetitions before fatigue catches up again. By the latter stages of each mini-set, you’re repeatedly working very close to failure, recruiting the high-threshold motor units with the greatest potential for muscle growth.
It’s a similar principle to rest-pause training, myo-reps and cluster sets: all methods used to accumulate hypertrophy-friendly volume while keeping the load relatively heavy and the rest periods brutally short.
You’re basically speed-running a large number of hard, growth-stimulating reps in a very small window of time. Could this help explain why elite CrossFit athletes often carry an impressive amount of muscle despite spending relatively little time performing traditional bodybuilding splits?
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It’s certainly plausible, although the ‘elite’ part often selects for athletes with the greatest muscle-building potential.
Much of their training isn’t simply conditioning. It’s high-density resistance training performed under accumulating fatigue, with only fleeting recovery between efforts. In other words, they’re often doing something bodybuilders have deliberately programmed for decades: packing a lot of hard work into a very short period of time.
That’s not to say 21-15-9 is superior to a well-designed hypertrophy programme. If your sole goal is building muscle, there are more efficient ways to do it.
But if you’re looking for a workout that develops fitness, tests your mettle and still provides a meaningful stimulus for strength and size, it’s easy to see why this deceptively simple rep scheme has remained one of CrossFit’s defining fingerprints for more than 20 years.
Best Bodyweight 21-15-9 Workout: ‘JT’
If you’re looking for an interesting twist on the 21-15-9 format, look no further than Hero WOD ‘JT’, which concentrates the muscle-building potential of the format into a brutal upper-body workout.
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Created in honour of Petty Officer 1st Class Jeff Taylor, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2006, the workout strips away barbells altogether and relies solely on three bodyweight movements:
21-15-9 reps of:
Don’t let the lack of equipment fool you. The volume – 45 reps of each movement, 135 reps in total – combined with the descending rep scheme makes this a brutal upper-body test, hammering the shoulders, chest and triceps while demanding serious muscular endurance.
Better still, it perfectly demonstrates one of the biggest strengths of 21-15-9. As fatigue mounts and the sets naturally fragment, the workout begins to resemble one giant rest-pause set, allowing you to accumulate a huge number of hard, near-failure reps in less than 10 minutes.
If your goal is building an impressive upper body while developing serious work capacity, there are few bodyweight workouts that deliver quite so much bang for your buck, making ‘JT’ one of my personal favourites.
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If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.
Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.
The concept of ‘exercise snacking’ has never been more popular. Not only is it convenient and accessible, but there is solid scientific evidence that short bursts of physical activity can yield real benefits for our health. But can a swimming workout be an effective ‘exercise snack’?
A study published in the European Heart Journal found that just 15 to 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity a week (almost as low as two minutes a day) was enough to significantly lower the risk of heart disease, cancer and early death. The study defined vigorous activity as any exercise that leaves you out of breath and raises your heart rate, including swimming.
But does ‘exercise snacking’ really work in the pool? Unlike a short run, walk, or online workout at home, going for a swim requires a bit of effort beyond the swim itself, so we often want to spend longer in the pool to make the most of it. However, head of swim for David Lloyd Clubs, Nuala Muir-Cochrane, believes short swims are worth it: “If you only have 10 minutes, consistency matters more than volume. Even two or three short swims per week can improve swim fitness noticeably,” she says.
With that in mind, I added some 10-minute swims to my routine of strength training and yoga workouts for two weeks to see if it made any difference to my health and fitness. Here’s what I discovered, plus what experts told me about optimising a short swim to either energise, recover or relax.
Benefits of 10-minute swimming workouts
1. Aids muscle recovery
To make the most of my short pool sessions, I often paired them with a gym visit, realising that I’ll need a post-workout shower anyway, so I may as well take a dip first. According to Francesca Bagshaw, performance physiologist at Nuffield Health’s Manchester Institute of Health and Performance, a short swim is perfect for recovering after the gym, a run or exercise class because it combines low-impact movement with increased circulation.
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“After a hard session, muscles can feel stiff and fatigued due to microscopic muscle damage, inflammation and metabolite build-up,” she explains. “Gentle swimming helps stimulate blood flow without placing additional mechanical stress on joints and muscles,” Francesca recommends keeping the intensity low to moderate if recovery is your goal, to promote mobility, relaxation and circulation, without additional fatigue.
Samantha Russo, master swim coach for Virgin Active, adds, “In the pool, the water holds most of your bodyweight, so your joints get a break, but your muscles are still working gently through a big range of motion. Because water gives soft resistance in every direction, an easy swim is like active stretching with a built-in massage for the muscles, so you loosen up rather than lock up.”
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2. Supports muscle building
Water is around 800 times denser than air, making swimming (or any movement in water) an effective resistance workout. Your muscles need to work harder to propel the body through the water, and multiple muscle groups will be involved, including those in your arms, legs, back and core.
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My fortnight of short swims probably didn’t help me gain muscle – the resistance of the water never changes, so practising progressive overload (gradually increasing the weight, as I can in the gym) isn’t possible. I would have to either increase my speed, distance or duration to do this. But I felt that my short swims did support gains from strength training in the gym. Maintaining muscle has been useful for staying strong, not just for my gym workouts, but also for my yoga classes and occasional run.
10 minutes might not seem like a long time, but if you’re headed for the shower anyway, why not throw in a quick workout?
(Image credit: Kerry Law / Future)
3. Boosts energy levels
While it isn’t my preferred timeslot, I would sometimes schedule a short, pacier swim in the morning to boost my mental and physical energy before work. If you prefer morning workouts, you might find that adding a short, fast swim after the gym or an exercise class will energise you for the day ahead.
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Samantha is a fan of morning swims: “In the morning, your circulation and nervous system are still in ‘low power mode’, and a short swim acts like a full-body wake-up call,” she says. “The cold water stimulates your skin and nerves, your breathing and heart rate increase, and more oxygen-rich blood is pushed to your brain and muscles. That mix of oxygen, movement and endorphins clears brain fog and lifts your mood far better than a cup of coffee.”
Francesca adds, “For best results, morning swims should be kept relatively short and refreshing rather than exhaustive, particularly before work or further training later in the day.”
4. Lowers stress levels
Much has been discovered about the effects of immersion in water, and how it can induce an ultra-calming ‘blue mind’state. This is partly why I favour an evening swim, not just to avoid the busiest times at the pool, but to lower my cortisol levels and put a full stop to the day. This can have a calming effect on the nervous system, explains Francesca.
“Steady, rhythmic swimming encourages controlled breathing patterns and can help shift the body toward a more parasympathetic, ‘rest and digest’, state. This reduces physiological arousal and can lower stress levels after a busy day,” she says.
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“Warm or temperate water can reduce muscle tension and promote peripheral vasodilation [widening of the blood vessels], helping the body feel physically calmer. The repetitive nature of swimming has a meditative effect for many people, supporting mental decompression and reduced cognitive stress.”
Samantha adds that some may find evening swims contribute to a better night’s sleep: “Your core body temperature rises slightly in the water, then drops as you shower and dry off, and that drop is a natural signal to your brain that it’s time for bed.”
5. Burns calories
The number of calories you burn during a swim will depend on various factors, including the duration, distance, intensity and your bodyweight. For example, according to Harvard Medical School data, someone who weighs 155lb could expect to burn approximately 200 calories over a 30-minute low-intensity swim, rising to 360 calories for a high-intensity 30-minute swim.
Just 10 minutes of swimming will amount to a third of that calorie burn, but the ‘afterburn’ – or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) – may help burn a few more. The ‘afterburn’ concept suggests that we consume more oxygen to help our bodies restore and repair following intense exercise, essentially burning calories at a greater rate. However, research suggests this amounts to just a handful of extra calories burnt.
However, I can be confident that spending an extra 10 minutes swimming in the evening burns more calories than my alternative (usually sitting on the sofa watching TV). It’s the same for a 10-minute walking workout.
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10-minute swimming workouts to try
Multi-stroke sprint swimming workout
Nuala recommends this swim workout for beginner-intermediate level swimmers. “It improves cardiovascular fitness without the need for a long session, while using different muscle groups through the stroke changes. The easy swim at the end helps recovery and reduces stiffness,” she says.
How to do it:
For the first five minutes, alternate between front crawl, breaststroke and backstroke for one length each.
On every fourth length, sprint at your near maximum effort. Maintain controlled technique even when swimming faster.
For the final five minutes, cool down with gentle continuous swimming with whichever stroke feels most relaxed. Focus on long strokes with steady breathing and low effort.
Maintaining form is crucial, says Nuala: “For front crawl, keep your head still and look slightly downward rather than forwards; in breaststroke, glide briefly after each kick rather than rushing the strokes; and for backstroke, keep your hips high and do small continuous kicks.”
Varied swimming workout
Cheryl Pottinger, swim teacher for Better, suggests this 10 minute routine which goes up and down the speed scale over 300m (in a standard 25m pool).
How to do it:
Warm up with one length of front crawl, followed by one length of breaststroke at normal pace.
For your main set, swim front crawl with a 10 second rest after each practice, starting with one length at your maximum speed.
Follow it with two lengths at 80% of your maximum speed.
Shift down a gear for the next three lengths at normal pace.
Swim the next two lengths at 80% of your maximum speed.
Finish this section with one length at maximum speed.
Cool down with one length in a stroke of your choice at normal pace.
Recovery swim
As a gentle short swim to aid relaxation after a gym session, Cheryl recommends this sequence. It incorporates the lesser known side stroke, which is relaxed, energy efficient and builds core stability as it forces your midsection to engage as you balance on one side.
How to do it:
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Warm up with one length of front crawl and one length of breaststroke at a relaxed pace.
Swim the next two lengths in side stroke, one length on the right side and one on the left. This stroke requires balancing on one side of the body, reaching forward with one arm while the other pulls back, and scissor kicking the legs. “Focus on the power in the muscles during the pull and kick, and the stretching of the muscles during the glide,” says Cheryl. Watch a demo here.
Finish with one length of steady-paced breaststroke, and a final length of head-first sculling (lie on your back using your arms to propel you backwards).
Tips for making the most of a 10-minute swimming workout
Make it your post-gym habit: All the effort involved in travelling to and from the pool, let alone changing in and out of clothes, may not feel worth it for just 10 minutes in the pool. So, I often tacked it onto the end of my regular gym session. If your gym has a pool, make the most of it and view it as part of your workout ‘cool down’ and recovery before showering and heading home.
Tailor your swim to the time of day: There are still benefits to be had if you take a relaxing swim in the morning, or a higher intensity swim in the evening, but you might be working against your energy levels. As Francesca recommends, a pacier swim early in the day can boost alertness, while a lighter intensity swim in the evening can aid post-workout recovery and sleep.
Choose quieter pool times: This goes for however long you wish to spend swimming, but having a lane all to yourself allows you to follow a plan without compromise. I find evenings are best for me but check your local pool timetable to avoid sharing space with unexpected aqua aerobic classes or school swimming lessons.
Bring a poolside kit bag: With just 10 minutes in the pool, you don’t have time to keep nipping back to your locker to fetch forgotten kit. Have a small kit bag pre-packed with anything you might need (think spare hairclips and hairbands, anti-fog goggle spray, kickboard and pull buoy if you’re using them), and keep it at the end of your lane (make sure it isn’t a trip hazard).
