One of the top questions I receive is, “What can I do if I don’t have access to a pool?” Whether you’re deployed or there’s a worldwide pandemic virus restricting pool access, you might find yourself in a position where you can’t train in a pool. This doesn’t mean stop and take a break. Don’t lose the progress you have made! There are options out there to at least maintain any progress you’ve made and opportunities to be creative with your workouts.

Below is exactly what I would do without a pool to train in.

1. Find another body of water.

If weather permits, you can always find a lake, pond, or beach to do some open water swimming. But, please make sure you are taking the appropriate safety precautions since this option is a bit more dangerous than swimming in a pool with a lifeguard present. Find safety tips here. For open water swimming, do not do this alone. Always have a buddy! I do not recommend practicing any buddy breathing techniques in open water due to the risk of bacteria entering your lungs. This is NOT safe. Paddleboarding, canoeing, and kayaking are also great ways to get a workout in on the lake as well.

2. Substitute pool sessions with full-body, low impact cardio.

I recommend substituting the pool with any low impact cardio activity such as rowing or the versa-climber/Jacob’s ladder. Its the best substitute but it definitely does not replace the pool. It’s important to break up running with low impact cardio so you don’t crush your shins. Additionally, you can work on flooded mask drills in the shower or bathtub. Many of my clients also practice using CO2 tables to help with breathing.

3. Work on a different area of training.

Without pool access, this is a great time work on other areas like calisthenics, rucking, or running. Another thing you can work on that most people neglect in preparation for selection is plain old grass and guerrilla moves such as bear crawls, crab walks, mountain climbers, and duck walks. These are all great ways to get in a full body workout, and I guarantee you will be doing g&g’s at selection.

4. For my clients, don’t forget you have 1 year of access to your program.

If you are using one of my training programs, I can always reset your program when all this quarantine stuff is done and you have access to a pool again. You will have access to the training program and can have the program reset as many times as you would like for up to a year from your purchase date. All you need to do is shoot me an email!

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