Last updated at 10:32, Monday, 18 January 2010

This year's Great North Swim in September has proved more popular than ever with 7,000 places filling in record time. JO DAVIES gets training tips from an expert

• Evening Mail's Joe Riley gives his top tips Watch a video clip....

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WHETHER you have a goal ahead or just want to get fit, swimming is the low impact alternative to keep yourself in shape.

If you haven’t been swimming for some time it can be a daunting prospect. Can you turn up to a local pool at any time or will it be overrun with kids and inflatables? If there are lane ropes in the pool, is there a poolside etiquette to observe?

You’ll be pleased to know that public swimming pools are very user-friendly.

Most cater for lane swimming where you must swim up and down the pool.

Early morning, lunch and late night sessions tend to be used by adults only.

If there are lane ropes pick a lane that best matches your speed and if someone is faster let them pass at the end of a length.

A one-mile swim represents 64 lengths of a 25m swimming pool so the local pool is the perfect place to train.

You can create a free personalised training plan to use in your pool at http://trainingroom.taketothestreets.org

Paralympic silver medallist Shaun Uren is now a swimming coach and lifeguard at Barrow’s Park Leisure Centre.

He believes that small changes can make big gains in any training regime.

A good technique will lead to a better workout.

Shaun, 35, advises: “Rather than set out to do 64 lengths, start with eight or 10 and add on until you’re doing 64 regularly.

“If you get the distance you will find your speed and technique will improve anyway.

“It’s easier to swim better.

“A lot of it is practice but most of the pools in the area have qualified teachers or lifeguards that are knowledgeable about strokes and they can help you.”

Shaun recommends swimming front crawl preferably, or breaststroke. Butterfly will be too tiring and backstroke will be too difficult in open water because you can’t see where you’re going.

When you first start training it’s tempting to do lap after lap to reach the distance but this can become boring.

“The easiest way to motivate yourself is to train with somebody else,” says Shaun.

“If you do that you also get used to swimming with somebody around you, especially doing the Great North Swim, which is a melee. Everybody is fighting to get to the front so you need to be able to swim with somebody around you.”

Shaun says there are many benefits to swimming, in addition to the physical.

“Swimming is a good exercise because it works on the main three areas of fitness: strength, suppleness and stamina,” he adds.

“You can see results near enough straight away.

“After that you will find you drop off a little bit but you will improve again when your motivation kicks in.”

First published at 12:58, Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk