Can anybody give me ideas on working out outside of a swim practice? Should it be before or after? What are sets that are not too hard but give a workout and that I could steadily increase?

I'm thinking of pushups, crunches, leg lifts, working with medicine balls, simple running, stretching - but I need specific workouts.

Thanks so much for the help

Well, it depends. i can help, but it might take a long time to explain.
add me on ym. my id is piatra_elfa and i will help you as much as i can, for free.

Stretch cords are amazing for working your shoulders and lowerback. These also help prevent injuries because shoulder problems are the most common injuries in swimming.

i'm looking for an exercise routine, too! i'd try google.com.

Hey, on my site, I've got a weightlifting section. It's not complete yet, but it'd be a good starting point.

http://swimcoachtools.com/WeightsHome.aspx

Push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, sit-ups, and mainly arm workouts.To strengthen yor lower body you can run few miles & also ride cycle.These will make you fit & strong.

While I can't gauge your current fitness level I can tell you that when I started swimming I asked my brother for some swim specific out-of-water workouts. His background is a PhD in sports medicine so I'll take his word over most on any given day regarding fitness.

Shoulders: Obviously a big issue with swimmers due to repetitive motion/stress injuries. Trying using the YTWLI exercise. It involves low weight (usually 5-15lbs, or even as little as using a canned food for a 1lb weight if this is too difficult) and high rep (try working up to 15 or more for multiple sets). From a laying incline position (face down on an incline bench) take one weight in each hand and form the letter described. For Y, bring your arms out forming a Y from your shoulder, T is a T, for W bring your arms out straight but bend at the elbows and then bring your forearms forward by rotating the shoulder forming a W with your head as the middle peak, L is just using a pulling motion using your lats (great for a little recovery time before I), and the I is your arms straight out in front of you. The pull should be from your shoulder with no bend to the elbow with the exception of W and L. Complete all 5 letters as a circuit with no rest. Break for 30-60 seconds and start again. Try to complete 3 sets to start and move up to 5.

Legs: Can't be squats and deadlifts, but for a swimmer you may want to focus on a lower weight with reps being the focus. As with most lifting however you should try to keep reps maxed at 15. Any higher results in lower benefit therefore once you reach 3 to 4 sets of 15 reps, increase the weight by 10% and start again at 8 reps for 3 to 4 sets.

Back: Bent over rows and pulldowns will help develop your lats which if I recall correctly are the same pulling muscles used to bring your arms below your body during your stroke.

A lifting workout can be setup many ways, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days; push/pull workouts, upper/lower body workouts, total body, muscle group, etc. Find the one that works from you and go from there. A great site with low bandwidth .gifs showing exercising and describing what each is doing is http://www.exrx.net.

Also as said before, pullups are a spectacular workout, pushups, dips, and the like (body-weight exercises) can be a great workout as well if you don't have access to a gym or equipment.

Always start off light and focus on form. There's no need to be Hecules if you can't handle the weight properly and you'll end up with an injury that you don't ever want. It's better to look weak early so that you be strong later than to look strong early and watch from the sideline later.

Hope this helps.

Very informative post Tadpole, thanks to you and your brother.

Tadpole has given a very good information regarding the workouts that will make your body strong.
It is important to practice it regularly to maintain fitness.It is a very good share of piece.

Edit to my post about legs, I wrote "Can't be squats or deadlifts" that was a mistake that I didn't catch. Both of those exercises are excellent full body exercise with a focus on legs (squats) and lower back (deadlifts) and both are great core exercises.

Also, I didn't mention, but any sport that requires rotation (baseball, football, golf, swimming, etc.) will benefit from core work. Power is generated through rotation and the stronger your core is the more smooth and powerful that rotation can be. Core work should definitely be a focus for any athlete.

Get fit!