9 Simple Methods to Track Your Swimming Laps

A swimming lap is a practice where you swim from one end of the pool to the other and back (typically 50 yards or meters in a standard pool). While swimming continuously is excellent for your health, it can be incredibly easy to zone out, lose your place, and miscount your distance.

If you want to know exactly how far you’ve gone without interrupting your flow, here are a few simple methods for counting laps or estimating your distance in the pool:

1. Track Your Time

The most straightforward approach is to track how long you spend in the water rather than worrying about the exact distance. Setting a goal to swim for thirty minutes is often much easier than meticulously counting every single lap in your head.

2. Count Lengths Instead of Laps

Rather than counting full round-trip laps, try counting individual lengths. It is often easier to remember if you are on length 10 or 12 than if you are on lap 5 or 6. This is because you will always know that an odd number means you are swimming in one direction, and an even number means you are swimming back.

3. Use a Waterproof Smartwatch

The easiest technological solution is to wear a water-resistant or waterproof fitness watch. Many smartwatches have dedicated swimming functions where you can click a lap button every time you hit the wall, giving you an exact count without having to keep the numbers stored in your memory.

4. Invest in Smart Goggles

For a completely hands-free approach, you can buy a set of smart goggles that automatically count your laps using a built-in sensor. These high-tech goggles will display your lap count, pace, and swim duration directly on the lens via a heads-up display.

5. The Lane Divider Abacus

One of the best analog approaches is to use the pool’s lane dividers as a giant abacus. When you get in, push the swim buoys on the lane divider away from the wall. Then, simply pull one buoy toward the wall each time you complete a lap. Once you hit ten, push them back and start over!

6. Plan a Set Workout

To avoid counting altogether, plan a specific routine before you even enter the water. For instance, your workout might include a 5-lap warm-up, five sets of 100 meters (2 laps each), and a 5-lap cool-down. You simply need to track where you are in the workout structure, not the grand total.

7. Calculate by Average Lap Time

If you know your consistent pace, you can track your average lap time. At the end of your session, simply divide your total swimming duration by your average lap time to estimate exactly how far you swam.

8. Enlist a Coach or Friend

Take the mental math out of it entirely by asking a friend or a professional swim coach to track your progress from the deck. They can count your laps, record your times, and let you know exactly how you performed so you can focus purely on your technique.

9. The Alphabet Game

If numbers easily blur together for you, try using letters! Think of a word that starts with the letter “A” on your first lap. On your second lap, think of a word starting with “B”, and so on. If you reach 26, simply start the alphabet over. It’s a great mental game that keeps you distracted and on track.