im agirls varsity swimmer.
i only swim distance. l swim the 500 free in 6:50 and the 200free in 2:28
the season is over, so what can l do to improve time. l need both land and water workouts. l have access to a weightroom and other cardio machines(bicycle, treadmill....)

You should think about the muscles you use in your kicking. For example your kick in in freestyle right? Lay on your back and lift your legs in the air about 6 inches. Start kicking as if you were swimming. Do that for 1 min and rest for 15 seconds. Its hard but it will help you when season comes! GOOD LUCK! Hope you improve your times!

l would recommend running to help with overall endurance. Also, doing weights that target the specific muscles used in swimming.
There are a tonne of books out there that have dry land and water workouts! Try looking at your local library.
Also, maybe consider trying a sport like waterpolo. It is super tough, in the water and is great for endurance!
Hope this helps, good luck!

l also swim those events, l would say definently lift, also to improve your times you need to work on form thats the biggest part of the 500 and 200, if you are not working in the offseason or you do not have school, id say, do two a days, do weights in the morning and swimming in the afternoon, EAT HEALLTHY!! that alone will cut your times down! When you swim the 500 you should really kick it in gear on the last 200, and in the 200 the 3rd 50 pick up the pace. Good luck

As a high school athlete, I'd suggest that u do not lift weights. l know this goes against a lot of what you've heard, but lifting weights, especially without a training program & coach supervising is a great way to hurt yourself.
On land, u will probably get the most bang for ur buck with core & cardio work in ur events. Mixes of different ab exercises should work great. Also rotating in some stuff like push ups, dips, pull ups, & other body weight exercises would be great.
Cycling & running would both be great choices for a cardio workout.
However the best off season activity u could be doing is club swimming; ask ur varsity coach about local club teams.

Work on 3 areas: strength, endurance, & flexibility

Strength:
Hit ur upper body with pull downs using the lat bar with ur hands close together to get ur triceps. Then sit down & do it with ur arms far apart to get ur lats. Benchpresses for ur deltoids. Do them flat & on the incline bench. Do high reps with lighter weights & do 3 sets. Enough weight so u r exhausted at the end. Do this 2-3 times per week. Do leg curls & extensions on the machine to work the hamstrings & quads. Use free weights some days & the machines on other days.

Endurance: On the bicycle & treadmill, do 45-60 minutes of moderate to intense training. Do this at least 3 times per week. Once or twice out of the week, do intervals where u go hard for 2 minutes, then easy for 1, & keep repeating.

Flexibility: Stretch 3-7 times per week. Do windmill stretches, trunk twisting, & really stretch ur hamstrings, quads, & ankles. Do it just for 10-15 minutes each time.

Of course if u can swim every day, l would do that too. Do a 1000 warm up of ur choice, then 500-1000 of strokes & kicking, 1000 of hard intervals, maybe some sprints at the end, & then cool down.