By Cassidy Lavigne, Swimming World College Intern
Backyard, Olympic size, lap pools, kiddie pools, wave pools, hot tubs, the list of types of pools goes on. However, there are really only two types of pools: Indoor and Outdoor.
Depending on where you swim in-season (i.e. in a place where it snows), may determine your preference of indoor or outdoor pools. Swimming in an outdoor pool is great when the weather is warm and sunny, but swimming in an outdoor pool with snow piled around the bulkhead, doesn’t sound as appealing.
Now, I’m biased. I was born and raised in California. For me, cold weather means 45 degrees. While I have mainly trained in outdoor pools, I have had my fair share of swimming and competing in indoor pools. So, I decided to put my bias aside and evaluate the pros and cons list in order to settle the indoor versus outdoor pool debate:
Weather
Photo Courtesy: Kristina D.C. Hoeppner
This can go both ways. Jumping into a freezing pool in the early morning isn’t easy, especially if it’s cold outside. In the meantime, you’ll stand on the edge of the pool shivering and adjusting your goggles while trying to muster up the courage to dive in and get the first 50 over with and get warm.
Outdoor pools are great when it’s warm out for a refreshing first dive into the water. However, swimming while its hot out can also mean hotter pools, warmer bodies, and the feeling of swimming in Jell-O. Not to mention your water bottle heating up in the sun. Ever tasted hot Gatorade? I’ll save you the details.
Swimming in an outdoor pool also yields great tan lines for all the Speedo and Jolyn-wearers. While some may love their tan lines, others may dread them. “I can’t wait to have a pale stomach!” said no one-piece-wearer ever. Or even worse, you could be prone to burning easily, making your sun-kissed tan turn into a painful red burn.
One of the benefits of swimming in an indoor pool is that the air is relatively warm and nice, or disgustingly hot and stuffy. While the heat makes jumping into the pool a lot easier that refreshing dip can quickly turn into feeling like you’re swimming in your own sweat and breathing in steam.
Photo Courtesy: Steamboat Swim Team Photography
Indoor pools are more popular in colder places with extreme weather. So no matter what the weather is outside, inside the pool facility is always the same. While you may not get the tan lines of the outdoor pool, you also won’t get the sunburn—one less thing to pack in your swim bag!
What about at swim meets? For outdoor pools, if it’s cold and overcast or rainy, that meet is going to miserable and filled with trying to stay warm in parkas and dreading getting in the warm-up pool.
If it’s hot and the sun is out, this is great for staying warm, but you have to be cautious to stay out of the sun as to not drain your energy. Or maybe you had an outdoor meet and forgot to pack sunscreen–ouch. Indoor pools? Rain or shine, the meet will go on.
Air Quality
Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr / Swimming Australia Ltd.
While some indoor pools have great ventilation systems, some of them don’t, leaving the air humid, thick, and sticky. Nothing is worse than finishing a hard set or a race and gasping for air on the wall and feeling like you’re puking up a lung.
Remember when your coach gave your team that talk about not peeing in the indoor pool? That’s because it affects the air quality inside. Maybe day one of your meet was fine, but day four breathing was a different story.
Outdoor pools always have fresh air. While sometimes the weather makes the air hot, it still is a different quality than indoor pools. What’s more satisfying than a 50 recovery? A 50 recovery while breathing in the fresh air and catching your breath.
Facility
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Indoor facilities often have bigger pools, better facilities, and the capacity to host more teams and more spectators. There’s a reason most of the elite swim meets (NCAA and NAIA Championships, Worlds, Olympic Trials, etc.) are hosted at indoor pools.
Big meets can be hosted at outdoor pools too. In those instances, you might get the added bonus of catching a great view- palm trees, mountains in the distance, or a glimpse of the ocean. That sounds a lot more picturesque than metal beams and cement walls.
No matter what your prefer, indoor and outdoor pools both have their benefits. While there might not be a clear winner to which setting is better, the answer may just be which pool is better for each swimmer.
All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
Living in Paris, I mainly have to train in indoor pools. I also get very sick after each swim because the chlorine levels are too high and they don’t ventilate. Doors are kept shut because “people don’t want to get cold.” I never get ill swimming in the outdoor pools I use in San Diego, where I go on business every three months or so.
So happy to have the option to swim inside in the winter but swimming outside is so much better! First outdoor workout of the season is always the best!
Outdoor swimming all day every day. The two don’t compare.
Alexis Mattson
We only have an indoor option where I am in the far north of Canada, but the water’s saline and the ventilation is good, so I’ve never had any air quality issue. Plus I appreciate a ceiling line to sight on while swimming backstroke. And no sun damage concerns!
I’ve only swam indoor; for outdoor it has to be 2 or 3 months of the year or the temperature is just not going to cooperate.