Any swimmers out there?

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Replies

  • SwimmyD
    SwimmyD Posts: 96 Member
    nm212 wrote: »
    Awesome. I just signed up for some classes! It's great to know there are other swimmers out there. I'm gonna ask about the breast stroke.

    Great news! You will learn a lot, and you will enjoy it more than ever before once you see how improved efficiency in the water allows you to go faster with less effort. When you are working with the water instead of against it, you become an efficient swimmer and you can improve your speed, which is fun in itself. Knowing different strokes ensures it never gets boring, and strengthens different muscles, not to mention your cardiovascular fitness.

    Don't worry about gaining weight from swimming. Just be careful not to eat back too many of those calories that MFP gives for swimming because that calculator is using a formula that assumes the speed for "light, moderate freestyle" is 50m per minute.

    Have fun!
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    SwimmyD wrote: »
    nm212 wrote: »
    Awesome. I just signed up for some classes! It's great to know there are other swimmers out there. I'm gonna ask about the breast stroke.

    Great news! You will learn a lot, and you will enjoy it more than ever before once you see how improved efficiency in the water allows you to go faster with less effort. When you are working with the water instead of against it, you become an efficient swimmer and you can improve your speed, which is fun in itself. Knowing different strokes ensures it never gets boring, and strengthens different muscles, not to mention your cardiovascular fitness.

    Don't worry about gaining weight from swimming. Just be careful not to eat back too many of those calories that MFP gives for swimming because that calculator is using a formula that assumes the speed for "light, moderate freestyle" is 50m per minute.

    Have fun!

    thanks! :)
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    sarahkanzalone wrote: »
    Can't wait to start swimming again I swam competitively for years, backstroke and butterfly (I could never get my form right for freestyle) I can't wait to be able to do the fly again. Going to start again this week!

    Awesome! You should do it! We can motivate each other, Add me if you want!
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    shannie018 wrote: »
    I have an awesome pond in my backyard that I can use for swimming, IF I can get over my fear of the fish and whatever else may be lurking in the water. foi29w951yv1.jpg

    haha yeah I don't know if I would do that...maybe if you swim with your head above the water? Be one with nature! :)
  • Robertus
    Robertus Posts: 558 Member
    We have a really great swimming group here. Very friendly and helpful people of all skill levels:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/122-swimmers

    There's a great way to build endurance very quickly and at your own pace. This is what I did:

    Distance-Based Approach:
    How many lengths can you swim without stopping? If it's one, that's fine. If it's less, that's fine too. Whatever amount it is, that's your current benchmark.

    Make sure you do that distance three or more times every time you swim for at least 1-2 weeks. Keep doing this distance until you can do it six times in a workout. Catch your breath and rest as much as you need to in between swimming this benchmark distance (but not before you complete the distance).

    Once you are comfortable doing this distance six times, then add a length to the first of the six sets. Then add it to the first and second set, etc. Keep going like that, until you're able to swim six times six lengths. In a 25-yard pool that's a half-mile. A very respectable work-out.

    Don't worry about swimming fast. In fact, it will help a great deal to purposefully swim slower to find a easy, consistent pace that you can sustain for longer periods of time. There's no timetable for how quickly you increase your endurance or how far you end up swimming in your workouts. You will find your own pace and challenge yourself as you are able and when you feel ready. Swimming is a great exercise and is easily tailored to exactly meet your current ability and goals.

    I used this method to go from swimming 3 lengths to swimming 3 miles in 3 months and lost 60 pounds.
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    Robertus wrote: »
    We have a really great swimming group here. Very friendly and helpful people of all skill levels:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/122-swimmers

    There's a great way to build endurance very quickly and at your own pace. This is what I did:

    Distance-Based Approach:
    How many lengths can you swim without stopping? If it's one, that's fine. If it's less, that's fine too. Whatever amount it is, that's your current benchmark.

    Make sure you do that distance three or more times every time you swim for at least 1-2 weeks. Keep doing this distance until you can do it six times in a workout. Catch your breath and rest as much as you need to in between swimming this benchmark distance (but not before you complete the distance).

    Once you are comfortable doing this distance six times, then add a length to the first of the six sets. Then add it to the first and second set, etc. Keep going like that, until you're able to swim six times six lengths. In a 25-yard pool that's a half-mile. A very respectable work-out.

    Don't worry about swimming fast. In fact, it will help a great deal to purposefully swim slower to find a easy, consistent pace that you can sustain for longer periods of time. There's no timetable for how quickly you increase your endurance or how far you end up swimming in your workouts. You will find your own pace and challenge yourself as you are able and when you feel ready. Swimming is a great exercise and is easily tailored to exactly meet your current ability and goals.

    I used this method to go from swimming 3 lengths to swimming 3 miles in 3 months and lost 60 pounds.

    Wow!! Thanks for commenting! I will have to join the group. Congrats on your weight loss as well! That's amazing! I often don't even count how many laps I do. I just keep going as much as I can for 30 min...with stopping when I need to. When you say "length", do you mean a lap?
  • Rick_Nelson81
    Rick_Nelson81 Posts: 205 Member
    Ya, in general. A length would be one length of the pool, and that can vary, but I think the standard is 25 meters. I don't remember what that is in yards/feet. As long as you're adding distance, or decreasing time, you will definitely lose weight, so don't get too caught up in the actual distances just yet, focus on how you feel, controlled breathing, and oh ya, not drowning. ;)
  • Robertus
    Robertus Posts: 558 Member
    nm212 wrote: »
    Robertus wrote: »
    We have a really great swimming group here. Very friendly and helpful people of all skill levels:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/122-swimmers

    There's a great way to build endurance very quickly and at your own pace. This is what I did:

    Distance-Based Approach:
    How many lengths can you swim without stopping? If it's one, that's fine. If it's less, that's fine too. Whatever amount it is, that's your current benchmark.

    Make sure you do that distance three or more times every time you swim for at least 1-2 weeks. Keep doing this distance until you can do it six times in a workout. Catch your breath and rest as much as you need to in between swimming this benchmark distance (but not before you complete the distance).

    Once you are comfortable doing this distance six times, then add a length to the first of the six sets. Then add it to the first and second set, etc. Keep going like that, until you're able to swim six times six lengths. In a 25-yard pool that's a half-mile. A very respectable work-out.

    Don't worry about swimming fast. In fact, it will help a great deal to purposefully swim slower to find a easy, consistent pace that you can sustain for longer periods of time. There's no timetable for how quickly you increase your endurance or how far you end up swimming in your workouts. You will find your own pace and challenge yourself as you are able and when you feel ready. Swimming is a great exercise and is easily tailored to exactly meet your current ability and goals.

    I used this method to go from swimming 3 lengths to swimming 3 miles in 3 months and lost 60 pounds.

    Wow!! Thanks for commenting! I will have to join the group. Congrats on your weight loss as well! That's amazing! I often don't even count how many laps I do. I just keep going as much as I can for 30 min...with stopping when I need to. When you say "length", do you mean a lap?
    Some swimmers use lap and length interchangably to mean the same thing. I'm more old fashioned and consider a lap to mean two lengths of the pool, there and back. Good luck!

  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    Haha thanks guys.
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    Browse the Swimsmooth website, it has some great info and videos for technique but check out also the CSS - 'critical swim speed' section. This is advice on what pace to swim at to improve your endurance and thus also your speed, it's different to just trying to swim as fast as you can each time and I genuinely think it made a difference to my swim times working at this lower intensity. Good luck on your swimming journey :)
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    sarabushby wrote: »
    Browse the Swimsmooth website, it has some great info and videos for technique but check out also the CSS - 'critical swim speed' section. This is advice on what pace to swim at to improve your endurance and thus also your speed, it's different to just trying to swim as fast as you can each time and I genuinely think it made a difference to my swim times working at this lower intensity. Good luck on your swimming journey :)

    Thank you! I will check it out!
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    I swim 4 miles a day minimum. 5 to 7 days a week. I only have time for 4 miles in the morning so some days I go back for a second swim after work. Yesterday I did a total of 220 laps, 10KM.
    A 90 second youtube video on the catchup drill cut my stroke count from 24/5 down to 18/19 per length.
    The only 'advice' I ever give is where ever you are at this week, try and ad 1 more lap next week.
    Check out the Swimmers group too.
  • annherrin
    annherrin Posts: 35 Member
    It's been quite a while since I've swam, but when I did, I swam competitively for 8 or so years and then was a lifeguard for a couple years after that.
    It's GREAT exercise but you do have to build your endurance just like running or any other exercise. My personal favorite was the Butterfly since it requires you to use so much of your body to make the rhythm correct. Once you get the rhythm down then it is really fun! You just glide through the water. I've seen plenty of competitive swimmers choose Butterfly over the traditional Freestyle and win their heat!
  • RollTideTri
    RollTideTri Posts: 116 Member
    Swimming is VERY technique driven. If you have a bad stroke you get tired extremely fast. Trust me I know, my stroke is awful. Lessons will go a long way.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    shannie018 wrote: »
    I have an awesome pond in my backyard that I can use for swimming, IF I can get over my fear of the fish and whatever else may be lurking in the water. foi29w951yv1.jpg

    The fish are more afraid of you :)
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    annherrin wrote: »
    It's been quite a while since I've swam, but when I did, I swam competitively for 8 or so years and then was a lifeguard for a couple years after that.
    It's GREAT exercise but you do have to build your endurance just like running or any other exercise. My personal favorite was the Butterfly since it requires you to use so much of your body to make the rhythm correct. Once you get the rhythm down then it is really fun! You just glide through the water. I've seen plenty of competitive swimmers choose Butterfly over the traditional Freestyle and win their heat!

    Wow. I will have to try it! I'm still trying to get my freestyle down. :)
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    fishgutzy wrote: »
    I swim 4 miles a day minimum. 5 to 7 days a week. I only have time for 4 miles in the morning so some days I go back for a second swim after work. Yesterday I did a total of 220 laps, 10KM.
    A 90 second youtube video on the catchup drill cut my stroke count from 24/5 down to 18/19 per length.
    The only 'advice' I ever give is where ever you are at this week, try and ad 1 more lap next week.
    Check out the Swimmers group too.

    Awesome. Dumb question, but how many laps are in a mile? I did 12 laps yesterday freestyle and 6 laps breaststroke or backstroke. It took me 30 min. No idea about miles though... I have to break up the freestyle cause I get tired.
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    Rick_Nelson81 wrote: »
    Ya, in general. A length would be one length of the pool, and that can vary, but I think the standard is 25 meters. I don't remember what that is in yards/feet. As long as you're adding distance, or decreasing time, you will definitely lose weight, so don't get too caught up in the actual distances just yet, focus on how you feel, controlled breathing, and oh ya, not drowning. ;)

    haha thanks :)

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