Swimming

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  • klrenn
    klrenn Posts: 245 Member
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    STEVE142142 wrote: »

    My other suggestion to you is there's a great website called 02 1500. It's a routine for people who don't swim to get them up to a mile in about six weeks I forget the exact time. A mile may seem unrealistic but it's not really hard at all plus the website has other great routines.

    Oh cool...kinda like a Couch to 5k running program, but for swimming? Love it, definitely up my alley

  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
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    Thinking back to this post I forgot to mention that if you are just starting to work on your freestyle stroke, one swim aid that helps greatly is a Pull Buoy. These are the figure eight shaped foam floats that you hold between your thighs.

    They serve the purpose of keeping your lower body from sinking, so you don't have to work hard to stay afloat or make forward progress. You don't kick when you use one. The benefit is that you can work on your breathing technique, body position and/or arm stroke (entry, catch, pull, high elbow return, etc.) without using much energy at all. This helps you get the feel of moving smoothly and easily through the water.

    Last thought - As a new swimmer, you will do yourself a disservice if you continue to swim laps after you are fatigued and your form breaks down. You only want to reinforce perfect form. So when you tire and your form starts to degrade, call it a day, stop swimming, go home and come back tomorrow. Once you get a decent stroke locked in, you can start building endurance if that is your goal.
  • Alisonswim46
    Alisonswim46 Posts: 208 Member
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    Djproulx wrote: »
    Thinking back to this post I forgot to mention that if you are just starting to work on your freestyle stroke, one swim aid that helps greatly is a Pull Buoy. These are the figure eight shaped foam floats that you hold between your thighs.

    They serve the purpose of keeping your lower body from sinking, so you don't have to work hard to stay afloat or make forward progress. You don't kick when you use one. The benefit is that you can work on your breathing technique, body position and/or arm stroke (entry, catch, pull, high elbow return, etc.) without using much energy at all. This helps you get the feel of moving smoothly and easily through the water.

    Last thought - As a new swimmer, you will do yourself a disservice if you continue to swim laps after you are fatigued and your form breaks down. You only want to reinforce perfect form. So when you tire and your form starts to degrade, call it a day, stop swimming, go home and come back tomorrow. Once you get a decent stroke locked in, you can start building endurance if that is your goal.
    Just a word of caution. Don't use the pull buoy too much. It can hurt your shoulders!

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