Fellow Swimmers?

Options
2»

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
    Options
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    that is fairly high on calories - my garmin estimates about 200cal per hour of swimming

    But are you also 100+ pounds overweight?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
    Options
    Lindz2H wrote: »
    I got back in the pool today after 8 years and (100+ lbs). I knew it would be rough, so I googled for some "easy swim workouts" and found one that, 8 years ago, was easy.

    100 yd warm up (freestyle)
    50 yd Flutter kicks on side (I have always had an unexplained aversion to the flutter kicks so I subbed it out with freestyle kicks w/ kick board)
    50 yd Flutter kicks with kick board (again, I subbed)
    5 x 50 yd moderate to hard intensity Freestyle focusing on breathing every 3-4th stroke
    2 x 50 yd easy ( I chose breast stroke, my personal fav)
    100 yd moderate intensity freestyle
    100 cool down (I chose breast stroke for this)

    Y'all I SUCKED! I'm not even going to tell ya how bad my times were because its mortifying. The old folks on either side of me had better endurance (to my own defense I did out swim them in both speed and intensity). It got a little easier as I got through it, but omg it took every last ounce of energy in me to flop out of the pool and roll myself into the locker room. Also, I selected "light to moderate freestyle" to log my exercise and "breast stroke, general"... it seemed to say I burned almost 600 calories... which I feel like might be generous.

    Anyone maybe been in the same boat and have thoughts, advice, words of encouragement?

    It will get easier! In the pool I just cycle through laps of breast, back (if I have a lane to myself), and crawl, and throw in some kickboarding.

    I started weight lifting again some years back to help with my yoga, and it also helps a LOT with my swimming - my arms used to tire way faster than my legs.

    If you are new to weight lifting I highly recommend a few sessions with a personal trainer.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    edited November 2018
    Options
    jamesmiclee wrote: »
    almostsuperpowered wrote: »
    Hi! I have found getting into the rhythm of breathing when you are just starting back at swimming winds you pretty quickly. Stick with it and it'll get better.

    I am not sure if I am supposed to breath on both sides? I alternate but another swimmer told me ots more stable and faster to only breath on one side. what do you think? i am self taught so never been coached beyond being taught not to drown.

    Swimming 23 yrs. It seems to vary. I watch the other swimmers, especially the better ones, to pick up some tips while waiting on the gallery above the pool for my husband. Some always breath on the same side and the number of strokes vary. Others alternate. I used to breath every 3rd stroke alternating, now I breath every 4th--always on the same side. This is for the freestyle or crawl, of course. If I notice myself having trouble breathing I start expelling more air while underwater. This pulls me back into a good breathing rhythm. We have all levels of swimmers at our pool in the morning. Every now and again we get what I call "a speedboat". They are fun to watch. Once over Christmas holidays we had the young Olympic swimmers training--Wow!

    PS: I just wanted to add that I am pretty much self-taught. I took my 3 sons to swimming lessons for years and they learned competitive swimming. I sat above and watched every session. Everyone in the family was swimming and it was so beautiful to watch--so I started too.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    Options
    jamesmiclee wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    jamesmiclee wrote: »
    almostsuperpowered wrote: »
    Hi! I have found getting into the rhythm of breathing when you are just starting back at swimming winds you pretty quickly. Stick with it and it'll get better.

    I am not sure if I am supposed to breath on both sides? I alternate but another swimmer told me ots more stable and faster to only breath on one side. what do you think? i am self taught so never been coached beyond being taught not to drown.

    Swimming 23 yrs. It seems to vary. I watch the other swimmers, especially the better ones, to pick up some tips while waiting on the gallery above the pool for my husband. Some always breath on the same side and the number of strokes vary. Others alternate. I used to breath every 3rd stroke alternating, now I breath every 4th--always on the same side. This is for the freestyle or crawl, of course. If I notice myself having trouble breathing I start expelling more air while underwater. This pulls me back into a good breathing rhythm. We have all levels of swimmers at our pool in the morning. Every now and again we get what I call "a speedboat". They are fun to watch. Once over Christmas holidays we had the young Olympic swimmers training--Wow!

    PS: I just wanted to add that I am pretty much self-taught. I took my 3 sons to swimming lessons for years and they learned competitive swimming. I sat above and watched every session. Everyone in the family was swimming and it was so beautiful to watch--so I started too.

    I met a woman once who had been attending swim school since she was six. you could tell, she was fast but i noticed a couple of things that surprised me. her legs never broke the water and when she turned her legs just sort of effortlesly flopped over. she said she could swim at that pace all day. the fastest and easiest I have ever seen.

    when i swim, i try to stifen my core and rotate my hips forward so more level. it feels like my legs can kick more and i can use my whole body, not just kick from the knee or waste. it feels faster and i feel my arms can pull more as i seem to weight less.

    i should get my garmin a new battery and check out my times.

    Learning to swim as a child is the very best thing a parent can do. The few things I learned as a child stuck with me but it stopped there. I insisted that all three of my boys took lessons twice a week. When the instructor wanted to move them to competitive swimming, I agreed immediately. The two classes were side by side and I could see the difference. My boys improved so fast, and now, as adults, they can still swim like fish. We have a house at the beach, and it relieved my mind to know how well they could swim. I started again at 40 and the things I learned were tough sledding. I swim well, but if I'd learned as a child, things would be different.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    Options
    I'll just add my experience getting back into the water after being out of it for years and very sedentary: I couldn't complete a single length without pausing to tread water and gasp for air at least twice. It took me a long time to be able to even swim 50m consecutively again. It sounds like your history was a lot more advanced than me and you'll get there eventually!

    I'm still just at 20 minute swims of as many lengths I can do without my knees bugging me in front crawl (and I'm pretty sure my form is abysmal, I can't really share a lane without anxiety because I don't swim in a straight line). I can't do proper "laps" because I can't do the thing where you flip, I never learned it. As a kid in swim lessons I got distressed when I was upside down in the water and the teacher just gave up.

    If you have the memory of learning, it'll come back as you increase your strength, lung capacity, and cardio ability. It'll take a bit of time, but you've got it!
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Options
    I can't use that many workout machines at my current weight at the gym but I just love the swimming pool. Water aerobics are great, can do a full hour. Most body weight is gone, I can float beautifully and have a "whale" of a time!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Options
    jamesmiclee wrote: »
    This week for the first time since I began cross training I ran, rode a bike and swam all consecutivly.
    ( just a 1 mile run on a treadmil, 45 minutes stationary bike and 1 hr swim)

    I felt like I hit a wall while swimming. Maybe like you hear marathon runners talk about. Maybe not that wall, but a wall. I felt like the fuel ran out and I still felt strong but just no juice. I guess I need to sneak a snack inbetween workouts or just swim through it, which I did.

    I know why Iron Man swims first though. you don’t want to get tired out swiming across a lake. When you get in the pool after riding, lifting weights and running its totaly different. your body feels stiff. it takes a while to loosen off. I cramped up in the next to last length, but it was mostly a fun experience.

    That would be the blood glucose going low and not much left of liver stores to keep it up. That is a line that is crossed usually and can be trained better, but it's not the "wall" or "bonk" or whatever term swimmers use. Food can help - not going out so hard so that blood glucose is used for the muscles can help (that's training).

    The muscle stores can't be put back into the blood stream for general use, those can continue to be used if you can get your brain past the above effect.

    And since different muscle groups for swimming, not likely to hit the wall.
    That wall is where the muscles stores are also wiped out.
    Muscles can keep using lactic acid and fat as energy source - at massively lower intensity though - that's why runners walk, mighty slow, or crawl. Biking can be so slow as to fall over, or you are trying to feather the pedals using whatever muscles aren't about to cramp up and have some energy left.

    For swimming to similar state - ya, could be dangerous.

Categories