Getting back into swimming

Finafoshizzle93

I used to swim competitively but haven’t even swum laps in 5+ years. Mostly doing running/elliptical and weight lifting now, but I miss swimming and also like the idea of low impact cardio.

Any tips for getting back into swimming from those that do it for a good cardio workout?

Murrayzaida

I got back into swimming a few weeks ago. It's something I have always enjoyed and done fairly easily but never competitively. I started out by just doing laps for 1km to get the feel for it again. I did this twice a week for about 2 weeks, and are now working on 200-300 m blocks up to a total distance of 1.5km. I find the 200-300m blocks gives me a good workout. Next step would be 2kms, maybe this weekend even. I googled swimming plans to get some ideas as just counting the laps can get a bit stale. Another plan (which I haven't done yet, but looked interesting is a pyramid up and down e.g. 1 x 100, 1 x 200, 1 x 300, 2 x 400, 1 x 300, 1 x 200, 1 x 100. I'm sure that will push the cardio limits! New goggles and a proper swimsuit (and maybe a cap) would be a great investment too. Enjoy!

lorrpb

I suggest you join a masters swim group to get some structured workouts and stroke tune up. Otherwise, start with 25s & 50s and lots of breaks for 20 min then work your way up to 1 mile. There are tons of swim workout programs available on the web, so you can find one that suits you.
https://www.google.com/search?q=beginner+swim+workout&oq=beginner+swim&aqs=chrome.0.0j69i57j0l4.6057j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

PS Consider doing a sprint-distance triathlon to give you something different and see if you like it!
https://www.triathlete.com/
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Triathlon

Finafoshizzle93

Thanks for the encouragement! Went to the pool on Friday and it was much easier than expected after a couple hundreds. Managed to do 2500 meters in sets on 100s.

lorrpb

Finafoshizzle93 wrote: »

Thanks for the encouragement! Went to the pool on Friday and it was much easier than expected after a couple hundreds. Managed to do 2500 meters in sets on 100s.

Maybe you are the one to share swimming tips with others!

stephaniek511

I second the Masters group if you have one local to you. That's how I got back into it after several years off. Gives me some structure and feedback along with as much social opportunities as one can get with their face in the water