Swimming in HIIT

MrTolerable

So typically my HIIT consist of:

jump roping (30 secs on - consisting of doubles every other jump) 30 secs off - intense

Running 4 miles and sprinting half the time up a giant hill - much more intense then it sounds and without C4 I wouldn't be able to do it.

- my right ankle is starting to get super duper sore- I have it wrapped up during the day, but I don't want to be walking weird in front of clients.

Can I swim for HIIT and does anyone have recommendations on how to do this?

Also - HIIT is intense to say the least - is there a big risk of drowning?

laurenawolf

Sprint 25m, slow swim 50m, sprint 25m, slow swim 50m....

And you won't drown unless you can't swim or intentionally drown yourself.

christygb

I attend a HIIT water aerobics class, and we also hold a noodle over our heads and tread water. As you raise the noodle higher and higher and eventually out of the water, you need to tread water faster. Also keeps you from drowning :-)

yopeeps025

swimming is already a HIT I think for a lot of people. I would time your lap as fast as you can and then rest for that amount of time. Repeat

AJ_G

Sprint 25m, slow swim 50m, sprint 25m, slow swim 50m....

And you won't drown unless you can't swim or intentionally drown yourself.

This, except I'd adjust it and say extend the slow swim to 100m. You really need to get your heart rate back down for the next sprint to be effective.

LiftAllThePizzas

Also - HIIT is intense to say the least - is there a big risk of drowning?

Is something wrong with your legs that would prevent you from standing up in the pool?

MrTolerable

Also - HIIT is intense to say the least - is there a big risk of drowning?

Is something wrong with your legs that would prevent you from standing up in the pool?

lolz - noooo... but I'm not 10ft tall XD


@laurenwolf & AJ_G : I will try this starting Thursday.


@christygb: Love this idea - but I don't think I could get my heart rate up high enough - I agree treading water is exhausting, but I team each swim to measure progress and I feel like it would take to long to hit HIIT treading water.
- I will go with the sprint idea...
slow swims will be refreshing.

Capt_Apollo

are you trained in swimming? a lot of people think it's simple to just jump in the pool and do laps, but moving through the water takes a lot more effort than running. if you don't have good technique you can find yourself exhausted not from the work out, but from the inefficient way you move through the water.

but if you are a swimmer, and are looking for some speed drills, check this out:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/03/training/swim-speed-workout-speed-technique-and-aerobic-swimming_71687

MrTolerable

are you trained in swimming?

I took training to swim as a child, but I feel like a snail as I'm swimming. I will def check this out.

Good share! :drinker:

Capt_Apollo

biggest tip i can give someone is to keep your chin tucked into your chest. most people tend to swim looking forward. don't. look down at the bottom of the pool, and keep your head down. that'll make your legs stay up near the surface of the water. look up, and your legs will sink down, causing a ton of drag.

pipertargaryen

I have been swimming since age 5. I live on an island and we have tons of beaches. Everyone here learns to swim at a young age. That being said, it turns out that, for me -and likely many others -, "I can swim" basically means "Oh, I can move in the water in a way that means I don't drown, for a long time, but that's pretty much it".

Since I started going to the pool at the Y twice a week and attempting laps (and only in the deep end, because otherwise you're mowing down tiny children haha), I've learned that swimming is WAY harder than I initially thought. Honestly, just doing one WIDTH of the deep end (I'd estimate about 25 feet) in a front-crawl position destroys me enough that I need to rest. I say this as someone who does oodles of cardio, like running and Zumba, and very minor lifting. I'm in the best shape of my life, and swimming decimates me! lol, so basically, going all out for a lap and then resting one is HIIT enough for many.

AJ_G

I have been swimming since age 5. I live on an island and we have tons of beaches. Everyone here learns to swim at a young age. That being said, it turns out that, for me -and likely many others -, "I can swim" basically means "Oh, I can move in the water in a way that means I don't drown, for a long time, but that's pretty much it".

Since I started going to the pool at the Y twice a week and attempting laps (and only in the deep end, because otherwise you're mowing down tiny children haha), I've learned that swimming is WAY harder than I initially thought. Honestly, just doing one WIDTH of the deep end (I'd estimate about 25 feet) in a front-crawl position destroys me enough that I need to rest. I say this as someone who does oodles of cardio, like running and Zumba, and very minor lifting. I'm in the best shape of my life, and swimming decimates me! lol, so basically, going all out for a lap and then resting one is HIIT enough for many.

That's all due to the form of your stroke. Many people who swim and don't have a good stroke are doing so much extra work and they're swimming so inefficiently that it's very easy to get tired very fast. If you perfect your stroke swimming can become much much easier and a 25 yard lap is nothing. For example, as mentioned earlier, many people look forward in the water which causes their legs to sink and cause drag while swimming. Also many people lift their entire head out of the water to breath which again dips the legs and causes drag. It also throws off the rhythm of your stroke. When you breathe while doing freestyle (front crawl) only half your mouth should be out of the water, if you lift your head too high you need to adjust.

Capt_Apollo

i say it constantly "nothing like swimming to tell you how out of shape you really are."

i swam competitively in college, and i keep up with it now as a triathlete, and it still gets me tired.

HelenWater

I'm about to star swimmng so thanks for the information an the belly laughs :-D

MeanderingMammal

Running 4 miles and sprinting half the time up a giant hill - much more intense then it sounds and without C4 I wouldn't be able to do it.

- my right ankle is starting to get super duper sore- I have it wrapped up during the day, but I don't want to be walking weird in front of clients.

Four miles isn't a huge intervals session for a runner, but as with swimming form is really important when running at high intensities.

Notwithstanding the interest in using swimming for your HIIT I'd suggest spending time on your running form before going back to running.

Personally I'll generally warm up for a couple of miles, before 3 miles or so of high intensity intervals, then another couple of miles to cool down.

As far as swimming intervals is concerned, again work on your form, otherwise you just end up spending a lot of your energy splashing water around rather than moving yourself through the water.

MrTolerable

Running 4 miles and sprinting half the time up a giant hill - much more intense then it sounds and without C4 I wouldn't be able to do it.

- my right ankle is starting to get super duper sore- I have it wrapped up during the day, but I don't want to be walking weird in front of clients.

Four miles isn't a huge intervals session for a runner, but as with swimming form is really important when running at high intensities.

Notwithstanding the interest in using swimming for your HIIT I'd suggest spending time on your running form before going back to running.

Personally I'll generally warm up for a couple of miles, before 3 miles or so of high intensity intervals, then another couple of miles to cool down.

As far as swimming intervals is concerned, again work on your form, otherwise you just end up spending a lot of your energy splashing water around rather than moving yourself through the water.

LMAO - well my form is really bad because I do not tuck my chin down while I swim presently


If you want the boring specs on my HIIT to see if I am doing it wrong or right-I'm going to be practicing this again today - and my running is done after an hour in the gym killing my legs with squats, the smith, leg curls - so keep that in mind -so by the time I even start running my legs have already been beat to heck. - I am trying to get away from the endurance running and sticking to 40mins of high intensity - jog - sprint like a madman - jog - sprint like a madman etc.

I was pulling the history of my last major HIIT sessions - and it consisted of a 1.85mi run at 540ft elevation dropping all the way to 358ft then of course rising back up to 540ft - and the pace is much much swifter on the uphill part because I am sprinting it - I had average 9:03 min per mile.(3:32min/mi pace vs elevation) - then after that run I do another 1.85 mi - I take a 5 min breather, and drink 20floz of water -

then I ran it again - 1.88mi - likewise avg pace of 9:20 min/mi - same elevation however it is advising 2:56min/mi - and I think because on the second run I take the downhill a bit faster then the initial run, and of course then my sprinting is slower


I will work on the swimming!

aledba

biggest tip i can give someone is to keep your chin tucked into your chest. most people tend to swim looking forward. don't. look down at the bottom of the pool, and keep your head down. that'll make your legs stay up near the surface of the water. look up, and your legs will sink down, causing a ton of drag.

Except for when I train to be a lifeguard and I do head-up front crawl. I'm faster at that than I am at normal freestyle. :ohwell: