I really beliave in swimming!!

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  • ce_fit
    ce_fit Posts: 299 Member
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    Cheers for all the great advice!

    Another question, do you use hand paddles to correct swimming style, i.e. to make it more obvious where your stroke is inefficient or to improve arm strength?

    And how often should you use them?

    Yes, it is a good thing to use hand paddles as it helps you feel the water. if you are pulling with the elbow you will not feel the pressure on the paddles. No emperical evidence but I believe paddles are more for stroke correction than building strength.

    As for how often, I would say 10 - 15% of your total weekly distance. Change it up though, one day you may not use paddles the next time you may use them 25% of the time. Remember though when you use the paddles or use a pullbuoy you should be concentrating on something.(i.e. can I feel the pressure on the paddle on each and every stroke.)
  • MFS27
    MFS27 Posts: 549 Member
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    Cheers for all the great advice!

    Another question, do you use hand paddles to correct swimming style, i.e. to make it more obvious where your stroke is inefficient or to improve arm strength?

    And how often should you use them?

    Yes, it is a good thing to use hand paddles as it helps you feel the water. if you are pulling with the elbow you will not feel the pressure on the paddles. No emperical evidence but I believe paddles are more for stroke correction than building strength.

    As for how often, I would say 10 - 15% of your total weekly distance. Change it up though, one day you may not use paddles the next time you may use them 25% of the time. Remember though when you use the paddles or use a pullbuoy you should be concentrating on something.(i.e. can I feel the pressure on the paddle on each and every stroke.)

    I'm not wild about the paddles - most of the time when we have a pull set (meaning swim with pull buoy between your legs - no kicking, only arms), I do not use the paddles (neither do most of the swimmers I currently swim with). As ce_fit said, paddles do not necessarily build strength and I found that using the paddles too much caused should strain (sore afterwards) - so I tend to go light on the paddles.

    If you want to improve arm strength - dry land training is a good alternative. We have long rubber cords with handles and will wrap these around the diving blocks, stand with the cords semi-taunt and arms stretched in front with body leaning forward, pull all the way back, slowly return to starting position, and repeat.
  • eHarris
    eHarris Posts: 160
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    Hey Hey! Another Florida girl here! Lemme just say ....I totally agree with you. Its way to frickin hot lol.
    I swim at the local gym too if I have the time. Its a nice change of pace from the heat and humidity outside.
  • mariethai
    mariethai Posts: 85 Member
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    Again thanks for all the advice :smile:

    ... it's a catch 22 though is as my technique gets better, I'm sure the calories I burn are less - I seem to just cruise sometimes ...

    I know I should be pushing myself! But its so nice to just cruise in the pool!
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
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    Knowledgable yes, expert no ... there's this guy called Michael Phelps that qualifies as an expert!:laugh: Kicking is a personal thing. Ultimatley it is there to balance your stroke. A sprinter may kick as much as 8 kicks per stroke where as a distance person may kick twice per stroke. Be aware of your kick but do not overemphasize it. Kick so you are comfortable. Another drill to work on your arms is to swimm some laps with a pullbuoy between your legs. This way you are just working on your arms.

    Mollyk was bang on about stroke count being an individual thing, also depends on the size of the pool, 25 yard, 25 meter or 50meter pool. But do as she suggests, take a baseline and compare to that.

    That is exactly what I do- use the pullbuoy to really utilize my upper body. Since I do triathlons I don't want to wear my lower body out in the swimming, that's what biking/ running is for! :wink: I swim in 25 yard pool, and usually swim at least 600 yards each time I swim, usually at least 2 days a week. My kids are in swimming lessons on Thurs night so I usually get in at least 1,200 yards that night.

    Thanks for the advice!

    Jess
  • ce_fit
    ce_fit Posts: 299 Member
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    Again thanks for all the advice :smile:

    ... it's a catch 22 though is as my technique gets better, I'm sure the calories I burn are less - I seem to just cruise sometimes ...

    I know I should be pushing myself! But its so nice to just cruise in the pool!

    You should put in some interval training. Instead of simming 40 lengths (l) non stop why not try something like 20x2l with a 10 or 15 second break between each.(5x2l easy, 5x2l medium effort, 5x2l med-hard effort and finish with 5x2l easy)
  • ce_fit
    ce_fit Posts: 299 Member
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    Knowledgable yes, expert no ... there's this guy called Michael Phelps that qualifies as an expert!:laugh: Kicking is a personal thing. Ultimatley it is there to balance your stroke. A sprinter may kick as much as 8 kicks per stroke where as a distance person may kick twice per stroke. Be aware of your kick but do not overemphasize it. Kick so you are comfortable. Another drill to work on your arms is to swimm some laps with a pullbuoy between your legs. This way you are just working on your arms.

    Mollyk was bang on about stroke count being an individual thing, also depends on the size of the pool, 25 yard, 25 meter or 50meter pool. But do as she suggests, take a baseline and compare to that.

    That is exactly what I do- use the pullbuoy to really utilize my upper body. Since I do triathlons I don't want to wear my lower body out in the swimming, that's what biking/ running is for! :wink: I swim in 25 yard pool, and usually swim at least 600 yards each time I swim, usually at least 2 days a week. My kids are in swimming lessons on Thurs night so I usually get in at least 1,200 yards that night.

    Thanks for the advice!

    Jess

    Being a tri-athlete And helping other people with their programs I'm sure you do interval training in swimming. If not I would strongly suggest adding some to your workouts.

    One comment about your distance, at first glance without knowing all the facts I would say it is a little low. I am saying this as if time was not an issue!!! Mother of 3 and time not an issue :laugh:

    If you can try to bump it up to 1,000 and 1,500

    Any tri's left or are you training for next year?
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
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    Being a tri-athlete And helping other people with their programs I'm sure you do interval training in swimming. If not I would strongly suggest adding some to your workouts.

    One comment about your distance, at first glance without knowing all the facts I would say it is a little low. I am saying this as if time was not an issue!!! Mother of 3 and time not an issue :laugh:

    If you can try to bump it up to 1,000 and 1,500

    Any tri's left or are you training for next year?

    Yeah, it's more than a time issue than anything. Typically I run first (however I have an achilles injury right now so it's elliptical instead) and then swim. So I'm not *just* swimming for my workout. It's almost more of a cool-down some days!! (but that doesn't mean that I'm lazing around the pool! :laugh: ) I'm going to work on adding some distance this winter. I try to get in at least 1,200- 1,600 yds on Thursdays, but other days about 800 yds is max (mainly from boredom!). I do try to add intervals, how long should I do the intervals for? 100 yds? I'm open to suggestions, thanks!

    I'm done w/ the tri's for the year, but can't WAIT for next year!!

    Jess
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
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    If you can try to bump it up to 1,000 and 1,500

    I swam 1,500 yards last night, and felt great! I would have kept swimming, but my littlest was done w/ her lessons and wanted to practice her swimming! :laugh: I felt very strong and really focused on less strokes, good form. Thanks for the tips!

    Jess
  • mariethai
    mariethai Posts: 85 Member
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    Love that 'strong' feeling!

    I'm enjoying the tips too!

    Cheers Everyone
  • ce_fit
    ce_fit Posts: 299 Member
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    If you can try to bump it up to 1,000 and 1,500

    I swam 1,500 yards last night, and felt great! I would have kept swimming, but my littlest was done w/ her lessons and wanted to practice her swimming! :laugh: I felt very strong and really focused on less strokes, good form. Thanks for the tips!

    Jess

    Any time. So what was your stoke count per length? When you swam your 1500 how did you do it? 60lengths non stop or did you break it up in some way?
  • majic
    majic Posts: 88 Member
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    I love love love my water aerobics class. JUST love it. I recently hurt my foot by walking a few miles in flip flops so the water aerobics allows me to get the work out I need!

    Happy swimming to everyone!!
  • may_marie
    may_marie Posts: 667 Member
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    WOW .. thanks guy,, i missed that topic before,,,

    i think that one of my problems is that i dont keep my elbows high enough and my hands are too much under my body.
    i cant wait to be in the water to try to concentrate on that..
    i also want to work on my breathing, i tend to like to breath every 2 stroke. bilateral but still only 2 stroke.. so will work on upping it up to 3 first and see how that goes.
    also... i normaly swim about 1500 meters for 45 minutes.. just trying to go as fast as possible .. but i guess i should do intervals intead ...

    anyways.. you got me going in that little head of mine now and i sure will try different things when i go for my next swim ...

    thanks !
  • Poison5119
    Poison5119 Posts: 1,460 Member
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    I would :heart: :heart: :heart: to swim, but here in the great city of Indianapolis, there are no pools around to use. Any pool for lap swimming is at least $60 a MONTH to use (IUPUI or YWCA). and the city pools are for (big surprise) children on hot summer days, NO LAPPING is possible without (you guessed it) a big monthly fee to go prior to opening - and only in the summer.

    I hate Indiana. Everything in this state is so bass ackwards and run by a bunch of Quakers!
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
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    I love love love my water aerobics class. JUST love it. I recently hurt my foot by walking a few miles in flip flops so the water aerobics allows me to get the work out I need!

    Happy swimming to everyone!!
    :flowerforyou: Oh I so love my classes as well:drinker: Glad to hear you're enjoying yours:bigsmile: Hope your foot gets to feeling much better and back to normal soon:flowerforyou:

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