Tips on swimming for a beginner?

gratefulandrelentless
gratefulandrelentless Posts: 33
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone. I'm a' newbie and have quite a bit to lose. I have been hitting the gym (and am getting more consistent now), and I have been concentrating on eating clean. I find that I get really bored/dread cardio, so I'm thinking about trying swimming. My gym has a nice pool with four or five lanes.

I've read through a lot of the previous posts that came up with I searched "swimming" on here, and I have been browsing videos/links via Google for the past few days.

But can anyone offer tips for a newbie to swimming for weight loss? I am worried about looking like an idiot. Also, aside from goggles and a cap, is there anything I should invest in? How hard should I aim for, and for how long?


Any advice is sincerely appreciated. Thanks so much!

Replies

  • MrsM1ggins
    MrsM1ggins Posts: 724 Member
    I started swimming again after a break of many, many years. Equipment: swimsuit, goggles, cap. You might want to take a sports bottle of water too if you're planning on swimming laps continuously.

    There are quite a few resources online if you google, but I guess the best thing to do is start slowly and take plenty of breaks as you get into the swing of it. As you get back into it swim more laps continuously and take shorter breaks. (kinda like the way c25k takes you from walk/run to run)

    Have fun!
  • seabuckaroo
    seabuckaroo Posts: 85
    Swimming is great! I think the most important thing, as with all exercise, is to keep track of how long, how fast, and how far you swim and constantly strive to improve those things. You will enjoy challenging yourself too.
  • seabuckaroo
    seabuckaroo Posts: 85
    start with 1/2 hour or a certain number of laps. Swimming is taxing and you will build up endurance.
  • gratefulandrelentless
    gratefulandrelentless Posts: 33
    Thanks for the tips! I am excited but very nervous.
  • TheLessOfMe
    TheLessOfMe Posts: 71 Member
    I recently started swimming too! the first time I went I did a mix of breaststroke and front crawl and stopped every 2 laps or so and just carried on like that until I was worn out. Then I stopped! I felt SO good afterwards!

    Also I don't bother with a hat, so it's not essential but then I have very short hair...
  • Mguilmot
    Mguilmot Posts: 232 Member
    Go slow, but keep growing. Start with a few laps, and build it from there.
    I used to play waterpolo, before that I could not even swim 200m
    After a while I was swimming 5-6 times a week, for about 2-4 km every time.
    It's a fun sport, you can do it all alone, or you can join a team. Doesn't cost you a lot, and your "equipment" will last a very long time normally, but as you will lose wait, you will need to change suit after a while :-)
    Don't worry about how you look. People only see how you look when you are out of the water, and that's just the time between the swimming pool and the dressing room. In the water nobody really cares, you are all there to do the same thing: have fun in the water!
  • vtachycardia
    vtachycardia Posts: 374
    If you are based in the UK, currently there is a sponsored program at many public swimming pools. It is sponsored by British Gas and part of the Olympic initiative. There are free swims, but importantly there are free classes for people getting back into swimming, stroke improvement, a myriad of things depending on your local pool/leisure centre.

    https://www.britishgasswimming.co.uk/

    My gym has improver classes Tuesday morning and Thursday evening where instructors will offer any questions regarding swimming and of course, instruct.

    Take advantage.
  • eesuperstar
    eesuperstar Posts: 41 Member
    You can get a decent oblique ab workout too by adding in a side stroke. I usually do 1 lap breast stroke, 1 lap side stroke, then 1 lap freestyle, break if needed, repeat. This is what I used to do when I was training in the Navy.
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
    Great tips! I am just learning how to swim but learning on my own (watching some youtube videos and getting tips from my friend/neighbor and once from my husband).

    I usually swim at her pool 2x per week for about 40 minutes. It is taxing and I'm a runner...different cardio required for swimming. I'm loving it...but now as I get more confident with my swimming, I may think about finding a class to get improvements on my stroke. I'm learning free style, I'm improving my side stroke, and need to practice back stroke (I'm not very good at this one) and I can't do the breast stroke at all without sucking in water...so I need a lot of work on that one).

    Any suggestions on being able to do the side stroke on both sides? I am uncoordinated when I try to do it on my right side (I guess I learned on my left).

    I will look at the local Y for next year (plus next year we hope to put in our own pool).
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