What Was Your Work Out Today?
Replies
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A little longer elliptical today: 55min instead of 45. I was watching a show that took me to 50 min., and then I was so close to the next mile, I kept going. 😀 I was excited to hit 3 miles for the first time in a long while. (Yeah, 3 miles in 55min is slow by running standards, but progress is progress!)
Anyhoo... ~60% of my time was at HR zone 3, the rest zone 2 or below.
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Just a nice and easy 6K on the rower and then 20 more minutes on the LateralX (lateral elliptical). Total of around 55 total minutes. Wanted to keep it all below 70% of max but got to 72% on the rower. Not too bad though, all felt easy. Avg HR was 63% of max, right around where I like to be on easier days.1
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dralicephd wrote: »A little longer elliptical today: 55min instead of 45. I was watching a show that took me to 50 min., and then I was so close to the next mile, I kept going. 😀 I was excited to hit 3 miles for the first time in a long while. (Yeah, 3 miles in 55min is slow by running standards, but progress is progress!)
Anyhoo... ~60% of my time was at HR zone 3, the rest zone 2 or below.
See, you increased your elliptical time and like me, you just had to get to that next mile mark! Congrats! My mile is 13.5 minutes. You will get that number down some.1 -
RaquelFit2 wrote: »Yesterday, I decided to do two kickboxing workouts and then some dumbbell chest presses plus a nice long stretch.
Today, my back is shot. I have a history of herniated discs so I was expecting this. I need to take my exercise down a bit. Today, I rest.
Wishing you quick recovery: It's sooo tempting to push hard for fast progress, but avoiding injury is so important. Finding the right pace for progression is a challenge. Beaming healing rays your way!3 -
(snip)
I wish more people pushed their kids to swim at a young age. Not only for safety, but its a fairly low impact workout that can stay with us as we age. I see some real great swimmers who are in their 60s and 70s.
@Djproulx: Yes, endorsed - from a perspective of failure, in my case.
I can't blame my parents, who sent me to swimming lessons, and my aunt tried to do remedial help, but as a child - to my discredit - I wasn't having it. I still dislike swimming, maybe I would've disliked it even if better skilled, I don't know. I had to take adult learn-to-swim classes and then lap swim classes (in my 50s) to get myself to a point where I felt even barely competent at actually swimming freestyle. I wish I'd been less stupid about it as a child, honestly.
(To be clear, as a longtime canoeist/kayaker/rower, I've been adequate to save myself in the non-challenging water where I paddle/row, by swimming on my back. But my general swimming skills were terrible, and I wish it had been otherwise. They're still sub-par, and I try to practice some in off-season, but I've been avoiding the Y totally during the pandemic . . . which may be an excuse, in the case of visiting the pool. 🙄)3 -
Rowing machining again, usual format. I decided I'd just try to hold someplace close to 2:30 pace, for a pretty easy workout - all but 4" was Z3 and below. When I saw the monitor at the end, I had to laugh. I don't think I could be that consistent if I were trying to be, but accidents happen! 😆 I'll just throw a snap of it up here:
3 -
Rowing machining again, usual format. I decided I'd just try to hold someplace close to 2:30 pace, for a pretty easy workout - all but 4" was Z3 and below. When I saw the monitor at the end, I had to laugh. I don't think I could be that consistent if I were trying to be, but accidents happen! 😆 I'll just throw a snap of it up here:
WOW!!!!1 -
Another day another 10k on Wednesday. This time avg went up to 10:16 per mile. If the body allows it I may go for a 10k a day this week. I tried a completely new route today. It was a nice change since it had a few down incline and flat stretches. Back to the house which was longest part of the run it was tougher since it was against 13-16 mile winds.
I dig how that looks and would love it if I could have all days have one logged this week. This wasn’t planned, and will not force it. If I’m not feeling it at any point I’ll stop and walk home or better yet Uber it home. 🤣. Will not injure myself for the sake of a cool screen cap.
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RaquelFit2 wrote: »Yesterday, I decided to do two kickboxing workouts and then some dumbbell chest presses plus a nice long stretch.
Today, my back is shot. I have a history of herniated discs so I was expecting this. I need to take my exercise down a bit. Today, I rest.
Wishing you quick recovery: It's sooo tempting to push hard for fast progress, but avoiding injury is so important. Finding the right pace for progression is a challenge. Beaming healing rays your way!
Thank you @AnnPT77 ❤️❤️❤️I feel a little bit better today but I'm not going to do any exercise. Just some light stretching.2 -
RaquelFit2 wrote: »Yesterday, I decided to do two kickboxing workouts and then some dumbbell chest presses plus a nice long stretch.
Today, my back is shot. I have a history of herniated discs so I was expecting this. I need to take my exercise down a bit. Today, I rest.
Wishing you quick recovery: It's sooo tempting to push hard for fast progress, but avoiding injury is so important. Finding the right pace for progression is a challenge. Beaming healing rays your way!
This is so true. And its amazing how often this can happen, even among folks who've been at it for a long time. (I'm a chronic offender.)
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(snip)
I wish more people pushed their kids to swim at a young age. Not only for safety, but its a fairly low impact workout that can stay with us as we age. I see some real great swimmers who are in their 60s and 70s.
@Djproulx: Yes, endorsed - from a perspective of failure, in my case.
I can't blame my parents, who sent me to swimming lessons, and my aunt tried to do remedial help, but as a child - to my discredit - I wasn't having it. I still dislike swimming, maybe I would've disliked it even if better skilled, I don't know. I had to take adult learn-to-swim classes and then lap swim classes (in my 50s) to get myself to a point where I felt even barely competent at actually swimming freestyle. I wish I'd been less stupid about it as a child, honestly.
(To be clear, as a longtime canoeist/kayaker/rower, I've been adequate to save myself in the non-challenging water where I paddle/row, by swimming on my back. But my general swimming skills were terrible, and I wish it had been otherwise. They're still sub-par, and I try to practice some in off-season, but I've been avoiding the Y totally during the pandemic . . . which may be an excuse, in the case of visiting the pool. 🙄)
@Ann, understand that story. Many of my friends are terrific athletes who wish they could swim, or swim better. I'm in the latter camp. Swam for fun and took lessons as a kid, but never kept at it. The "refresher" lessons at 52 yrs old were humbling. Its such a technique driven activity, like golf.2 -
short lap swim at lunch yesterday. Carried some fatigue from morning's spin class.
Back with the trainer this morning. Lots of kettlebell rounds: goblet squats, sumo deadlifts, etc, plus TRX seated pullups, dynamax ball crunches, tricep back fly with balance, etc.
Will continue 2x week with trainer next week, then drop to once/week with her through the summer. I need another time slot freed up to support enough swim/bike/run work to provide a decent training build for race day.
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Monday was a Bank Holiday in the UK, and I took advantage of it by heading out to Malta for some scuba diving. It was lovely, a really relaxed holiday. We started diving on Friday, and dived Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We did three dives a day, typically around 50 minutes with a max depth of 35 metres. (Even the wrecks were near reefs so the average depths were shallow.)
It was my first overseas diving since 2016, due to my bend in 2017 and then lockdown after I had surgery correcting the PFO which caused the bend.
Here is a short video from one of Saturday's dives:
https://youtu.be/9GTBLyk5iZU
Yesterday, I lifted weights, doing:- 3 sets of 5, bench, 55 kgs
- 2 sets of 6, deadlift, 100 kgs.
Bodyweight: 65kgs.6 -
I joined a boxing class and it was my 1st day. Loved it.5
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(snip)
I wish more people pushed their kids to swim at a young age. Not only for safety, but its a fairly low impact workout that can stay with us as we age. I see some real great swimmers who are in their 60s and 70s.
@Djproulx: Yes, endorsed - from a perspective of failure, in my case.
I can't blame my parents, who sent me to swimming lessons, and my aunt tried to do remedial help, but as a child - to my discredit - I wasn't having it. I still dislike swimming, maybe I would've disliked it even if better skilled, I don't know. I had to take adult learn-to-swim classes and then lap swim classes (in my 50s) to get myself to a point where I felt even barely competent at actually swimming freestyle. I wish I'd been less stupid about it as a child, honestly.
(To be clear, as a longtime canoeist/kayaker/rower, I've been adequate to save myself in the non-challenging water where I paddle/row, by swimming on my back. But my general swimming skills were terrible, and I wish it had been otherwise. They're still sub-par, and I try to practice some in off-season, but I've been avoiding the Y totally during the pandemic . . . which may be an excuse, in the case of visiting the pool. 🙄)
@Ann, understand that story. Many of my friends are terrific athletes who wish they could swim, or swim better. I'm in the latter camp. Swam for fun and took lessons as a kid, but never kept at it. The "refresher" lessons at 52 yrs old were humbling. Its such a technique driven activity, like golf.
Back around 10 years ago, not too long after I originally lost the weight, I wanted to get more into swimming. I never could get the breathing timing down -- but with that said, getting the breathing calm is what helps you understand your form better.
I cheated and used those Finis swim snorkels. Helps you to concentrate on your stroke. And if, like me, you're just wanting to swim for exercise, it wasn't necessary to swim without it, though it's a great transition piece for learning to swim laps again.
After relearning to swim laps, it isn't as hard to stay calm and work on your breathing timing without the fin.
Now that we have a pool in the backyard, I always kid my wife how can I even float again without a huge oversized pool noodle!2 -
Lunch:
8x1 Power Snatch
8x3 Power Clean Thrusters
4x4 Behind the Neck Snatch Grip Push Press
4x10 Front Squat
4x10 BB Rows
4x10 Lat Pulls
Evening:
30 minute bike FTP intervals2 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »(snip)
I wish more people pushed their kids to swim at a young age. Not only for safety, but its a fairly low impact workout that can stay with us as we age. I see some real great swimmers who are in their 60s and 70s.
@Djproulx: Yes, endorsed - from a perspective of failure, in my case.
I can't blame my parents, who sent me to swimming lessons, and my aunt tried to do remedial help, but as a child - to my discredit - I wasn't having it. I still dislike swimming, maybe I would've disliked it even if better skilled, I don't know. I had to take adult learn-to-swim classes and then lap swim classes (in my 50s) to get myself to a point where I felt even barely competent at actually swimming freestyle. I wish I'd been less stupid about it as a child, honestly.
(To be clear, as a longtime canoeist/kayaker/rower, I've been adequate to save myself in the non-challenging water where I paddle/row, by swimming on my back. But my general swimming skills were terrible, and I wish it had been otherwise. They're still sub-par, and I try to practice some in off-season, but I've been avoiding the Y totally during the pandemic . . . which may be an excuse, in the case of visiting the pool. 🙄)
@Ann, understand that story. Many of my friends are terrific athletes who wish they could swim, or swim better. I'm in the latter camp. Swam for fun and took lessons as a kid, but never kept at it. The "refresher" lessons at 52 yrs old were humbling. Its such a technique driven activity, like golf.
Back around 10 years ago, not too long after I originally lost the weight, I wanted to get more into swimming. I never could get the breathing timing down -- but with that said, getting the breathing calm is what helps you understand your form better.
I cheated and used those Finis swim snorkels. Helps you to concentrate on your stroke. And if, like me, you're just wanting to swim for exercise, it wasn't necessary to swim without it, though it's a great transition piece for learning to swim laps again.
After relearning to swim laps, it isn't as hard to stay calm and work on your breathing timing without the fin.
Now that we have a pool in the backyard, I always kid my wife how can I even float again without a huge oversized pool noodle!
@Mike - Yes, many folks feel anxiety over breathing and that gets in the way of keeping your head down and focusing on staying long and flat in the water while pushing the water backwards (not down) with each stroke. I have a bunch of swim aids including the swim snorkel and use them regularly in my drill sets before the main swim. Allows me to concentrate on specific elements of the stroke without too much fatigue. (pull buoy, swim fins, hand paddles, snorkel).
For those who are real newbies or having trouble with head down breathing, a couple things that seem to work are 1) pull buoy between legs to stop legs from sinking and 2) repeating a mantra to yourself as a reminder not to hold your breath when head is in the water. The mantra I used when starting out was " Bubbles.....Bubbles.....Breathe" since I breathe bilaterally on every third stroke. So saying "bubbles" slowly during each stroke reminded me to exhale a constant, controlled stream of breathe into the water, and when I turned my head to breathe, the lungs would be empty so I didn't have to exhale then quickly gulp a mouthful of air.
The other thing that helped (and is silly to write!) was a trick to help new swimmers keep their legs straight and not bend the knees (knees bent =legs sink). The mental image to reinforce core tautness and straight posture was "Think of squeezing a coin between your butt cheeks and don't let it drop" because doing so forces glute activation and erect posture.
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@Djproulx -- those are great tricks and good advice!
Today's cardio was ridiculously easy. Just 30 minutes on the LateralX and then 30 more on the Assault Bike. Only broke out of warmup HR a few times (like above 117 for me). Wanted to have an easy day for golf tonight so I'm not too exhausted and I have a hard day tomorrow with lifting sets and rowing intervals.2 -
4th day and just another 10k. Was only a few houses down from my place when the rain started coming down. Altered it a bit from yesterdays outing to cut out some twists and turns. Good enough to give the knees and ankles a break.
4 -
This is by no means my normal day, but I have been on a fitness getaway this week so my days have looked more or less like this …
530 am 3-4 mile mt. Hike
715 am Breakfast
8:15 am Tai Chi
9 am Pilates Reformer
11 am Water Aerobics
12pm Water Aerobics
I pm Lunch
2 pm Massage
3 pm Facial or Body Treatment or pool time
4-6 pm free time or meditation
615 Dinner
8 after dinner walk
815 SLEEP!!!!!
It has been amazing - today I switched out the water aerobics for a dance class with a retired Broadway Choreographer. It was a blast.
I have no aches or pains because of the mix of classes and the bodywork. Obviously, I won’t be able to keep this routine up (nor could I ever afford to) when I return home on Sunday, but I am grateful for the opportunity to do this to reset and refocus
5 -
Back on the stationary bike, the usual "whatever pace" easy-ish workout, little slower this time (94W 10K, 80W 3' CD after), Z3 and below but mostly Z2. I need to start remembering to turn on the ceiling fan: I'm hot, sweat insanely much even at low exertion like this . . . just genetics, I guess?
This followed a couple of hours of homeowner-type "functional fitness": One hour of humdrum rake/weed/prune, then an hour of pulling up to 30' or so Concord grape vines out of trees and hand-hauling them to the brush pile. Playing tug-of-war with entwined sturdy vines is surprisingly effortful! 😆 Obviously, I should keep up better with the chores in the woodsier bit at the back of my lot, to avoid future repeats.3 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »(snip)
I wish more people pushed their kids to swim at a young age. Not only for safety, but its a fairly low impact workout that can stay with us as we age. I see some real great swimmers who are in their 60s and 70s.
@Djproulx: Yes, endorsed - from a perspective of failure, in my case.
I can't blame my parents, who sent me to swimming lessons, and my aunt tried to do remedial help, but as a child - to my discredit - I wasn't having it. I still dislike swimming, maybe I would've disliked it even if better skilled, I don't know. I had to take adult learn-to-swim classes and then lap swim classes (in my 50s) to get myself to a point where I felt even barely competent at actually swimming freestyle. I wish I'd been less stupid about it as a child, honestly.
(To be clear, as a longtime canoeist/kayaker/rower, I've been adequate to save myself in the non-challenging water where I paddle/row, by swimming on my back. But my general swimming skills were terrible, and I wish it had been otherwise. They're still sub-par, and I try to practice some in off-season, but I've been avoiding the Y totally during the pandemic . . . which may be an excuse, in the case of visiting the pool. 🙄)
@Ann, understand that story. Many of my friends are terrific athletes who wish they could swim, or swim better. I'm in the latter camp. Swam for fun and took lessons as a kid, but never kept at it. The "refresher" lessons at 52 yrs old were humbling. Its such a technique driven activity, like golf.
Back around 10 years ago, not too long after I originally lost the weight, I wanted to get more into swimming. I never could get the breathing timing down -- but with that said, getting the breathing calm is what helps you understand your form better.
I cheated and used those Finis swim snorkels. Helps you to concentrate on your stroke. And if, like me, you're just wanting to swim for exercise, it wasn't necessary to swim without it, though it's a great transition piece for learning to swim laps again.
After relearning to swim laps, it isn't as hard to stay calm and work on your breathing timing without the fin.
Now that we have a pool in the backyard, I always kid my wife how can I even float again without a huge oversized pool noodle!
@Mike - Yes, many folks feel anxiety over breathing and that gets in the way of keeping your head down and focusing on staying long and flat in the water while pushing the water backwards (not down) with each stroke. I have a bunch of swim aids including the swim snorkel and use them regularly in my drill sets before the main swim. Allows me to concentrate on specific elements of the stroke without too much fatigue. (pull buoy, swim fins, hand paddles, snorkel).
For those who are real newbies or having trouble with head down breathing, a couple things that seem to work are 1) pull buoy between legs to stop legs from sinking and 2) repeating a mantra to yourself as a reminder not to hold your breath when head is in the water. The mantra I used when starting out was " Bubbles.....Bubbles.....Breathe" since I breathe bilaterally on every third stroke. So saying "bubbles" slowly during each stroke reminded me to exhale a constant, controlled stream of breathe into the water, and when I turned my head to breathe, the lungs would be empty so I didn't have to exhale then quickly gulp a mouthful of air.
The other thing that helped (and is silly to write!) was a trick to help new swimmers keep their legs straight and not bend the knees (knees bent =legs sink). The mental image to reinforce core tautness and straight posture was "Think of squeezing a coin between your butt cheeks and don't let it drop" because doing so forces glute activation and erect posture.
I wish I understood better what goes on with my swimming (technically): I don't seem to have trouble with the mechanics of breathing, or have stress/anxiety about it. (Like you, I breath on every 3rd stroke to alternate sides, exhaling in between.) But I feel very out of breath after about one length, so tend to alternate a length of freestyle, then a length of backstroke. My swim teachers worked with me on visible technical things like the legs straight and body, pushing against the water, etc.
I don't know whether I'm not getting enough air on the inhales, trying to go too fast (trust me, I'm slow in reality), or what. The last instructor I had (which was when my basic breathing mechanics were adequate enough that this problem showed up), seemed to think it was just aerobic capacity/conditioning. I know conditioning is sport-specific, but my aerobic capacity in other contexts isn't terrible, and this problem doesn't seem to improve with practice. 🤷♀️2 -
I'm nowhere near as fit and active as the rest of you on this thread, but I'm getting there. 😉
My morning workout:
1 - 3.2km Interval run
2 - 9.6km brisk walk
3 - 1hr Iyenga yoga
Am aiming to achieve a minimum 5km full run, followed by 5km walk and 1.5hr yoga by the time we enter our Australian springtime.
6 -
shazmorgan wrote: »I'm nowhere near as fit and active as the rest of you on this thread, but I'm getting there. 😉
My morning workout:
1 - 3.2km Interval run
2 - 9.6km brisk walk
3 - 1hr Iyenga yoga
Am aiming to achieve a minimum 5km full run, followed by 5km walk and 1.5hr yoga by the time we enter our Australian springtime.
No need to excuse your efforts. Someone will always be faster or slower more fit etc etc.. Important thing is what you do working for you? It’s refreshing to see folks of all ages putting in effort and sharing their experiences. Enjoy the community keep sharing with us and congrats on your efforts and future accomplishments.4 -
Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »This is by no means my normal day, but I have been on a fitness getaway this week so my days have looked more or less like this …
530 am 3-4 mile mt. Hike
715 am Breakfast
8:15 am Tai Chi
9 am Pilates Reformer
11 am Water Aerobics
12pm Water Aerobics
I pm Lunch
2 pm Massage
3 pm Facial or Body Treatment or pool time
4-6 pm free time or meditation
615 Dinner
8 after dinner walk
815 SLEEP!!!!!
It has been amazing - today I switched out the water aerobics for a dance class with a retired Broadway Choreographer. It was a blast.
I have no aches or pains because of the mix of classes and the bodywork. Obviously, I won’t be able to keep this routine up (nor could I ever afford to) when I return home on Sunday, but I am grateful for the opportunity to do this to reset and refocus
OMG what an amazing day! If I did that in one day I'd probably sleep for a week.4 -
Back on the stationary bike, the usual "whatever pace" easy-ish workout, little slower this time (94W 10K, 80W 3' CD after), Z3 and below but mostly Z2. I need to start remembering to turn on the ceiling fan: I'm hot, sweat insanely much even at low exertion like this . . . just genetics, I guess?
This followed a couple of hours of homeowner-type "functional fitness": One hour of humdrum rake/weed/prune, then an hour of pulling up to 30' or so Concord grape vines out of trees and hand-hauling them to the brush pile. Playing tug-of-war with entwined sturdy vines is surprisingly effortful! 😆 Obviously, I should keep up better with the chores in the woodsier bit at the back of my lot, to avoid future repeats.
I'm well versed in "functional fitness." I spend at least three hours a day doing housework. I'd much rather go diving or hiking. Doing the laundry just doesn't raise the endorphins. Ya know what I mean??4 -
shazmorgan wrote: »I'm nowhere near as fit and active as the rest of you on this thread, but I'm getting there. 😉
My morning workout:
1 - 3.2km Interval run
2 - 9.6km brisk walk
3 - 1hr Iyenga yoga
Am aiming to achieve a minimum 5km full run, followed by 5km walk and 1.5hr yoga by the time we enter our Australian springtime.
@shazmorgan I think you're doing great! ❤️3 -
RaquelFit2 wrote: »
I'm well versed in "functional fitness." I spend at least three hours a day doing housework. I'd much rather go diving or hiking. Doing the laundry just doesn't raise the endorphins. Ya know what I mean??
My approach is to go diving or hiking and defer the housework. As a result, house is slightly chaotic. For example, my dining room is unusable for its original purpose. having a random mixture of scuba, caving and climbing equipment. I haven't eaten in it for at least 8 years. (I seem to be looking after some club and a friend's equipment as well as my own. So the tanks alone are three 15l tanks; three 12l tanks; one 2x12l twinset; one ali 80 stage; and a 3l pony.)
Yesterday was climbing. It was really good fun. I lasted 2 and a quarter hours. Normally, at the end of a mammoth session I don't get anything sensible, but I actually got a long-term project right at the end. There were two choices for the crux - a quick dyno; or a long and involved slightly bonkers static route. I'm terrible at dynos, so I got the static approach to work.
This morning, I did a quick (15 minute) run before work. I have no idea how far it was - normally Fitbit tells me, but it didn't this time.
3 -
RaquelFit2 wrote: »
I'm well versed in "functional fitness." I spend at least three hours a day doing housework. I'd much rather go diving or hiking. Doing the laundry just doesn't raise the endorphins. Ya know what I mean??
My approach is to go diving or hiking and defer the housework. As a result, house is slightly chaotic. For example, my dining room is unusable for its original purpose. having a random mixture of scuba, caving and climbing equipment. I haven't eaten in it for at least 8 years. (I seem to be looking after some club and a friend's equipment as well as my own. So the tanks alone are three 15l tanks; three 12l tanks; one 2x12l twinset; one ali 80 stage; and a 3l pony.)
Yesterday was climbing. It was really good fun. I lasted 2 and a quarter hours. Normally, at the end of a mammoth session I don't get anything sensible, but I actually got a long-term project right at the end. There were two choices for the crux - a quick dyno; or a long and involved slightly bonkers static route. I'm terrible at dynos, so I got the static approach to work.
This morning, I did a quick (15 minute) run before work. I have no idea how far it was - normally Fitbit tells me, but it didn't this time.
LOL! Well, maybe one day you'll eat there again. Actually, I did get my PADI certification many years ago during a backpacking trip. The dives were interesting. My favorite was the night time dive, it made me feel like an astronaut, floating in space.4 -
.....I don't know whether 1) I'm not getting enough air on the inhales, 2) trying to go too fast (trust me, I'm slow in reality), or what. The last instructor I had (which was when my basic breathing mechanics were adequate enough that this problem showed up), seemed to think it was just aerobic capacity/conditioning. 3) I know conditioning is sport-specific, but my aerobic capacity in other contexts isn't terrible, and this problem doesn't seem to improve with practice. 🤷♀️
@Ann, I'm no swim expert, but I've had some coaching and spend time with some good swimmers. With that disclaimer, a few thoughts that may or may not be helpful:
In most freestyle swimming (not 25 meter sprints) the following concept applies "Slow is smooth and smooth is efficient." And efficient becomes fast with volume and intensity.
Your post leads me to believe that your mechanics are generally good enough so that you might be categorized as an "advanced beginner" or "emerging intermediate" swimmer. As a reference point, I'm thinking about how we group swimmers in our tri club swim clinics (30-35 swimmers). We divide swimmers into 3 groups. Lanes 1&2=beginners, Lanes 3&4 = intermediate, Lanes 5&6 = advanced. Inside each group the weaker swimmers are in the lower numbered lanes and move up as they progress.
The reason for this background is that I see similarities among swimmers in each lane. So if you are a lane two swimmer, you'd typically be swimming with your head mostly in a decent position, have a decent arm stroke(high elbows on return, fingers enter water first on the reach, leg kicks are ok but not strong, etc.) and your breathing is mostly rhythmic. What is also noticeable is that you are not yet fast and your ability to swim any distance is rudimentary at best. This is normal, because in learning to swim its ALL ABOUT FORM. If you continue to try to crank out distance when your form degrades, you are reinforcing bad habits and therefore doing yourself a disservice.
So my gut feeling is that your coach's observation is right. Regarding my bolded comments, I believe #1 and #2 might both be in play and are related. To test this, try swimming with a pull buoy held between your legs, so that you don't have to expend any energy to remain afloat. That way, the only effort needed is to move yourself forward with your arm strokes. Can you swim several lengths breathing easily while using a pull buoy? Are your breaths coming easily? Could you breath every 5 or 7 strokes while swimming with a pull buoy? If so, then it may be a case of not getting enough air either from your breathing cadence or from working too hard.
Regarding #3, I found this frustrating, since I thought I had reasonable capacity, but swimming takes quite a bit of volume in order to make noticeable improvements. I found that swimming twice/week allows me to maintain conditioning, but a third swim is needed in order for me to improve endurance.
3
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