Swimming

[FMCoug]

Swimming never did help me lose weight but what it did do is lower my body fat and really helped me develop my upper body. I love to swim and I always feel great after a workout but I'm also very hungry. Maybe it was just me but I would have something healthy on hand to eat after a swim so that you stay away from junk.

I remeber reading a study about this where they compared different types of cardio exercise and found that swimming was the least effective for weight loss. They theorized this is because of the hunger thing. Swimming in cold water makes you hunger, therefore you eat more after a swim workout than you would after a run, bike, etc.

[marsupial]

I'm glad you are enjoying the Swimp3... it's an awesome device. I love mine.

We did a timed 800 for our Masters workout today, here are my split and lap times:

01:12 (01:12)
02:29 (01:17)
03:47 (01:18)
05:05 (01:18)
06:24 (01:19)
07:42 (01:18)
09:01 (01:19)
10:19 (01:18)

avg pace per 100 yards.... 01:17.4

Typically during our workouts (in the lane I swim in anyway), we hold an average pace of about a 1:30 per 100 yards. So on an average day during an average workout (with rest between sets, etc), we will swim about 3200-3800 yards in an hour.




I would suggest doing interval training to achieve faster speed. Interval training will keep your heart rate high (and is a killer for burning extra calories and losing weight) and build up your speed much better than a long slow slog through 2 miles of slow-paced laps.




Check your area for the nearest Masters Swimming group. Our group has about 8 regulars with around 12-16 that show up each morning for a workout. I find that having other people to swim with, 1) keeps me getting up in the morning, and 2) pushes me to swim faster than I would otherwise if I were swimming alone. Also, the Masters group I swim with has a great coach that designs all of our workouts, helps us with our technique, etc.

I started swimming again about 4 months ago, which I hadn't done with this degree of seriousness since High School, e.g after basically a 24-year absence. The structure of our Masters workouts has really whipped me into shape in a very short time. It's been great.




I'd like to see that study... was it comparing jogging/biking to open water swimming or to interval swimming? Personally, when I'm out in the open water... I don't push myself as hard as when I'm in the pool. That may be because of the cold water (I guess), but I think it has more to do with the lack of structure that an pool-based swimming interval workout provides. Just by $0.02.

cheers.

I swim outdoors... It'll be another 5 months before I brave the pool again. But thanks for the advice.

[SteelBlue]

Is anyone interested in posting/sharing your swimming workout? I swim M/Tu/Th/Sa morning with the local Masters group where the workout is provided by the coach, but on W/F I have to come up with something on my own. Sometimes I fall into a bit of a rut (e.g. a main set of 25x100s) and would appreciate help mixing it up.

Here is what we swam this morning (12/20/2010):


workout on 12/21/2010:

I think you've intimidated everyone SG both with the workout and the cool tables. I'm considering joining our team's Masters program but am being held back somewhat due to embarrassment. I really don't have any experience with the competitive swim strokes and am especially intimidated by the fly and to a lesser extent the backstroke. The thought of sharing a lane with people who know what they're doing scares me a bit. I think i'll get over it though as I've known most of them for years.

[Borg]

Ok....the swim thread has got me thinking that I want to master the 'swim' exercise routine.

Started it about a year and a half ago, but events prevented me from following through. Starting up again as of this Saturday. I suck at swimming, and resemble more of a drowning man trying to save himself from a sinking ship in the ocean.

However, I am reviewing a book called: "Total Immersion" and it has literally changed the way I swim, conserves strokes to help you glide through the water etc. I will get the motion back hopefully sooner than later. But, I would love to hear anyone else's comments about the effectiveness of the methods taught by this book. Anyone?

[Eddie]

Ok....the swim thread has got me thinking that I want to master the 'swim' exercise routine.

Started it about a year and a half ago, but events prevented me from following through. Starting up again as of this Saturday. I suck at swimming, and resemble more of a drowning man trying to save himself from a sinking ship in the ocean.

However, I am reviewing a book called: "Total Immersion" and it has literally changed the way I swim, conserves strokes to help you glide through the water etc. I will get the motion back hopefully sooner than later. But, I would love to hear anyone else's comments about the effectiveness of the methods taught by this book. Anyone?

Sounds like a book I would like to read.

I got swimming just because I had decided to try a couple of triathlons and needed to not drowned. I was surprised at how much it killed me to swim for even 5 minutes straight in the beginning. By the end I felt like I could swim for hours - though not necessarily quickly.

I knew a gal who had been on the HS swim team and taught individual swim lessons. I had her come to the pool with me once just to watch my form and give me some pointers.

What I got from her was smooth and glide. Reach forward as far as you can with your arm on each stroke - when initially I was just getting my arm out in front to push back for the next stroke.

She also said to not be too quick to go for the next pull - allow yourself to glide some.

I thought it was interesting that she said if you watch the fastest swimmers they aren't necessarily the ones who take the most strokes per lap. But they are really good at gliding.

But I gotta admit - knowing that I'm supposed to glide and actually doing it are two VERY different things.

For me personally I learned to put my head down further as that tends to lift your backside a little higher and helps me to get up on a better plane.

[Katy Lied]

If you want a change up, I'd bring a pair of fins and do kicking intervals. The fins make you go really fast, so your kick times should be equivalent to your swimming intervals. It works different parts of your body, and you'll still be gasping for air. After a while, you should be able to do flip turns with the kickboard, but you have to kick hard and it will make your lungs burn when you come out of your turn.

As a bonus, it gets you into shape should you have a vacation planned, oh--I dont know--in the South Pacific or somewhere.

[SteelBlue]

Well I bit the bullet and joined the Masters program. Since our family has reached the team's maximum limit, my only cost is the registration fee of $44. I decided to hit the pool last night and once I got over the embarrassment of walking past the crowd of parents while dressed in a jammer and being 25 pounds overweight I really enjoyed the workout. I wasn't able to do too much because I really have no swimming base at all. But it felt good to get started. I'm hoping to get 2-3 workouts per week and build from there.

[Borg]

Still dabbling on working in swimming when I can....but, it's like it was said earlier. For me, it is also like "jogging while holding your breath".

I get oxygen deprived so quickly. I can jog for a while so there is some semblence of cardio to my lungs. I breath on every third stroke. Following up on the "Total Immersion" book/swimming style that I am trying to master, it works great...if I had an oxygen tank or I could use a snorkle!

I am trying to "glide" through the water (probably gliding as well as a granite boulder)...but doing ok at that. Just gotta resolve the 'breathing' issue. I may try breathing on every 'left' stroke, or 'right' stroke to up how many times I breath...but, I find it harder to "glide" when you are constantly breathing.

Any suggestions?

Sincerely,

Man needing a snorkle

[BigPiney]

Still dabbling on working in swimming when I can....but, it's like it was said earlier. For me, it is also like "jogging while holding your breath".

I get oxygen deprived so quickly. I can jog for a while so there is some semblence of cardio to my lungs. I breath on every third stroke. Following up on the "Total Immersion" book/swimming style that I am trying to master, it works great...if I had an oxygen tank or I could use a snorkle!

I am trying to "glide" through the water (probably gliding as well as a granite boulder)...but doing ok at that. Just gotta resolve the 'breathing' issue. I may try breathing on every 'left' stroke, or 'right' stroke to up how many times I breath...but, I find it harder to "glide" when you are constantly breathing.

Any suggestions?

Sincerely,

Man needing a snorkle

I breath on every right stroke. The better swimmers will often breath every 3rd stroke, so alternating right then left.

My wife was trying to swim, and breathing every second right stroke, and when she started breathing every right stroke, she actually got faster.

I am not the best swimmer, but I am probably better than most. I was out of the water in the top 10 at the 1/2 ironman last summer

[Babs]

Man needing a snorkle

This is actually not a bad idea while you work on your stroke and endurance. You can find snorkles designed for training.

[RC Vikings]

Still dabbling on working in swimming when I can....but, it's like it was said earlier. For me, it is also like "jogging while holding your breath".

I get oxygen deprived so quickly. I can jog for a while so there is some semblence of cardio to my lungs. I breath on every third stroke. Following up on the "Total Immersion" book/swimming style that I am trying to master, it works great...if I had an oxygen tank or I could use a snorkle!

I am trying to "glide" through the water (probably gliding as well as a granite boulder)...but doing ok at that. Just gotta resolve the 'breathing' issue. I may try breathing on every 'left' stroke, or 'right' stroke to up how many times I breath...but, I find it harder to "glide" when you are constantly breathing.

Any suggestions?

Sincerely,

Man needing a snorkle

I breath every left side stroke and it seems to work. I'm not a great swimmer but I enjoy and try and swim a couple of times a week. What works for me is to keep my head down, keep my legs up, grab all the water I can and pull through.

[SteelBlue]

I get oxygen deprived so quickly. I can jog for a while so there is some semblence of cardio to my lungs. I breath on every third stroke. Following up on the "Total Immersion" book/swimming style that I am trying to master, it works great...if I had an oxygen tank or I could use a snorkle!

I was breathing every third stroke and was about to die after the first 100 I swam. One of the coaches came over and told me to breath every other stroke (for me that was every right stroke). I felt much, much better.

[Eddie]

I breath under my right arm - so I guess that means every right stroke?

I think it works great and I'm pretty happy with the endurance I had built up when I was swimming a lot. I'd have to really go hard before breathing became difficult.


But just a word of warning. I'm wishing I had spent more time learning to breath out of the left side too. When I did a triathlon last summer I needed to stick to the river bank on my left. Because I was breathing/looking out the right side, I couldn't determine how far from the left bank I was and ended up a lot further from the side than I wanted to be.

Sure - learning to swim straight might be another answer. I'm just saying - if you start breathing every other stroke it might not be a bad idea to alternate part way through your workout so that you learn to be comfortable breathing out of either side.

For me - trying to breath out of the left side just has me sucking in water. Need practice.

[Borg]

Thanks All....will try the every right stroke going up, and every left side going back....will see if this helps. It probably will since I'm such a hack swwimmer. But, I have to admit I feel great when I get finished.

[Goatnapper'96]

Green Canyon?
Took our scouts there a few years back, and my son went with the scouts last month. I didn't like it but the boys did.

Nothing beats a dip in Green Canyon after a jaunt up to the Wind Caves!