Starting swimming, any advice?

dirtychinchilla · 17 Aug 2022 at 10:50

Resurrecting a thread here, but I've just started swimming again in an attempt to help with severe back and hip pain that I'm currently experiencing. It feels like my back is very stiff, and the gym has not gone well for me, so had my first swim yesterday in many years. Freestyle made me feel like a fish - I've always been good at that, but doing breaststroke could feel myself corkscrewing and I kept kicking the lane marker. I did a spot of backstroke but wasn't really sure how my arms should go once in the water...I'll look that up.

Anyway, 700 enjoyable metres yesterday and no chance of hurting myself, so I'm pretty happy. Probably need some better goggle (got Zoggs which really annoyed me), so I'll get some if I manage to keep it up.

Turned up to the pool at 12 today because they had to do an induction supposedly (I'd been last night), and they just handed over my card. Weird. Anyway, managed two laps before I was told it was ladies only time. Fair enough, but annoyingly I'd read the wrong timetable!

jsmoke · 17 Aug 2022 at 17:43

dirtychinchilla said:
Resurrecting a thread here, but I've just started swimming again in an attempt to help with severe back and hip pain that I'm currently experiencing. It feels like my back is very stiff, and the gym has not gone well for me, so had my first swim yesterday in many years. Freestyle made me feel like a fish - I've always been good at that, but doing breaststroke could feel myself corkscrewing and I kept kicking the lane marker. I did a spot of backstroke but wasn't really sure how my arms should go once in the water...I'll look that up.

Anyway, 700 enjoyable metres yesterday and no chance of hurting myself, so I'm pretty happy. Probably need some better goggle (got Zoggs which really annoyed me), so I'll get some if I manage to keep it up.

Turned up to the pool at 12 today because they had to do an induction supposedly (I'd been last night), and they just handed over my card. Weird. Anyway, managed two laps before I was told it was ladies only time. Fair enough, but annoyingly I'd read the wrong timetable!

Surely that's very prejudice having ladies time only?

dirtychinchilla · 17 Aug 2022 at 18:14

jsmoke said:
Surely that's very prejudice having ladies time only?

I made a thread about it years ago. I think it’s because they’re generally Muslim women in that area, and we aren’t allowed to see them in their wetsuits. Whatever, can’t say I care any more.

Dano · 18 Aug 2022 at 10:10

Not been in the pool for ages, second lockdown got to me with depression and I ended up putting on a load of weight which exacerbated my back injury, now too self conscious to get in the pool at all, slowly trying to build fitness back currently and lose enough so I can start back again.

dirtychinchilla · 18 Aug 2022 at 10:11

I wouldn't worry about how you look getting into the pool. I've seen some super fat people there and just gave them a glance. Same as the gym - I've got stuff to do. Unless you're super hot, I'm not going to be looking at you

Dano · 18 Aug 2022 at 10:19

dirtychinchilla said:
I wouldn't worry about how you look getting into the pool. I've seen some super fat people there and just gave them a glance. Same as the gym - I've got stuff to do. Unless you're super hot, I'm not going to be looking at you

Easy to say and completely understandable, far more difficult to do.

dirtychinchilla · 18 Aug 2022 at 10:20

Dano said:
Easy to say and completely understandable, far more difficult to do.

That's fair. I have been quite rotund for most of my life and have always been nervous of taking my top off in public. At some point, I decided I didn't care. I've seen enough old men with huge bellies who don't give a ****, so why should I? If someone does point me out a as a porker, I'm sure I could beat them in a 25 m race

Dano · 18 Aug 2022 at 10:30

dirtychinchilla said:
That's fair. I have been quite rotund for most of my life and have always been nervous of taking my top off in public. At some point, I decided I didn't care. I've seen enough old men with huge bellies who don't give a ****, so why should I? If someone does point me out a as a porker, I'm sure I could beat them in a 25 m race

One day I hope I will get to that point, doesn't seem likely though

dirtychinchilla · 18 Aug 2022 at 10:31

Dano said:
One day I hope I will get to that point, doesn't seem likely though

Only one way to start

I saw a really big boy in the gym a couple of weeks ago. I thought two things - 1. I hope he has a prorgamme. 2. good for you, dude. I almost went and congratulated him, but you never know how that sort of thing will go down, so I left it.

jpaul · 18 Aug 2022 at 10:33

@Swimming people who look overweight can often be very efficient swimmers, there's no ignominy.

Having had periodic back problems I wouldn't do breast stroke if I had recently hurt it, just back&freestyle.
swimming prices don't seem to have gone crazy, despite energy costs, but wondering about renewing for the upcoming year as opposed to pay as you go

dirtychinchilla · 18 Aug 2022 at 10:36

If the temperature of the pool at my leisure centre is anything to go by, they're not wasting any energy heating it!

Interestingly, pools are often used as thermal storage for heating and hot water.

jpaul · 18 Aug 2022 at 20:26

Ironically our pool was broken this evening ... thought it was a bit cold
... but once you got going a really invigorating swim w/o the smell of chlorine, just like fresh water, best its ever been - 25.4C

lifeguard later said @25.4C it was broken/being repaired and normal >28C would return soon
apparently they had recommended that young children didn't use the family section ... so maybe the absence of chlorine was lack of urine.

Scam · 23 Aug 2022 at 16:15

Dano said:
Not been in the pool for ages, second lockdown got to me with depression and I ended up putting on a load of weight which exacerbated my back injury, now too self conscious to get in the pool at all, slowly trying to build fitness back currently and lose enough so I can start back again.

I forgot I started this thread all that time ago (it must be my most popular/enduring one ever!

). I felt similar to you recently, maybe not so worried about the weight although now I'm getting to my late thirties there's definitely a small paunch forming. It was more difficult for me because I swim at an outdoor pool near my work at lunchtime. The recent good weather has meant it's just rammed with teenagers etc. and is more akin to Marbella than London. Not fun when you're a bit self conscious about getting back into swimming.

Anyhoo, just wanted to post that I managed 900m today. Pretty happy although because I've been out of it since COVID it just makes me super hungry so I'm not sure I'm helping re. the paunch

Also agree on the not worrying about what you look like too. There are all shapes and sizes at my place, we're all human.

Dano · 23 Aug 2022 at 17:28

Yeh, like I said, easy to say, even more so when it's a 'small paunch' and not 10 stones or so of extra weight.

dirtychinchilla · 29 Aug 2022 at 19:54

Dano said:
Yeh, like I said, easy to say, even more so when it's a 'small paunch' and not 10 stones or so of extra weight.

I’ve seen a few very big boys in the pool recently. One was even wearing speedos. I thought, good for him.

I swam 1.2km today. It was tough but I’m really glad I did it.

jpaul · 2 Sep 2022 at 21:36

thought this was rather ridiculous ....
Afro swimming cap approved after Olympic ban
I don't wear a swim cap ... but anyone knows if you have a short haircut you are much more streamlined ,,, so someone with an afro is going to put themselves at a disadvantage in any swim competition.

counting laps/distance -
still using a suunto watch in indoor running mode to count laps - I never push off so automatic watches (if they really work) are of no use - I just press the lap button every 2 lengths
touch wood still working after 3 years, an amazon warehouse purchase, I religiously clean in fresh water after every swim.

dirtychinchilla · 4 Sep 2022 at 15:33

jpaul said:
thought this was rather ridiculous ....
Afro swimming cap approved after Olympic ban
I don't wear a swim cap ... but anyone knows if you have a short haircut you are much more streamlined ,,, so someone with an afro is going to put themselves at a disadvantage in any swim competition.

Which part was ridiclous? You think they should cut all their hair off??

bainbridge · 8 Sep 2022 at 07:49

I started swimming in January when I began training for my first triathlon. The swimming was my weakest discipline but it turned out to be the one I enjoy the most.

Still swimming at least twice per week, mostly open water at the moment.

@Dano Get your swim kit together and go for a swim, you'll feel better for it.

Dano · 26 Apr 2023 at 22:18

Meant to reply a while back, finally back in the pool, had planned to start in January when my membership hold ended but it carried over to February and I sadly used it as an excuse to delay, then I went down with Covid at the start of Feb which took a good ten days to clear the main sickness but was left with the cough for weeks. Ended up getting back in the pool first week of March and have been going ever since, though I missed two weeks over Easter due to rubbish lane session times. Up to 80+ lengths a session, three times a week at the moment, working on stamina (have done a couple of 1km non-stop splits) and strength, my pace has dropped by around 10/s per 100m which sucks but I'm hoping to get that back as I lose weight and get fitter again.

Today's swim, not too bad considering I was pretty tired when I started lol:

For anybody who finds themselves in a similar position to what I was in, it is really difficult to get over the anxiety but I have to say the mental lift from actually being back in the pool is immense and the staff and all the regulars who are still there have been fantastic with support and encouragement, I know everybody was saying to just get it done but it's so much harder to do at the time, thanks all

jpaul · 19 Nov 2023 at 10:47

breaking in a new pair of view goggles this morning - don't think I'd noticed before how much they adapt to eye sockets, as the damn things were leaking,
need to wear them around the house a bit first and possibly warm up the skirts.

Anyway have a light cold - and as soon as I started usual crawl realised breathing was significantly impacted so had to do back stroke for the session,
(so could look out the window, and watch the life guards antics as they looked as though they were alarmed by a shark, but was a women who wasn't swimming in a straight line, and keeping to lane)
just can't tell breathings broken, until you put your head in, had cycled to the pool with no issue.