Starting swimming, any advice?

Gosh.. well... Having been so impressed with the outdoor pool right near my work and thoroughly enjoying myself in my swimming adventures so far.. I've discovered the downside. Being that when the sun comes out it's like a package holiday in Majorca! :(

There were about 20 people/kids splashing around in the slow lane, moochers barely moving in the medium lane.. and although I got along ok in the fast lane I wasn't quite up to speed so I had to keep stopping to let the train of people past me. Grim!

Should have gone inside to be honest..

I've been thinking, if I'm generally swimming twice a week (Mon and Wed), are there any free weights routines that will help me out? Something to do at the weekend if I can't be bothered to come all the way into town to swim? :)
 
So I have a couple more questions.. Does anyone have any good resources for looking at what strokes work out what muscles etc.? I can see a difference in my chest already, but not much else :p

Also, does anyone have a lap-counter wrist band? Any recommendations? Something like the Poolmate things I guess? I think I need something to make sure I keep pushing myself..
 
Ha, yeah. I laughed :D

I don't think open water swimming is for me considering it totally mucks me up when someone splashy swims past me in the neighbouring lane :p
 
Bit of an update. I've been doing 2-3 times a week fairly consistently (mostly just twice) and feel like I'm improving. I'm certainly seeing the results mainly in my chest (i.e. I actually have bit of one now). But one thing that doesn't seem great is my stamina. I'm quite surprised actually, but I still struggle to do more than one or two lengths without wanting to stop. Maybe it's because I have not technique for turns, but it's all too easy just to stop, catch my breath and then go again. Meanwhile there's all these machines that drop in, swim solidly for 35mins and leave :p

I tend to start really well, hardly needing to breathe for the first few lengths, then go terrible for the next 6-7 lengths (always out of breath), then by the time I do my last 10 or so lengths I feel like I'm finally getting a rhythm going..

I guess I need to push myself a bit more...
 
Yeah I think there's probably an element of that going on.. Trouble is I'm going at lunchtime so it's always rush in/rush out type thing. Will make a mental note to start sloooow and see if that helps. I do find my swimming is better when I go a bit slower anyway.
 
Well after completely loving my Arena Cobra goggles, they've started to lose suction! I'm not sure what's going on but it's as if they don't fit anymore. They keep popping off on my right eye, bottom right as I look out. It's completely screwing me up at the moment, so annoying :(

I might try another nose bridge to see if that helps.. the only thing I have changed is that I started to use the anti-fog spray.. wonder if that's related? :confused:
 
I only bought the spray because it was £5 for that to give me free shipping on my goggles, or £3 shipping for the goggles on their own. So I thought I may as well try it for £2. I know spit works well enough though :)

I don't think it's a strap tightness thing.. I was pulling them pretty tight but it's almost as if they've completely lost the shape they had. Darn. Will try a couple of different nose bridges in front of the mirror to see what's going on :p
 
Bump. Good session today, I'm still going! It was a bit busy so there was 3 of us guys taking is fairly easy in the slow lane. We all got shown up when this unbelievably fast girl came in. If I saw her start a length from the other end she'd almost catch me once I'd finished my single length :eek: Put us all to shame, for sure. What a machine.

I'm still struggling with breathing, I think I really need to knuckle down. Maybe when it's less busy just take it easy in the slow/med lane and try to get a rhythm. I'm still out of breath after every length which is not good at all! Then again I can't do any decent turns so I generally stop anyway... woops.
 
I definitely get better after about 30mins in the pool. I actually think when I get more tired I get into a better routine with my breathing. I think I breathe out more (and harder) as soon as I'm done with my breath-in and put my head back in the water.

I was reading an article about how nobody breathes out hard enough (even pros). The more breath you hold in, the more co2 you make which makes you feel even more out of breath? Something like that anyway. :confused:
 
Bump, well I'm still going if anyone's wondering! Had fun today, there was a massive downpour for 5mins, it stopped, then tried to start again at which point whistles were going and we were all told to get out - presumably in case of lightning. Loved the bemused expressions on some people's face... er, rain, thunder, lightning, water?! Not a good mixture.

On another note, do I get bonus points for 'selling' the pool I go to to our chairman's new assistant who must be 6ft odd, absolutely stunning and likes her swimming? :p
 
I don't think eating only 30mins before a swim is a good idea. I swim on my lunch break and tend to eat a light-ish lunch as close to midday as possible, then I generally swim at 2.30pm when the pool is quieter. That said, I often still feel a bit full come 2.30pm, but everybody is different. I thought the recommended gap was at least 2hrs anyway.. ?

Oh, so I'm back on swim watches. What's a good one for <£100 ? Girlfriend wants ideas for my birthday present. Beyond it being able to count laps/km in the pool I'm not hugely bothered by any other features. I certainly wouldn't bother plugging it into my computer every day etc. Any ideas? :)
 
Flukester said:
Wonko and myself are using Garmin Swim Worldwide watches. (snip)
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Thanks. The girlfriend has asked me about the Speedo Misfit Shine but to be honest I think it looks butt-ugly and I'm not entirely sure what the face actually does/shows you! Certainly doesn't appear to show any numbers.. :confused:

Anyone used the Shine series? I'm tempted for the Garmin but worried it looks a little bulky. I've got skinny girly wrists :p
 
Flukester said:
I have skinny wrists, Garmin is a pretty small watch :)
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Say whaaa? We saw one in a glass case at John Lewis the other day and it was flippin' huge!? Unfortunately there was no staff around to let me try on..

For those that use Swimovate, have they tried the MyPoolMate online stats stuff? Can you share them on a page like you did with the Garmin link? :confused:
 
Anyone have issues with headaches when swimming? I went into the pool today and had a lane to myself. Glorious I thought.. but about 10mins in I started to get a really bad headache. Almost a migraine. That's a few times in a row now and it's incredibly annoying. I persevered for a while but had to stop early and for a minute or so felt like I was going to vomit in the shower :eek:

Goggles don't feel too tight, wonder if it's all in my neck? :confused:
 
Cern said:
What stroke? And what breathing pattern / technique?
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Front crawl, always breathe on the same side. I'm convinced it's my neck now. It still feels odd the day after. I'm going to have to learn to breathe on the other side and either do bilateral breathing or swap between sides.
 
To be honest my breathing certainly isn't the best once I get going (I'm going to have a couple lessons soon I think, make sure my technique isn't terrible - I haven't had a lessons since I was at school :p), I'm often struggling for breath after 4-6 lengths. If I can force myself slower it's a lot better though. I think I'd struggle breathing every 3 stroke rather than 2. So I'll probably just try doing a few lengths each side and swapping. Last time I tried breathing on the other side I got very confused and ended up drinking water :(:p

I can do breast stroke but I try not to. I had a problem with my knee cap so the kicking wasn't good for it..
 
Well, got back from a very relaxing swim :p Just concentrated on breathing my 'wrong' side. My god it feels wrong. I was reading on swim smooth it usually takes about 2 weeks to adjust.. I wonder how long it takes only going twice a week.

Had to alternate between sides because I just wasn't getting much air in on my 'wrong' side. A few mouthfuls of water on the odd occasion, or feeling like I'm totally stopping and sticking my head out of the water to breathe at all. :p
 
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