Starting swimming, any advice?

Have been trying to get at least one swim in a week. It’s really helped my back and I’ve found that it’s a very efficient use of time in terms of workload and 45 minutes swimming time seems like more than enough for me at the moment. Swam my first non stop mile this week just gone (70 lengths in total for the session inc warmup). It’s not fast and it’s definitely not pretty, but it’s nice to see some progress and feel fitter. One thing that I like about our pool is that they have the swim tag data logging device. It’s not perfect but it’s great to keep a bit of a track. I’m getting overtaken by many older people, but it all seems quite civilised.
 
Dam cold - this is a problem with swimming the breathingdrugs don't work if you have a cold /blocked nose, so running/cycling until that's fixed;
I'm always surprised by this as during swimming it doesn't feel as though the intake of breathe required is that rapid.

Doing backstroke instead is monotonous just watching the ceiling as opposed to the other swimmers.
 
jpaul said:
Dam cold - this is a problem with swimming the breathingdrugs don't work if you have a cold /blocked nose, so running/cycling until that's fixed;
I'm always surprised by this as during swimming it doesn't feel as though the intake of breathe required is that rapid.

Doing backstroke instead is monotonous just watching the ceiling as opposed to the other swimmers.
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Feel your pain, thought I was getting back to pre Christmas fitness again, but think I’m a bit virally which isn’t helping energy levels in the pool. It’s still absolutely the right thing for me and my back, it’s just damned hard work!! Christmas deconditioning was much worse than I thought!
 
you use a watch for counting the lengths then ? - that revolutionized my swimming about 5 years ago suunto - because I don't push off aggressively I use it on indoor running mode where you press a button , every two lengths.

Finally cracked a bought some of this sudafed yesterday, to try and clear up sunisitus, probably could have swum this am, was amused to see it has chemicals used in ecstasy manufacture,
so maybe I'd have broken record.
 
@jpaul - the local pool has “Swimtag” devices to borrow. Quite helpful actually and has motivated me quite a bit. There’s no display on the device so I have to rely on counting in my head until it uploads the data at the end. I’m sure there’s a better way of doing it of course perhaps with a smart watch!
 
I would like to get some prescription goggle for indoor pool swimming (and occasional sea swims).

Are there any brands and sellers which are better than others or recommended? I don't mind paying more than average for highet quality ones i.e. Less likely to fog and maybe slightly larger lenses.
 
Another good morning today. 102 lengths (can’t count!) with 78 continuous front crawl to finish the session. Mornings are loads better for me. Did just over 30 mins (50 lengths) on Monday afternoon and was absolutely finished!
 
1 session a week is better than none, and fine if you are cross-training. Swimming is an odd sport in that overall fitness doesn't guarantee fit to swim, time in the water is what it needs.

We used to say
  • 2-3 swims a week to sustain
  • 3+ sessions a week to make progress

Caveat: If you are learning/improving your stroke then it's a bit different, the above is more about being swim fit.
 
Swimming is a fantastic and non-load-bearing exercise. Great for backs and overall blood flow, I'm not swimming at the moment and missing it.

Beyond swimming with my eldest's Surf Life Saving Club winter training as a parent helper (not quite the same as an hour of drills)
 
I've been out for the last three weeks with what I suspect was covid for the third time :( Hoping to be back in the pool next week but not sure as I pulled a muscle in my ribs from all the coughing two weeks back and it's still pretty painful, I've noticed I am significantly more stressed and irritable without my sessions, though that could just be the sickness playing out too lmao :D
 
Bad luck, I defo feel more stressed when I can't train. Similarly with what I eat, which is an ass as the more I get stressed the more I tend to eat sugary rubbish.
 
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Brando said:
Beyond swimming with my eldest's Surf Life Saving Club winter training as a parent helper (not quite the same as an hour of drills)
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in the sea .. or one of those enviable cornwall lido's - outdoor/endless add's another level, bar jellyfish


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heard several good reviews V won't be as good as grand bleu though

DB_SamX said:
Are there any brands and sellers which are better than others or recommended?
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I've been using view platina forever , now have a new model
translucent skirts to let light in, good field of view, and non-silicon.
I don't believe bigger masks would seal well and not interfere with arm movement, but maybe you wouldn't get a goggle imprint around eyes.
 
so experimenting with breathing more through mouth than nose to try and reduce nose sinus irritation - does seem pretty arbitrary which to use,
at least with the non-anaerobic pace I usually employ can get the volume of air in and out through either.

swimming pool needs to move the people who want to use mini flippers into their own lanes they just create annoying wake so can't see where you are going
 
jpaul said:
so experimenting with breathing more through mouth than nose to try and reduce nose sinus irritation - does seem pretty arbitrary which to use,
at least with the non-anaerobic pace I usually employ can get the volume of air in and out through either.

swimming pool needs to move the people who want to use mini flippers into their own lanes they just create annoying wake so can't see where you are going
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Unless you're not swimming in a lane you shouldn't need to see where you are going in a pool, that's why there are markings on the pool bottom letting you know when you are around 5m/15ft from the wall and a centre line so you can stay straight, if there are slow people in front and you catch them before the wall you'll generally feel the wake coming off them before you collide unless they or you are in the wrong lane and there is a massive pace difference.

I've been pushing myself to do distance the last few weeks, it's slowly coming back... well off my pace from before lockdown still though :(

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Dano said:
Unless you're not swimming in a lane you shouldn't need to see where you are going in a pool,
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yes, but people watching is fun .. . do you record strokes/length too ?
can't do that on my suunto, I need to re-start uploading data, but currently just use watch to count lengths

we only have 45 minute session times, post covid, so little luxury of stopping for a while and doing some fartlek type swimming, or chatting.
so 128 lengths isn't possible for me, usually do about 90, not pushing off.
 
Yes, that's from a swimtag which the centre operates, it records strokes/length as well, sadly no heart rate monitors or displays on them though which would make them brilliant. 45 minute sessions, that's harsh, we have nominally 1 hour slots which are supposed to be booked but it's never busy enough to be enforced and I've reverted back to just turning up and swimming when I want. Lots of rest yesterday as I was still very tired from the previous swim lmao.
 
Just been swimming for the first time in one month and it was hard.

Did two laps of the lake (750m x2) and afterwards I barely had the strength to pull a T-shirt over my head!

Done my first session though, and will get back into 3 sessions per week in preparation for the Looe island sea swim at the end of September.
 
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Looe looks like a nice venue, overnight stay ?

you don't have any nearby sea venues with some degree of lifeguard supervision for summer time temp swims ?
I keep eyeing up sherringham in norfolk where you could swim about 100m in a supervised groin section, swimming in the sea in UK always feels more risky than (millpond) Med say,
not to mention pollution issues.
 
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