Swimming for fitness (part 3). Dive in!

Bummer on the lost goggles... was that a rude set of expletives deleted? :)

Welcome wee - a great start! I find swimming is a great stress reliever (so long as others in your lane know a bit of etiquette that is )

Scared yes, it is possible to injure yourself. As with any exercise, start slowly and build up gradually. It easy to get shoulder and elbow pain if you’re stroke isn’t quite right. I’ve had both in my 3 years of swimming. Shoulder pain from a pull through with my arm straight (should be bent, with a high elbow) and medial elbow pain from flinging my arm straight at the beginning of recovery. All quite technical, but any persistent twinge shouldn’t be ignored.

oops wrong thread

Oh and i lost my nice goggles. I was standing by my locker taking off the finis duo because i dont use it for lessons, the by the time i got to poolside they had gone Everyone reckons i must have dropped them on the way and someones picked them up and kept them.
Why would anyone want someone elses goggles, but its been a week and they havent turned up!

Ive had a good week.
Monday did an Aqua class then did 42 lengths , then today did my swim class which was back stroke with flippers, which was good, then went on after class complete 2k in breastsroke.
Ive damaged 3 tendons in my shoulder but it doesnt hurt to swim but i really hurts to put my clothes back on afterwards

Ooh, can I join?

Started swimming about 8 weeks ago as a combination weight loss / me time / stress reduction thing.

I've managed a max of 750m and have done a proper work out rather than just breast stroke for the first time this week.

I try for a minimum once a week but not always successful (have 18mo DD)

I had a lovely swim . Feeling much more confident. I'm still at about 1250m although sometimes I lose count! I had a few ponderings I thought I'd ask here...

• does backstroke work different muscles? I went in the slow land to do 10 lengths as a sort of cool down/less breath focused and wondered it to myself. I only do backstroke if there's an empty land.

• can I injure myself? I'm obese but used to swim a lot as a child so I can Swim 1k in 33mins. Not fast but also not a beginner (council pool, I'm usually medium lane). I want to swim more times a week but I injured myself running when I suddenly got into that a billion years ago and wondered if I should look out for anything. I presumed not at 4ish x 40min sessions... but I was previously unfit so thought Id ask!

• how do I improve?

Most open water events in the UK allow you to hire wetsuits and all the one's I have done wetsuits have been compulsory.

Swimming flippers and paddles are allowed in lane sessions where I am ( don't think you're allowed flippers outside of lanes).

I'm surprised how many people I see using hand paddles these days. Most have very poor strokes and are probably doing more harm than good.

I'm glad to know that. I'm not normally assertive but I wasn't in a good mood yesterday so felt aggrieved.

I'd like to try open water swimming in the future, not sure how as I hate not being able to see the bottom.

I would have moved the stuff too Brizzle and I would have defended my actions. Might be worth having a word with reception if it’s an ongoing issue.

Great to hear about the open water swims. I’d love to give one a crack when we’re back in the UK next month, but i’m Not sure there will be time, and I probably don’t have space for my wetsuit. Or is everyone so hardy in the UK that they don’t need one?

Do your local pool allow you to use hand paddles and/or fins/flippers? I’ve heard rumours that they’re banned in some places.

I'd say you were absolutely fine then brizzle!

Yes, very obvious as the lockers were opposite the cubicle just a short distance away. At the pool it's cubicle only changing.

Havent been around for a while as been busy. Still swimming twice a week but want to do more.

My dd 20 has gone to camp america for the summer and she did her american red cross lg qualification last week and now training to teach swimming to the kids at camp this week(WSI) may be able to get types when she gets back.

@brizzledrizzle that's what I would have done if I wanted to change in a cubicle particularly (totally understandable!). It's not like you hid or put it somewhere that wasn't immediately obvious surely? That being said I usually swim at a university pool with mostly other students, so there's a lot of un-cubicled millennial feminist nudity and also a lot of well-padlocked lockering as we're far too broke to replace our stuff, so have never had this problem despite not having helpful signs!

May I join you?
I started swimming last week but lurked until now.
What is the pool etiquette re cubicles ? Today there were masses of empty lockers and no cubicles because the four with open doors all had things left in them so I moved a bag and pair of shoes to the top of the lockers - waist height - so I could change and swim in my lunch break.

When I was changing the person returned and was complaining loudly that it was unacceptable to move things out of the cubicle, there are signs saying not to leave anything in cubicles.

Have I committed a major faux pas ?

I'm definitely doing the Nottingham Big Swim - probably the 2.5k event (there's a 1.5k and a 5k too).

I'll do a couple of open water practice swims beforehand but not a great deal.

Might do some others too but they'll be last minute entries, for various reasons don't want to have too much scheduled way in advance.

I plan to do some open water swimming this summer (if I manage to turn the lemons into lemonade). I had so much fun last year.

Not training for anything specific, but I do like to enter events so am keeping my eye open.

Sorry Corri unless you're cracking the ice to get into the lake to swim you won't get any sympathy from me

Glad to hear all these swimming successes. Is anyone open water/lake/sea swimming at the moment? Anyone training for anything exciting?

It’s cold and wet here down under. The weather is testing my motivation, especially when swimming in outdoor pools. The walk from the pool to the change rooms is particularly special!

Flowery I do a similar amount and similarly am beginning to wonder about my stroke!

I swam a lot as a kid so I do do okay but I am very large .... I think when I'm smaller I might join one of the adult lessons.

Welcome flowerypig and feminist!

I've loved this group. I'm so glad I finally got the confidence to lane swim as I love it. I'd previously avoided the lanes and been in the other bit of the pool but these last 3 months have been fab! I even get one to myself sometimes. I make sure I go when there's more than 1 lane so fastt people can go faster than me. And one local pool has changed to 5 lanes so I can worry less about my speed.

Im okay waiting at the end if the other person laps me every so often. I'm not so good when I'm the faster one and usually end up doing some slower lengths!

Hi! Hope is ok to join you all! You’re very inspiring. I’ve recently started swimming again. Do 50 lengths or so twice a week if I’m lucky and motivated! Think need to
Improve my stroke some what though!

Finally back in a big pool (the campsite 15m pool was lovely outdoors but not a lot of swimming happened except me trying to learn butterfly & drown at the same time ) tonight back in home pool swam mostly F.C. nonstop for 40mins lost count but felt good prob 1k+

I am half heartedly trying to lose weight but also just want to enjoy myself whilst getting fitter to keep my body more active and healthy in terms of my heart etc. I figure the exercise comes first, and the diet amendments will get easier with time!

Half an hour of the fastest lengths I've ever done complete - Thank you Beyonce! - and quinoa salad consumed, so feel like I'm really getting my life together. Time for an ice cream in the garden I think