swimming for fitness

[HoppityFrogs]

I've started swimming to get fit, does anybody else swim for fit? Can we encourage each other?

Looks great tho rights

I'm talking my swim lessons group into doing the simplySwim swimathon 2017, going to talk to them all today...

I wanted to do it with my swim buddies, were all about the same level, but the rest of the school is a mix of beginners and intermediates, so I thought that actually setting ourselves small challenges and achieving them is so rewarding and inspirational. I want it to be OUR 5k, not mine, or hers or his.

I'm happy for people to share a length if they don't feel they can do a whole one... every metre they swim counts 😊

Ooh swimathon sounds good - any links?

swimathon link

Thank you!

I did it with a friend in 2011 then didn't swim again for nearly 6 years! So I'm back at the beginning again. It was great though. There was a team of 6 men in the next lane and beat them(just).

My lovely inspiring DD 9yrs, made me go swimming with her tonight despite a crap day at work and it being 0c outside, not enticing at our pool which is mid-way through a refurb so the ladies changing room is a potta cabin brrr. But I did a leisurely 30Lish and we took it in turns me practicing my crawl breathing and her practing her butterfly at the end, which was gd even if I did swallow too much water trying not to lift my head out of the water but trying instead to turn my head and caress my ear on the surface like she said! (She's teaching me)

Our teacher set a programme today. Bloody he'll drills are HARD!!!

But hardest still was being evacuated from the pool to the outside in -2C when the fire alarm went off..

My darling ds - totally unprompted- gave his coat to one of my swim friends. I'm so proud of him.

I've been lurking and swimming a while. This week I have managed a km each time all crawl (I can't do breaststroke because of back problems) in 30 mins. I'm pretty pleased with that. I have never managed more than 20 mins before because of pruny skin hatred and boredom. I've been slathering Vaseline into my hands and fingers and no prunyness and I've switched from making myself swim for 20 mins to counting metres which is much more motivating. I'm feeling fitter than I've ever been (I am 55) and keen to push my distance by 10% a week.

Welcome flaming! Blimey you're putting me to shame (am 53). Well done. 10% a week sounds a good target.

flaming that's a v.good paced I'm mid 40s Id struggle to do 40L in 30mins but I can't really do crawl at the mo, mostly doing kick board front n back and breast stroke but I do have to watch my lower back which is why I'm trying to switch over to crawl.

That's brilliant. It took me 30 mins to do 600m this week so I'm well impressed (I'm 53).

Aw shucks, thanks I'm feeling pretty buoyed by those comments. I can't swim on Saturdays, my local pool is public swim (children) all day and I can't swim in and around so it's my day off.

When I started swimming crawl properly a year ago I could only manage four lengths at a time but the back pain forced me to swim more and I found that taking a 10s break meant I could do more. Breaststroke really hurts my back but I've discovered it's probably because I've been froggy kicking all these years. I only discovered whip kick last week and I'm trying it but finding it difficult and sigh no feedback I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Any tips on whipkick?

basically your heel should be almost touching your bottom. Google some videos.We do legs only on front and back (did it in our class on wednesday). I dont time my swims, more how many laps in an hour, but only got my fitness tracker at xmas, but looks like i did 1900m in an hour,but that is breast stroke with the odd overarm thrown in,so you are faster than me.

I'm following this thread. I swim twice a week, 25m X 66, half breaststroke and half front crawl, which I finally learned to do a couple of years ago. (I'm 61.)

I'd love to learn to do tumble turns, but I'm hopeless. Has anyone any tips for how to start? I just can't get all the way round and I end up with a headache and feeling waterlogged!

need to practise forward rolls firsts This is why i like my lessons we do things like this at the end of the lessons, as well as skulling, diving in etc

Flaming your story is very encouraging. I learned to crawl as a child, but hadn't swum regularly for decades years, so started back at basics in September. I still can't do more than 200m continuous crawl, but much prefer it to breaststroke which I find boring, so will press on. Think I'm a bit of a froogy kicker as well - in fact, I do an impressive screwkick unless I try really hard.

I've never heard of the whip kick. I'm not allowed to do the normal breaststroke kick due to a knee problem and I could never do it properly anyway - I'd struggle to do a length in 10 minutes.

Going to give it a try on Monday.

Thank you, bruffin, I need to learn forward rolls - I remember even as a child that backward rolls were easier than forward!
BestisWest, I changed to the whip kick a couple of years ago and after a few weeks I found my knees were suffering. So I went back to the froggy kick. Tried again a few weeks ago and the same thing happened. It's very frustrating as it's definitely faster. I'm wondering if I'm too old to change now.

i find foreward rolls easier. You must remember to breath out through your nose while you are doing it as otherwise it kills your sinuses

I find it hard to believe that I am faster than anyone! But I know I am because I am the slowest in our medium lane and the fastest in the slow lane. Today I had the lane to myself and it was lovely.

I have to go back to full time work in two weeks after a break of 6 months. I don't want to lose this wonderful feeling I have been getting from swimming so I will have to find a way to fit swimming in around work. The idea of 7am swimming at this time of year is horrid but in summer it is do-able and I will benefit from the wide awake feeling I get afterwards. I am lousy at getting out of the house again for any reason after work once I am home.

I am going to seek some lessons on whip kick. I did one length today and my back is now so painful I have had to take codeine, I clearly have either not got it right or it also causes the pain and I need to stick with crawl.

I couldnt get out of bed yesterday for 7am, well i did but got straight back in again because it was so cold. Lesson is 10am on wednesday and will go early on thursday. May try tonight, but never gone in the evening before.

Did 600 m in 25 minutes today. I concentrated on kicking from the hip and less often and it made a difference. Much easier today. Tried half a length of whip kick but decided not to risk my knee.

I think best it's better not to try whipkick if there is a possibility of hurting yourself. I'm going to stick with crawl after today's pain. Luckily I'd already done 1km and the whipkick attempt was the last length I did so in total 1050 m was my total in 30 mins. I was pleased with that,

Can't remember who recommended the Vaseline for nostrils but thanks. I'm still sneezing but it will help until my nose clip turns up.

Got a scrappy 1000m done today.

Hard work. Was going through the usual gruelling bit at the beginning, then had to share a lane with others doing breast stroke, (I was there first... ...) so swapped into another lane.

There was a bit of chatting at the end which pissed me off, and in all, 4 of us in the lane