swimming for fitness

[HoppityFrogs]

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

Maybe you could try the ones with larger frames, so the suction is spread over a larger area? Just a thought!

Oh don't get me wrong Shotgun many of us suffer from the 'am I good enough' thing. I seriously agonised over the total immersion course - but I can swim double the minimum they say they need, and that's enough!

I once wondered if I was good enough to go in the lanes...

It's all stages we all have to go through

#SwimOn 🏊

I too wonder if I am good enough to go in the lanes. At the local pool they have two lanes separated off and then the rest is normal.
I started swimming three weeks ago and I'm now faster than the people in the two slowest lanes but in the third lane (not roped off) there is a person who does front crawl down the lane and sends tsunamis across the rest of the pool so I won't/can't go in that lane. The next lane is often empty as tsunami swimmer swims across the boundary of the two lanes and then there are the two that are roped off.

Tsunami-swimmer probably stops for 3 minutes, after every 4 lengths to reset their gadget or have energy drink. It can be very easy to lane share with rocket-swimmers b/c they spend more time standing than they do swimming.

Sounds like some people swim in places where there is no slow lane or the slow lane people are omg amazeball competitive. It's worth trying different pools. Our slow lane is very accommodating of truly slow swimmers. I am usually the slowest person in the fast lane & I may switch to medium lane if there are too many (rockets) in fast group.

Funny thing, last night after lanes it was a 'women only' session: they were all doing lengths! It was a good opportunity for the social swimmers, the ones who like to do breast-stroke in pairs, which would be too annoying in simple lane sessions.

QUESTION
A few times, Swimtag said my distances = multiples of 25 (like 1875 or 2125 metres). But I know I only swam in multiples of 50 (so real answer has to be 1850 or 2150, etc.). What I should do to figure out the real number? Round down every time? But I think it's more likely that swimtag under- than over-estimated. Eg, yesterday, once I couldn't quite reach the wall in shallow end because the Tsunami rockets were standing in a crowd gassing! So I presume that full length didn't quite register (?)

I might do a challenge next year so I would like to have a fair and honest estimate each time then. WWYD?

My local pool doesn't have Swimtag so I have no idea, sorry.

We get our fair share of annoying swimmers, the ones who do breast stroke in pairs and ones who alternate between breast stroke and sculling and so take up two lanes. I must swim a few extra lengths dodging round them!
I occasionally swim in the family session but the pool is very quiet apart from a few private lessons and a parent teaching a toddler, then I stop and tread water whilst they are trying to swim a width or whatever and generally try to keep out of their way.

My swimming pool is rubbish for lane swimming. The medium Lane is busy so everyone goes in the fast lane. I'm not super fast but I manage to hold my own in the fast lane and if any Olympians join the lane I move out sharpish but every single time I go for a swim there are a couple of really slow swimmers in there who ruin it for everyone else, why don't the lifeguards move these lane - blockers on?

Can anyone offer up the proper lane etiquette?

I always observe the speeds in lanes and try to make sure to pick one with a similar speed to me if there are people there already.

But the numbers of times im first in a lane and much faster people get in and tut, or as happened on Saturday, flaming shitty uber parents put their poppets in the lane to practice, then chatted to them. Encouraged them to dive in etc.. wtaf? I didn't want to be in the fast lane, I wanted to be able to slowly focus on technique and still get my programme out of the way.

All went ok in the end. The guy who joined me in the fast lane was great to share with.

Then my son decided to take me on one of the flumes after I'd finished my 700m +100m (shh)

I thought I was going to die!
I thought he was going to die laughing 🙄

Trout my Swimtag seems to be behaving although I do have to manually adjust it each time for the 33m pool as it defaults to the 25m pool. However, I think I read in the help page on the website that if it isn't getting your swim accurately it helps to get the Swimtag well out of the water at the end of each length. Maybe that will help?

I swam a mile today (in 36 mins)! Really proud of my progress over the 4 months I've been swimming. Feeling pretty shattered now though!

swissy there was an unbelievably slow woman in the Medium Lane the other day, she was fully clothed and kept on arsing about in the lanes, swimming horizontally across them (?!) and bobbing in and out of the slow lane.

If I hadn't been at the end of my swim I might have lose patience with her and asked her to go back to the Slow Lane, but as you say, I do wish the lifeguards would get involved when someone is so clearly in the wrong lane. I know the "lane speed" is subjective and I judge whether I'm Medium or Fast by observing who's swimming that day, but this woman was wafting along with her head above the water so slowly she was practically treading water!

I'm always mortified if I feel I'm holding up a lane, I can't understand how some people just don't see it.

Just checking in.
About 1K done. Got lost in my own world, but stayed 1/2hr.
Went in the middle lane which goes the other way round to the fast lane. Most unsettling on a Monday morning.

Remembered knickers AND hair brush.
Went to harvest festival in post swimming tracksuit with wet hair. I think I can get away with looking sporty rather than slovenly, but actually I don't care anyway.

Hello - I joined a gym to start a new school-year resolution to get fit, but have injured my foot so need to stick to swimming for a while at least.

I've always seen swimming as a post work-out treat, so only really do breaststroke. Is it possible to get fit this way or do I need to try to get into crawl?

My pool is only 18 metres (local pool is 25m but has restricted opening hours) so I tend to do 10 lengths then stop for a breather. I aim for 40 in a 30 min session.

How can I maximise calorie burn/fitness just by swimming?

I'm glad I'm not the only one Quim. Itscurtains You can get fit if you keep up your pace with breaststroke. I have recently watched a load of YouTube videos and am now swimming a pretty strong and fast front crawl. I am pretty pleased with myself as front crawl is really enjoyable once you get the hang of it and I have noticed a massive jump in my fitness levels an added bonus is the weight has dropped off too! It is quite embarrassing whilst you are learning tho!!

I used to love crawl but I'm ao unfit now that it feels like a struggle to stay alive! I managed four lengths of it today (not consecutive). But am aiming to build ilup each time I go.
I think my stroke isn't too bad (at least, a swim coach told me that 25 years ago), but any hints for really good yourube vids?

1K done early doors.
Remembered knickers and hair brush. That's two days in a row. Am on a roll.

Am trying to work on my technique.

I'm off in a minute, day 1 still week 1 (repeating it until I get to 12 breaths between 100s) so working towards getting up to a continuous mile in the next few months

I'm on 7000m total for the month, and my next goal is 10k in November, but I'll hit that early I think.

I think I'll be about 25K swimming for the month!
hissy do you have a swim watch (sorry if you've said upthread), only I can't count breaths AND lengths.

I'm trying to do 100m continuous then a short break then off again. I think I would be nearly breathing normally after 12 breaths though - I think I only need to do about 4 or 5 to be ready to go again nb my running keeps my cardio vascular system in good shape.

Another 1K this morning.

I was e-mailed a 'challenge' by Swimtag today:
PfP and SWIMTAG are supporting National Cholesterol Month alongside HEART UK - the UK's Cholestrol Charity. In October, we're challenging all SWIMTAG users to Swim the Grand Canyon! The route is a 16.3km swim down the Colorado River, through the most famous part of the Grand Canyon. The swim starts at Guano Point, home of the famous SkyWalk attraction and finishes at the picturesque Columbine Falls.

rights yes I do! An eBay bargain £11! Poolmate. It's battered, strap is going, but it does the job and reminds me if I want to replace it, I need to hit my mile 😂

I also write the sets on my arm with a sharpie and rub them off as I go

Well done on the 1000m, I did 850m last night - did a few leg drills after my 0to1650 set.

Setting a monthly target really focuses the mind and it's amazing how much it all tots up!

I saw that challenge too SingingAdvocado I was tempted, but it's just that bit too much for me at the moment, especially as I'm supposed to limit my swims to the programme, I'm not ready to go up a week yet.

Might be different after the TI workshop though!

I think (hope!) that you can get fit with breast stroke, it's the only stroke I can do.
I tried swimming with my face in the water today (I have a phobia about putting my face in the water) and I just couldn't do it. I threw the newly purchased goggles on the side of the pool and forgot to bring them home, oh well, somebody else can have them.

Well having done a length of crawl in the slow lane the other day alongside a breastroker in the middle lane who didn't even get her hair wet - I'd say you can definitely get fit doing breastroke even if you can't do it 'properly'!

I will be sure to get my hair wet tomorrow!!

Might try keeping mine dry Enola - can't be any slower

enola you would really benefit from adult lessons, to learn the face in water thing (I suffered similar) just practise blowing bubbles for a bit, in the bath etc and eventually it'll get easier

Shotgun

Hissy, funnily enough I asked about them last week but they only do them when I'm working. I'll just persevere, oddly I can put my head under when I go completely underwater, that's fine, it's just the whole breast stroke breathing thing that freaks me out.