Swimming for fitness (part 2). Jump in!

[rightsofwomen]

We've filled up the first Swimming for fitness thread, so here is the new one.

Everyone welcome.

Ive started doing the 4 stroke breathing and found it easier.

I've started reading "leap in by Alexandra Heminsley" thanks to whoever it was on here who recommended it. I was reading tonight how she realised that learning to exhale was the key, and when I felt myself panicking a couple of times I was going in my head "breathe out in the water!!!" It did help

Skibike, the front crawl is a total dark art for me..I can't do more than about two rounds of breath/stroke without inhaling half the pool. I can see though that it's a far more powerful, and maybe energy efficient stroke. I'm deeply jealous of all who have mastered it! Yes, it is funny how when you become conscious that you are getting it right it just deserts you! I can't speak to the crawl, but as a breaststroker I have to say that exhaling under water is absolutely liberating..and it wasn't so long ago that I couldn't even put my head underwater without holding my nose, or wearing noseclips.

Ski sounds like you're doing well with tackling fc! And yes the tri session was fab! We did the same thing, kick float or pull bouy or whatever it's called between legs to focus on arms. She has us breathing every 2nd/3rd/5th stroke and then got us to mix it up and breath at totally random intervals. Her reasoning being that when you swim in open water you just need to be able to breath as and when you need to! So being able to breathe out of a rhythm and still keep swimming is important. She also had us doing some leg work which I've never really focussed on before. And I had to breath bilaterally, which I've been avoiding for a couple of months while I've worked on my fitness, but it was surprisingly ok. The pool was so bloomin busy with loads of people whizzing up and down the water was really choppy. Great practice for open water swims too! I'm surprised how much I enjoyed it cause I was so nervous beforehand. And I managed to keep up with my lane mates on the whole. All in all came out of it with loads more confidence. The triathlon swim I did the other week definitely knocked a lot of it out of me so good to have some back!

Had a chat with one of my lane buddies in the showers today and she was really nice about how my front crawl has improved! I was so chuffed, I struggled to do a length last summer and slowly built up and now do half my swim as front crawl and am as comfortable doing it as breaststroke now. But nice to have someone else see it as well .

It took me 20 years before i could do a length of front crawl. The trick was trying to do it really slowly, and advice on yhe ASA website that essentially said if turning your head doesnt get your face out of the water, turn your shoulders, if that doesnt work turn your waist, if that doesnt work turn your hips, failing that roll on your side.
I turn my bum sideways and breathe and the rest followed pretty quickly.

I can't believe it never dawned on me earlier - my first driving test had me using just mirrors like a van because I couldnt turn my head more than 20 degrees...

Loving reading everyone's success stories. So positive … all round!

fatgirl I've been the same and 4yrs ago I set myself the challenge of trying to learn FC, I've spent a lot of time sitting pool side watching my eldest DD learn to swim and tried to put it all into practice. Lots of kicking with a float and forcing myself over and over to put my face into the water and exhale. It sounds silly written here but I just found it so hard to do, until few weeks/months ago something clicked and suddenly last night to be able to have the confidence to try a pull boy float and actually really enjoy doing FC arms I was super . Watching the years it takes a young child to learn to swim is normal yet as an adult we expect to "get it" within a couple of Go's keep trying you might surprise yourself. that and finding some googles that actually fit my face has also been a revelation thanks to this thread I love my aquasphere googles.
Yes notcirus I had to literally not use my legs and slow down massively to "click" the breathing.
bee I love hearing about other people's experiences. I would at the moment really really struggle with lots folk and choppy water it makes me panic breathe. Well done for getting stuck in.
That's brill count that someone else spots you improving.

Thanks Skibike..I do know what you mean. I had a similar experience with crochet. I tried and tried..watched videos etc, couldnt..have up..picked it up again and suddenly I could. Thanks for reminding me of that..onwards and upwards :)

I still can't crochet though despite trying a few times!

I cant crochet either, but managed to get a sports injury knitting.

Had a great swimming lesson yesterday. We have a young lad who wants to be a lifeguard so we did some lifesaving. Pulling 2 people along using woggles and getting Oscar from the bottom of the deepend.

Am away at UCLA at a conference. Done my two presentations and then to unwind have just been for a swim in the outdoor 50m pool. Was really lovely. 1K

i like to swim. I used to be quite good - low level club level.

Now back to doing 50 lengths. By which time I am purple in the face, but, loving it.

10 warm up breast stroke
10 breast stroke/fc
10 fc
10 breast stroke/fc
10 cool down bc.

Purple.

loving it.

I'm also fat and hairy and can't tumble turn any more. But, I can turn my mind off whilst swimming. Loving it.

Stealth i can't tumble turn any more (and I've lost speed since a teen and being fat!) but the being able to turn mind off is incredible isn't it! it feels soooo good.

Sounds fab rights I love an outdoor pool, so much quieter as all that pool noise floats away.

I'm a red tomato tunnocks

Hi ladies,

First time posting on this thread! I've decided to take up swimming for fitness. I used to do squad training etc (feel like that's a rite of passage as an Australian!) but haven't properly swum in over 10 years.

Got back in the pool for the first time today and managed 800m, 50:50 freestyle and breaststroke. My bingo wings are burning already so I can only imagine how I'll feel when I wake up tomorrow.

Not doing it for weight loss reasons, but am doing it to tone up and get fit. I used to be seriously fit. I think the biggest difference I have noticed is the decrease in lung capacity. The breathing is what I struggled with most - I never noticed that in the past.

Oh yes, the out-of-puff thing!

I'm fitter, for sure. Hills that used to have me wheezing now don't. I sweat less too.

Still fat.

Purple, with shades of tomato, Ski...

It's bloody good exercise - just going for one now with the kids. So, there will be fewer lengths but, a lot of fun.

Hi all
I really want to take this up but, and this sounds ridiculous, I worry about the water - I always get a bit scared getting in to a new pool at first (I know I sound batshit). Anyone have tips on overcoming that?

Hello swimmers. I've spent most of my swimming life swimming a very sedate breaststroke with my head out of the water. I could only ever do about three strokes of FC before looking like a landed fish. Anyway, I had a course of lessons this year and with lots of practice I'm getting better. What a revelation that I don't need to kick really hard all the time!
I can now do about 1000m, really really slowly but it feels good.
There are supervised open water sessions near where I live and I love being outdoors but totally panicked when I put my head in the water and couldn't see anything. It took ages for my breathing to calm down and I just couldn't seem to find a rhythm. Any tips to help me please?

I fell off this thread - a week in Oregon with no hotel pool and a conference venue with a beautiful 50m pool that I couldn't use
But back to the lake now, and loving it! Had a great session yesterday where DH had a 50 mile cycle there, ds had a long kayak, I swam for 90 minutes, and then ds got in and swam with me. Really pleased with him as he'd been worried about face down in dark water. And no wetsuit! Which felt fabulous, though I was a bit cold when I got out. V thankful for dryrobe and flask!

Reallyneedmoresleep - all I can say is practice, practice, practice. Really consciously slow everything down, breathe out gently and it will all come together the more you do it.

Kimchi - again, I think its a matter of practice. Go to as many pools as possible

Had a not bad swim today, not much pain, breathing good. Still think I am trying too hard though - it's easier but it's harder at the same time, which makes zero sense, sorry, but it's true. Need to learn to really relax in water, but extremely tense seems to be my default state. Got an induction at the gym tomorrow. Going to ask official gym person to help me tone up my legs and arms and build some strength in them and shoulders, might give me some extra oomph in the water?

Kimchilala, have a look at the "swimming without stress" blog, read some of the articles..they are really helpful..they also have an FB page, and if you comment they usually reply..they are all about focusing on relaxing in the water, and that everything else will flow from that. You can do it!

I'd dropped off the thread too but have continued going. Been today for a lovely 30 minutes.

A new job is in the offing nowhere near a pool so I'm going to have to make the most of my lunchtime swims over the next month or two.

Am at CalTech. Swam in their pool last night. 60 lengths of 25 yards. Had NO clue how far that was until I got back and asked google to work it out!
It is HOT here. I ran early.