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.

Ooh I have never even considered counting how many strokes I do per length. Will get counting next time I swim (which may well be next week 🙁).

Wow - I take 22-23 strokes of breaststroke or crawl for 25m, but could probably manage it in fewer. I know my crawl will never get that good as my arms don't rotate like they should, but I thought the breast stroke was reasonable.

I'm hoping I can squeeze in a swim on Sunday afternoon, otherwise Monday.

We dont do 5 normally, its just a drill we do occassionally in a lesson, usually 4 lengths.

According to swimtag I do 16.7 strokes per 25m.
I suppose it would give me something to do count & try to minimise them.
Problem is, I have been timing myself in the pool & I am slower than Swimtag says I am. Only lIke 3-7 seconds a length, but those add up.
So I don't know if I trust Swimtag stroke count, now, either.

I got in a half hr this morning whilst DD at dance class. I counted my normal breast stroke was 10-11 per length but I couldn't get it under 9 strokes per length. It was a really good exercise though to clear my mind and focus on technique. Thanks for recommending it. I also did some FC drills with pull boy float and then tried out a length of 4strokes per breath which felt great but I was out of breath at the end.

My pool has changed schedule, boohoo, removed the lanes noontime session on weekend days (bugger). They have been constantly tinkering with schedule for months, but gave no warning about a change as big as this. One guy was having a right tirade at staff about it. Thing is, it's a big gym chain so it's not the fault of local staff.

They also moved my weekday evening session (really busy!) an hour later & reduced to 2 lanes which will be carnage. Irk. The changes are a pain b/c I'm working long hours right now, I want to be heading to bed or I am commuting during the times of now offered weekday sessions. I guess I'll see how things go. Pffft.

Hope you can still find a time to swim lljkk

I got a nice half hr in tonight just 2 of us in the lane and I managed one length of breaststroke in 8 strokes I'm liking the challenge it calms my anxiety down counting strokes when I first get in the pool now.

Really annoying lljjk. I'd be pretty stuck if they were to change my sessions so sympathise with you. Hope you can find a way round it and keep swimming. Well done, Ski.

I did 2km in the fast lane today. Managed it in just under 39mins.

Very impressed with the low stroke rates on here! Lake tonight, river Thursday, lake Sunday, and probably lido Saturday life is good!

Managed the odd 12 or 13 stroke length today, so happy with that. Having a bit of bother with my feet though - prolonging the glide (and still not being used to the feeling of that) I feel a bit unstable towards the end (as if I could almost roll over) which makes me feel like I need to wiggle my feet (very bizarre..a bit like restless leg syndrome!) towards the end of the glide to counteract the wobbliness...not sure what I'm doing wrong there! If anyone has any ideas? I don't want any more bad swimming habits!

You prob need a swim teacher to advise fatgirl our pool does "into swim fit" sessons which are public lanes with a swim teacher on hand for help and advice. YouTube is also good to watch technique. I have strong legs and point them when gliding and I read your lungs with air will slow you down lots so I've been focusing on really exhaling. My sis was ex-county swimmer and could easily do length under the water and looked like she was barely swimming but was fast.

Sounds good CMOT it's great when life goes well. I've been using my swims to "destress" a sh*t couple of work weeks so focusing on my glide has been really therapeutic and I'm running outside the pool to clear the grrrrrr

Thanks Ski. I did some googling and found a few things that explained it. Can't remember right now what they said though. That's old age for you.

Sorry, not been on for ages...

I have the Henley Mile on Sunday, and I am trying not to lose my cool.

Have been plodding along in the lake, couple of outings to the Thames, facing my demons and failing mostly, but we get there... at least its a river, i can go with the flow and get to the end even if I look like a lilo.

The lovely boyf and i took advantage of a free masters lane at our local 50m pool last night. it was the first time either of us had ever been in a pool that big, and we were swimming with a couple of the very best in our Masters team (who were lovely!)

OMG, it's a long way! the 2 of us were the good news is that 2 lengths and you have done 100m! the distance really ramps up and it means that you have to get into a good and sustainable stroke to get through it. At the end I was doing my attempt at what the elites were doing, sprint for 25m and easy for the remainder. I feel I got a lot out of that session and it was a fabulous experience. Can't wait for the next one!

Masters sessions otherwise are going well, am bettering my performance and enjoying myself much more. while the lovely boyf may be better than me in the lake (and in a wetsuit, I'm in skins now), I still rule the pool.

When you count stroke, I think you count both arms, I'm not sure swimtag does this, or swim watches tbh either.

My 25m is about 20 strokes, 21/22 if I speed up.

I feel a bit unstable towards the end (as if I could almost roll over) which makes me feel like I need to wiggle my feet

you are over-rotating. You need to hold yourself more with the core.

Front crawl, face down:
Imagine a laser line pointing straight down from the abdomen to the bottom of the pool as you are face down.

The laser line is pointing at 6 0'clock position.

Don't look to rotate any more than moving the laser pointer any more than between 25 past and 25 minutes too on the clock

Your head and neck should be relaxed and your face/mouth should not lift but turn and only so that your eyes can see the lane rope, no higher.

I'm still around. Didn't swim at all last week (work, travel, kids etc) and I haven't been this week either.

Open water 750m 'race' this w/e! I say 'race' as I'm not really racing it. It's my first ever swim comp so it's simply a personal challenge for me.

Thought I had another (4th!) stress fracture in my foot so had a couple of days of panic, but it's OK.

Ooh! Where are you racing?

That was a more sensible first event than mine! Will be thinking of you!! Good luck, you'll be fine!!

Oooooh have just discovered this thread! Will have a proper read through later.

I've recently got back into regular length swimming (2-4x/week, 1000-2000m usually). 100m pace just under 2 min and slowly improving. My pool does swimtag and I love the challenges.

Grafham Water.

What was your first event Hissy?

Ship [pouts] I want swimtag!

I'm doing the Henley Mile this Sunday.

First ever OWS event

And I'm not actually loving OWS just yet

I do prefer rivers, it must be said, but will be in the lake later today... last bit of practice before Sunday

No masters on Thursday to keep me topped up either

I'm very jealous Hissy as I'd have loved to have done the Henley mile - I've rowed down that bit of river in my youth and its so beautiful. But it starts rather early to drive down

Just back from my second session with the tri club, didn't come out if it so confident this time! Found it much harder, don't know if that's because I haven't been able to swim very much in the lasts two weeks or if the first session was a fluke! I'm so slow! And it was exhausting from the start this time. Will go again next week, keep plugging on till I get better.

(due to awkward schedule changes) I went to 6:30am swim this morning. zzzzzz... but I swam really fast & it's a beautiful morning. So all good. :) Off to work soon.

they have the Club to Pub... 1.5k CMOTDibbler

henleyswim.com/events/club-to-pub/

400m upsteam, the remainder downstream

Igottastartthinkingbee

My masters group is/was like this - it is so daunting at first, but the only way you will get better is to swim better.... and that hurts to begin with.

stick at it!