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Original poster

Swimming for fitness (part 2). Jump in!

999 replies

rightsofwomen · 15/03/2017 09:05

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

Everyone welcome.

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13
Shopgirl1 · 24/04/2017 16:59

Thanks for all the welcomes everyone!

SingingAvocado, masters as i understand it is when groups of pretty good swimmers meet to train together. You need to be pretty fast to keep up.

FacelikeaBagofHammers I'm in South Dublin too, Rathmines direction. Which club are you with? I'm doing lessons in TCD at the moment, planning on doing their lane training but a bit worried as my breaststroke is woeful and they want people to be able to do 200m at least of that and front and back crawl and 50m butterfly, I can do all the others, but my breaststroke has no power. Maybe I'll get some individual lessons.
Thanks for the open water link, that's exactly what I want to aim for, it must be amazing.

I did 30 minutes in the pool today at lunchtime, managed about 800m, lots of drills so that slowed me down, but lots of front crawl too. So happy with my breathing doing that now, my goal last year was to master that and I did it.

What do you all use to count laps? I've found I lose count quite a bit.

Hissy that sounds like an amazing session. I've been looking at TI videos on YouTube, looks interesting, might look into it.

Looking forward to keeping up with everyone, or trying to!

allegretto · 24/04/2017 17:01

Hello all. I went back for my first lesson in 2 weeks today and it was great. I don't know why I didn't have lessons years ago - I have been swimming all wrong! Grin I really need to start to go more often to see improvement though.

allegretto · 24/04/2017 17:01

Welcome Shopgirl1!

Original poster
rightsofwomen · 24/04/2017 21:04

Loads of us here now!
We can have our own cult MN synchronised swimming team!

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Blumkin · 24/04/2017 21:34

Does anyone here use swimming gloves (for breaststoke) ? I'd love to tone up my arms a bit more, and apparently the webbed bits increase resistance and will give my arms more of a workout.

Shopgirl1 · 24/04/2017 21:37

Has anyone tried this MP3 player? Seems to get good reviews.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01AUQ162E/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A3SNSYFI57YDK0&psc=1&tag=mumsnetforum-21

bruffin · 24/04/2017 21:49

I have a cheap £15 one you get from ebay which is fine.

CMOTDibbler · 24/04/2017 21:53

Blumkin - not for breaststroke, but I do use them for part of my swim in freestyle. I have the AquaSphere ones and you def feel the difference

Blumkin · 24/04/2017 22:04

CMOT thanks, my freestyle is pathetically weak, hence I stick to breaststroke. I think I'll just get some online - they aren't hideously expensive.

Hissy · 24/04/2017 22:08

Blumkin, sounds like a bit of technique tune up would help your freestyle, have you got access to coached sessions?

Hissy · 24/04/2017 22:43

Take care with the hand paddles etc, they can place a lot of strain on your shoulders.

In other news.. I'm in a masters group!

I'm by far the worst swimmer in the squad... but I have something to aim for now and I'll work bloody hard to get better to be more like them. Better perhaps... that'll surprise them..

Pull buoys... he made me try one. I lasted 1 minute, I can't do them at all, they strain my back

Hissy · 24/04/2017 22:45

Blumkin how is your backstroke? That's good for the arms too, is giving me lovely definition on my shoulders

Blumkin · 24/04/2017 22:59

Hissy - sadly lessons are not within my budget.

Back stroke is my second favourite stroke so at the moment I'm doing about 5-6 lengths breaststroke, then switching to backstroke for 1-2.

I'll go gently with the paddles, just start off with trying them for 1 length and see how i feel, then next session do 2, etc.

Congrats on joining your masters group, just the name 'masters' makes it sound very impressive Wink and I'm in awe

Hissy · 24/04/2017 23:12

rights enjoy!

Shopgirl1 · 25/04/2017 07:09

Hissy keep trying with the pullbuoy, I found them awful at first, but love them now, can really focus on catch and pull.

Shopgirl1 · 25/04/2017 07:09

However I've been doing backstroke arms with one and that I find very tough.

Original poster
rightsofwomen · 25/04/2017 11:21

Hissy Thank you! That is exactly what I had in mind.

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Original poster
rightsofwomen · 25/04/2017 11:23

I have never had a problem with a pull buoy, makes me wonder whether I'm not using it right. I just grip it between my thighs.

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Original poster
rightsofwomen · 25/04/2017 11:23

Mind you, I have no idea what catch and pull is!

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Igottastartthinkingbee · 25/04/2017 12:07

blumkin I go to a drop in session for adult improver lessons at my local pool. Could you see if there's something like that near you? Even one or two lessons can really help.

Anyone got any stretching tips to share? I asked a page or so ago, don't know if it got missed with all the newcomers! I never see anyone stretching before or after swimming mind so am I barking up the wrong tree?? Do people just not stretch for swimming??

rights I think the catch is when your hand is right out in front of you 'catching onto the water' and the pull when you bring you hand back to your body?

Hissy · 25/04/2017 12:13

My issue with the pull buoy is that I have no idea what it's for...

I float (naturally ahem buoyant) and my legs are high in the water. My Total Immersion has improved this further, to use a pull buoy means i hurt my back. My TI coach has suggested I ask questions as to what the pull buoy's purpose is. but he is a bit of a stirrer up of traditional coaches... I managed a metre with one on Sunday and just left it in the water.. Dave said nuffink Wink

Blumkin, sometimes the pools have open sessions but with coaches on hand, costs no more than a regular lane session.

shopgirl what makes this hard? position or just pulling through the water? if you are doing backstroke you need to focus on holding your legs shallow with your core muscles. personally I use back stroke to get some good leg kicking going as my front crawl doesn't use the legs too much.

rights
this is a vid that my TI coach posted, the catch is where your hand holds the water, the pull is where your hand and arm pushes the water back

Here is another vid from the ZerotoMile FB group i'm on :

Hissy · 25/04/2017 12:15

Igotta they were all stretching at the session on Sunday and thursday for that matter, arm stretches and leg stretches, have no idea if it makes any difference, but sense tells me it ought to...

Hissy · 25/04/2017 12:16

rights my coach on sunday said to imagine front crawl stroke is like rock climbing, gentle hold of the rock face and pull yourself

CMOTDibbler · 25/04/2017 12:17

I talked to my coach about the pullbuoy as I don't feel very different with it and she said that if you have a flat body position anyway you won't feel anything - if you have sinky legs it helps reinforce the right position (I make my ds use it to try and help him with that). What I do find it helps me with is thinking about turning from my core.

Catch and pull is the first parts of what your hand/forearm does in the water - you catch a handful (well, its really an armful) of water by the initial rotation and then pull that back. I personally find it easier to think about pulling myself over the water (mental picture is water on top of mud, so I need to keep flat and high to stay out of the mud and my hand just dips into the mud and I slide past it)

Original poster
rightsofwomen · 25/04/2017 12:59

Cool....thanks.

I can see why the pull buoy helps me then as I certainly did not have the right position in the water. As soon as I started using it I felt my hips rise and my upper body go a bit lower and help me get my head right down.
It also helps me to be less splashy with my legs.
It also helped me get the hand of bilateral breathing as it gives me that extra bit of buoyancy.

Turning my core??? What's all that then?..... running is not this complicated

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