Swimming for fitness (part 3). Dive in!

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Ohh la la....2nd thread filled up. Hopefully this Subject line will make it easy enough to find.

Everyone welcome.

Ive picked up quite abit from you tube vids scaredpad but my oldest DD swims 3-4x a week with a club and she’s good observer so I asked her to watch me. She’s spotted my head angle that the coach hadn’t and I felt it make difference straight away I put it into pratice at the weekend as I did a pool based Tri and was 5th in the swim in my cat massive improvement on being nearly last 6mths ago so I’m really pleased swimming consistently over the winter has really paid off .

Swimming solo - I do like a nice quiet pool. The ladies who swim in the sea solo near me I’ve noticed tow a floating thing behind them is that an option? It’s a marker & a cling to float if u get cramp.

Enjoying hearing about everyone's swims. I tried out a new squad last week. I really rate squad training as its great to have some company and doing intervals is the best way to improve fitness imo. Only this squad was something else... turns out there are a lot of ex state champs and even an couple of ex-Olympians. I was by far the slowest there and managed to cling on for dear life. Apparently the evening crew are a bit less elite, so I might join that one instead.

Hats off to you for turning up and getting in the pool corrigans! Hope the evening crowd is better paced I wouldn’t have gone through the door being too intimidated.

I had good quiet swim last night only shared the lane with one other lady so it was very civilised

Can I join you all please?

Recently back into swimming. First couple of weeks nearly killed me but I'm up to 1000-1500m now with ease. However, it's all breaststroke only and I don't think my fitness will improve!

How do I move my technique to front crawl to pick up some speed and fitness?!

Well done looking! I'm only up to 1k so far!

Hello looking
Everyone welcome in the MN pool (just no lane hogging please!).
Your fitness already has improved if you are finding it easier to swim than you were 2 weeks ago. Well done.
I think any exercise will improve your fitness, but I know what you mean, BS can be less strenuous than FC.

I am afraid I can't advise on how to learn how to FC. Could you have a few 1-1 lessons?

I have not swum for ages, but am going TODAY. So there.
My babysitter older son comes back from Uni soon so I'll be able to get out early morning or late evening if he's around.

I've definitely improved! I didn't use to be able to comfortably do 1k. Now that's what I set to do - I've gone from 40mins to 36.... still not fast but it shows I must be getting a bit fitter!

Hoorah! She swims.
Felt so good to get back into it. 1K 25mins.
My regular swim hat got torn, its replacement has been sent with my younger son for school swim lessons, leaving me with the crappy swimathon one which pops off my head. It's a trial I tell you.

Gonna get a Wonderwoman one I think.

Must feel good to be back in water, rights. Enjoy the hat shopping!

Yay! I managed to get to the pool before work today for the first time since last summer. It felt great- I got the endorphin rush and rode on it all day and got loads done.
But, my butt hurts, the muscle in my left buttock (glute or pirifomis, I'm not sure) and it hurts a lot. I swim regularly so I'm not sure if swimming has caused it but I'm so fed up, I only just got rid of similar pain on the right side after two years of pain and then one day an acupuncture needle went in and pinged our and the pain disappeared with the needle. So off to the physio I go again. But I'm going to carry on swimming despite the pain and hope it's not connected.

Have you tried the pigeon pose or piroformus stretch lying on your back nora ? I suffer a lot with it so stretch nearly every day to keep issues in check. Hope Physio can help.

I was really tired this morning and almost skipped the swim but thought I'd just go and enjoy a few lengths, it doesn't matter how many I do. And then did my usual amount! It was so lovely I had a lane to myself to begin with. I still get anxious about lane etiquette as it fills up though.

I'm tired now but in an achey way and feel so much better for the swim.

There was a much older woman getting changed near me and her body was amazing! I tried not to look but her face looked older but her body was great. I am currently about double her size (!!) But I thought it's worth keeping this up if I can look and swim like her in older age!!

@SkiGirl007 I just tried pigeon pose, that is a good stretch. I'll do it daily, thanks. The piriformis stretch on my back seems not to help though.
My butt is still sore today, I think it was lawn mowing that did it, that or strumming, not swimming. But it hurt too much to swim today despite having time :(

That pose did the trick! My pain is much relieved. But I rested today and let my back heal. I'll be back in the pool tomorrow.

So I've had time to do stuff I've been meaning to do for a while- one of them is new goggles. I've been using selenes for the last year and the right eye seems to start leaking after about six months. So I've got through two pairs in the last year, both going on the right eye seal. I'm looking for new goggles ideas, not Kayenne they give me panda rings, good quality women's goggles for pool swimming.

I've tried a google search but the reviews are too biased. I want real women's views on the best gogs for under £30 (ideally less).

I never heard of Selene before. Blurb says "Specifically designed to fit a woman's face in a smaller fit." I have a big face, bloke goggles all the way for me. Zoggs Predator Flex are working right now.

What about another type of Aquaspheres? DS has some women's fit ones that work perfectly for him (he's only 5'3" tall).

My swim membership card has gone missing. Weanh!

I'm gonna google predator flex ta.

Glad the stretch may have helped abit. nora I got told by my GP (who also did the acupuncture massive needle in my bum thing) that 10% have their sciatic nerve going through or linked up with the muscle so when it gets tight they suffer with pain which can be relived when the muscle is released. I have to stretch a lot or end up in agony with it sometimes & I can get pins/needles in my foot if muscles are too tight - happened this morn after cycling yesterday.

Just had a swim session with coach my last one of the set. We did a few arm drills and I actually started bilaterally breathing which i was pleased with. I need to keep it going now the lessons have finished!

I don’t cut the grass either as it always sets it off so I leave it to DH.

I love my Engine weapon goggles Flaming. I used the smallest nose piece and they fit well. A quick google tells me they’re about 20GBP in the UK. I’ve also tried the Predator Flex and they feel good too. My other top tip is to buy a goggle case and use it. Keeps them going for longer.

I braved the evening session with the squad and they were loads more normal! Apparently I could have used fins and/or missed repeats in the morning session to keep up.

See, those Engine ones wouldn't work for me (I suspect) b/c they don't have individual adjustment for each eye. I seem to need that or I get leaks. Plus the Engines just seem to have one simple clasp at back... that can easily loosen up? If I can pull the goggles to loosen them, they won't do. Also, I seem to need a large eye covering (these goggles like elite-skin with dainty little eye covering just don't work for me). Am slowly figuring out my needs. Wish it wasn't a torturous process.

I am slightly pathological in inability to swim with any leak. My boys can do it, but I can't tolerate leak.

I don't understand what you mean about individual adjustment for each eye?

I have just bought some womens zoggs fusion air which work well for me, but it's a real individual thing

individual adjustment = On side of each eye-cup, when you can tight it right there at the corner. So there are two places to tighten up, and in some designs the the strap can be tighter on left side than right side, maybe. For asymmetrical faces?

zoggs fusion air -- just one place to tighten at back. It looks like all you do to loosen it off is pull at the straps. That type always slip to being too loose on me.

Aquasphere Vista: can tighten in two places, on sides of each eyecup. You have to slip or push something to get it to loosen, cannot just pull at the strap to loosen. The Aquasphere tightening clasp is super clever (to use and reliable), and they 'look' cool. I wish I could get good fit out of Aquaspheres.

Other people have trouble with fitting goggles over the nose, I'm fine there, phew.

Ah, OH has those goggles pictured above but never noticed any adjustment, not quite sure how it works will have to take a look. I generally don't get on with any one piece goggles like that with a fixed nose bridge.

Have you tried the complete opposite very minimal googles “Swedish” ones only have string my sister (ex-county swimmer) loves them but I couldn’t get on with them.