Swimming for fitness (part 4). Everyone welcome.

[TheOrigRightsofwomen]

Old thread here

Anyone interesting in swimming for fitness welcome here.
Newbies, experiences, the fast, the slow - we're all sharing, learning and most of all supporting each other.

We're tier2 but that doesn't seem to affect anything swimming wise, pools are still open.

Oh, that's good. I hadn't realised that. Thanks.

Hello all, long time lurker on this thread.
Am very lucky I can swim at my local gym whenever I want so I go 2-3 times a week, sometimes more.
My swim suits arent so happy.
Recommendations for flattering but sturdy swimsuits would be great, ideally something decent for my rather straight up and down body.
Needs to be online as local shops have really limited stock. TIA

tricky
Have a look at Decathlon ...

PS
Has everybody signed this ?
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/333869
Keep gyms and pools open no matter what happens with COVID

Appears the pools tend to close only at Tier 3; Stay open in Tier 2 at moment; worth knowing for planning.

lljkk
Yup, all gyms currently close at Tier 3
BUT
If you can find it, watch the footage of the armed police at the gym in Liverpool
so so funny

Hello,

I have just restarted swimming after a long break and have started to get some time back for myself (Have a 17 month old DD).
Iv been twice in last week probably all I shall be able to fit in at minute, but oh how i have missed it.

I got in to a good routine pre pregnancy and for some of pregnancy and would go 2/3 times a week and swim for an hour. Got in to good shape and felt fittest I had been in a long time.

Hoping to continue and swim for the mind but also get my body healthy again.

My pool is open at the minute but could well change..

Hope your pools all stay open and you can get slots. I’ve been lucky getting 5 sea swims in the last week and a pool swim. I don’t swim far in the sea it’s more for mental than physical health (still in my cossie so 17mins was my longest before too cold) but had a good 60L in the pool. The weather is looking more unsettled next week so don’t think I’ll get a opportunity to swim much in the sea if the high winds materialise as forecast.

I've discovered a bonus to having to book in advance- I go if I'm feeling lazy (we had friends over last night) as otherwise I'd lose £4.60.

My prescription goggles arrived today so excited to try them out tonight.

@dreamingofstars Really impressed that you're back in the pool after a mere 17 months; it took me seven years to get back to regular swimming after the birth of my DD! (I had been vaguely thinking of it after two or three years and then her brother arrived and put a stop to all that.) I hope for you and for all of us that the pools stay open.

I remember some swim-watch discussion a bit further up: was there a consensus? I am looking for a watch (or fitness tracker - not wholly sure about the difference) that will let me see laps while in the pool so I can think about the usual rubbish and not have to concentrate on counting quite so much. Does anybody have a Fitbit Charge 4 and happen to know if it does that? Or can anyone suggest a good alternative that doesn't cost absolutely loads?

@pearlsthatwerent it’s proving a bit tricky as OH works long hours/and weekends but managing to go on his day off so he can look after Dd and then early morn on his other day off (before I start work). 🤞 the pools remain open for us all/ for those that are shut I hope there open soon.

Our pool is currently book online only; but seem to have a lane to myself/ maybe sharing with one other person so quite fortunate.

I have seen quite a few people with these watches in the pool but not sure of which makes are best.. May be a potential Christmas present...

So, we are tier2 now, but not much has changed really. I couldn't take DS2 to Warner Bros studio tour, which had already been postponed from April, and we won't be going down to visit DS1 over 1/2 term, but school is open (thankfully) and so is the sports centre (just as thankfully!).

I swam today. LOTS of fast people in the fast lane so I got asked to move into the middle lane. I swim 1K in about 24mins so while I know I'm not that fast I'm usually OK in the fast lane and do have good etiquette.

Unfortunately some of the people in the busier middle lane did not know to wait at the end so I got stuck a few times.

I do love my tankini BUT the top is so, so hard to get off.

Hopefully Gyms and pools will stay open everywhere from now on.
The health benefits (mental and physical) significantly outweigh the risks.

Indoor pool at my gym closed at the moment but I got some sunshine yesterday

Prescription goggles were ok, strange to see better with goggles on. Trying them with a different size nose bridge this evening as they did pinch slightly after an hour.

Looks like we should escape Tier3 restrictions but the pools I go to and my club would be included but it looks like additional restrictions may not affect pools now anyhow.

Good news on the goggles tiz. I think I am going down that route soon, I need to wear my varifocals pretty much all the time now.
It's expensive this getting older lark.

I only need them because of covid. Normally, at my swimming club I can just ask someone what's on the board and leave 5 secs after the person in front so don't need to see the clock. Covid means we're all spread out, starting at different ends etc. so I need to be able to see to be independent!

Oh I see. I suppose it's nice to have had a very good reason for fork out, you've got them now and they sound good.

I love my prescription goggles. I first got a pair about 4 years ago and it was the first time I had ever been able to see under water. It makes the monotony of lanes much more interesting as you can see a lot more going on, although I didn't appreciate them the other day when the man in front of me had rather transparent swimmers.

It's taken almost 2 months for me to get back to the fitness level where I was in March, so I really hope that pools never close again. I think that it would be such a backwards step, given that the fitter you are, helps with most health outcomes, Covid or not.

Because of my pool times, I now swim at least one early (7:15am) and one late (9pm). My body swims so much better in the evening. I tend to be stiffer in the morning and it takes me a few more lengths before I feel limbered up and doing it more naturally, and it doesn't help that the lane tends to be a little faster either. Before Covid, I always swam in the evening, 7pm or 9pm and I found it a great de-stresser as well as easier on my body.

I also lost my confidence with my front crawl stroke. It's not my preferred stroke, and I have to force myself to try it. I've managed to better my breathing and now I'm trying to work on my arm pull and rotation. I'm on holiday this week and have finally had the guts to try a pull buoy in the pool here- it's quite different and I'm not sure if it's helping! I have found that I prefer it above my knees, but it makes me go a little faster which messes up my breathing a bit. Does anyone else use one? Any tips?

@TheOrigRightsofwomen - Did it bother you being asked to move. I was in pool today and I moved myself to middle lane. There was someone in fast lane slower than me who was clearly irritating faster swimmers. At one point one tried to overtake her and she veered out to block the overtake. I can't help but think it would have been better to ask her to move rather than overtake which I think can be aggressive. Depending on how it's done.

In our pool I think the real issue is people in the slow lane that can't swim at all. The forces the slow swimmers into the medium lane and the medium swimmers into the fast lane which irritates the really fast swimmers.

I regularly use a pull buoy profpoopsnagle I put it top of my thighs and find I speed up as my legs aren’t sinking and I can really work on arm pull technique. I love using a pull buoy.
Will miss my usual twice a week lane swim due to half term and the weather is awful for sea swimming too this week. I tried twice to go today but it was too rough and the forecast is it’s only going to get worse this week in the SW.

Is anyone still open water swimming??? We usually stop mid-September but we've kept it up and going to fir as long as we can!! Lakes are currently around 10 degrees

[quote jewel1968]@TheOrigRightsofwomen - Did it bother you being asked to move. I was in pool today and I moved myself to middle lane. There was someone in fast lane slower than me who was clearly irritating faster swimmers. At one point one tried to overtake her and she veered out to block the overtake. I can't help but think it would have been better to ask her to move rather than overtake which I think can be aggressive. Depending on how it's done.

In our pool I think the real issue is people in the slow lane that can't swim at all. The forces the slow swimmers into the medium lane and the medium swimmers into the fast lane which irritates the really fast swimmers.[/quote]
No it didn't bother me being asked to move; it was quite reasonable. I did feel a little embarrassed of course. I did get frustrated in the middle lane though, because I couldn't just lose myself in my swim, I had to be really aware of speeds etc. They're doing their best.

Covid-safe rules don't allow for overtaking. I hope a life guard had a word.

I agree, 4 lanes would be good. Sometimes our slow lane is pretty empty and I think I could just go up and down really close to the edge without bothering anyone.

@TriSeaSwim99

I regularly use a pull buoy profpoopsnagle I put it top of my thighs and find I speed up as my legs aren’t sinking and I can really work on arm pull technique. I love using a pull buoy. Will miss my usual twice a week lane swim due to half term and the weather is awful for sea swimming too this week. I tried twice to go today but it was too rough and the forecast is it’s only going to get worse this week in the SW.

A pull buoy is part of my swim session. 4 length with and 4 lengths w/o.

I started using it to help me get my hips in a better position in the water. Also as a runner I like my swim to work my upper body more than my legs.

I have no idea about my pull and reach; I image I am doing it all wrong!

I put mine above my knees.

Yes still sea swimming here hope to keep going as long as possible FrangipaniWHOOOOO I went this 7am morning the sea temp is warmer than the air temp but a very strong on shore wind made it more of a bob/wave jump n shriek than much swimming