Swimming for fitness (part 4). Everyone welcome.

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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.

Yum!

My post swim ritual is a cuppa tea and a bag of salt and sweet popcorn - not sure why, but that’s my go to 😊

Other half has avocado and Worcestershire sauce

Our entire squad each have their own way of coming down after training waiting until the endorphins wear off and we can sleep!

I go for a poached egg on potato rostis after a morning swim

Can I join please? I started swimming last November and could barely do a length, but kept at it and can now swim a kilometre, sometimes a bit more. I try to do this 3 times a week.

However, about three weeks ago I put my back out hauling bags of rock out of my garden and taking them to the tip, and have been in a lot of pain ever since. I've been trying to keep up the swimming - checked with a swimming teacher who said it was a good idea and would help - and I managed 1.5k last week and 2k so far this week.

Woke up this morning in agony again and can barely move. Do I need to knock the swimming on the head till my back is fully recovered? I really don't want to, find it soooo hard to get back into after a break, and school holidays are looming, which is going to make keeping it up difficult anyway. Or do I just do less - maybe 500m each time? Any advice gratefully received!

Get yourself to a physio. They will find out what’s what and they may be able to fix the back

Swimming IS a good exercise BUT sone strokes can exacerbate some injuries

What stroke are you doing this 1.5/2k per week?

Breaststroke- if done in certain way - can really strain the back. If you’re breathing into the water as opposed to head up, your body position will be streamlined and that should alleviate strain on the body. Backstroke - or alternating front and back might be better than say breaststroke- especially if legs are lower in the water, and more so if in addition the head is up.

See what the physio says, explain what exercise you do and see what they say.

You will be able to get past this, but your body is telling you that something needs help, so it’s important to listen and fix this

Oh and a massive well done for the persistence! I stated swimming 4 years ago, couldn’t swim a length either, now my warm up is 1000 - 1200m and training sessions top 3k 2 - 3 times a week. It sounds a lot and a big jump, and it does take work and dedication but it’s so worth it!

Enjoy yourself and see how far you progress! Welcome! Good to have you here!

Thank you, MzHz! I've actually got an appointment to see a physio this evening, hopefully it will help.

I normally do backstroke actually, it's not my fastest stroke but it's the one I can sustain the longest.

That used to be my recovery stroke... until I got better at it, now my coach says it’s my 2nd stroke so gives me all manner of work to do to be better at it.. ok so I can breath, but it’s now a lot more hard work!

Good luck at the physio! Fabulous that you’re going so quickly- let us know how you get on?

Hope you can get some help with your back GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal painful backs are miserable, I’ve suffered a few times over the years with Discs that like to bulge and take 6-12mths to re-absorb. Swimming does aggregate my back sometimes depends on the stroke like MzHz advised. Cycling helped once when I was unable to walk properly but the second time I couldn’t ride the bike but I could walk. So do get it checked out.

No swimming training for me tonight sadly, as I’ve really enjoyed the ladies sessions. I’ve aggravated a niggly hip flexor so resting ahead of a Tri at the weekend.

Physio was lovely and informs me that my two little darlings have left me with very separated stomach muscles, which is part of the reason for my back - I need to strengthen my core and work on getting them back together again. She's given me some exercises to do and I'm going back next week.

Onwards and upwards! Or inwards, for my stomach muscles.

That’s brilliant news so yes, exercises and core exercises!

Swimming will help strengthen the core, if you’re backstroking, you need to engage your core in this too, so not rotating from the shoulders, rotate from the core/hips and the shoulders will rotate as a result, otherwise you can twist your back etc

Backstroke drill - hands by your side kick 3 to the left, 3 to the centre and 3 to the right while turning from the core/hips

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

Thanks MzHz, I'll give that a go!

Reading this thread is helping me get my mojo back...taught myself to swim last year & then took part in the Aspire Channel sponsored swim. Have just pootled since & need a goal. Any ideas anyone? Any challenges I could do?

Hope you can work on that core now you have an idea of what may be causing an issue GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal Pilates has really helped me with my weak core post babies and then when I forget again I went back last winter and it’s helping again.
I don’t really do separate swim challenges despondentatwork but I am doing my 1st Sprint Tri at the weekend and ironically after stressing hugely about the swim part when I did a Go-Tri last year this year I’m feeling much calmer about it, just hoping I can control the nerves and my breathing in the first few lengths.

I had a practice run today in my Tri-suit n bra combo by cycling 5mins to the pool, a swift 400m Swim then straight out and cycled home but oh my it was cold brrr I got chilled just on that short bit I may need to re-think my top layer t-shirt if it’s this temp on Sunday and try a jacket.

Good luck with the tri today TriSkiRun99

Still struggling to get to more than two sessions a week at the moment. I really need to do at least three sessions to see any improvements.

Thanks tizwozliz I did it! But my swim was awful, the anti turbulence lane things weren’t up it was just rope so it was like swimming in a choppy sea and I just panicked most of my way through the swim Arrh... but got the overall best Tri time I thought I could

Sounds like the pool swim was good practice for openwater

Yeah I’m not a fan of wavy chop tiz. But my DD and I did go for a sea dip tonight as my youngest DD was at her club we went with the paddle board but it looked to choppy for that so we had a bob n jump around abit in the sea before a yum hot chocolate on the beach. Annoying really as it had been really calm sea earlier but the wind picked out of nowhere even DH cycling home said it was really tough headwind not on the weather forecast! But I feel incredibly blessed to have the sea on my doorstop when the weather is this nice.

I took a nose full on Sunday because of a bit of chop in the pool! Have to say snorting the pool is worse than swallowing it.

Tri, you did amazing! Well done!

Great to hear about everyone’s swimming. I have a carnival this weekend as I’m swimming in the State Masters. I’ve posted a couple of ambitious times and I’m now bricking it. My pool skills aren’t the sharpest as i’m an ocean swimmer really. I’m worried about messing up the turns. Off to training tonight and hoping I can pull it out of the bag at the last minute.

I’ve just checked the programme and the oldest competitor is a 95 year old man. He’s swimming 100m free. Much respect to him. I’m sure he’ll get a standing ovation when he finishes.

Ah! That’s amazing corrigan! Good luck to you, good luck to him

Absolutely get on those turns, they make a massive difference to times! What distance are you swimming?

Our club wants us Masters to compete in their club champs. I am SO not ready!

Although I’ve been working on a new fc stroke and once it’s bedded in will take a good 10s off my 100m time

Got any hints n tips to improve FC? I’ve been tweaking the angle of my arm under water which has helped me and trying to visualise my bum floating which has tipped me forward in theory streamlining me more?

Good luck at your masters corrigan

I’ve got a busy afternoon on the first day: 100m free, 200m breast, 200m free and 100m back. I think i’m also doing a relay. On the 2nd day i’m doing 100m breast and 50m free, a 4x100 free relay and a medley relay.

My backstroke turn and breast stroke break-out are causing me the most worry. I thought I’d have a crack at the 200m breast as I have a chance of getting a medal in my category as there are only about 6 women my age swimming it! It may well be the death of me though.

MzHz just have a go at it, that’s what I did last year. I swam in the Aussie Masters Nationals and it was my first pool carnival since Year 6 at school! It really inclusive, i’ve never been made to feel not good enough, I just put that on myself.

Breast stroke used to be my stroke as a kid, but I don't get enough practice these days - I think i'd struggle to do 200 at any sort of speed.

My biggest worry was remembering to do fly after diving in for the IM, i was worried I'd go into automatic pilot and swim FC.

I'm sure you'll do fine though CorrigansDoorKnob

Managed 1400 tonight. I’m so slow though. Ok, my right shoulder doesn’t function properly so I do a kind of one arm crawl, one arm doggy paddle style thing but I should still be a bit faster than the two women swimming head up breaststroke and talking non stop.