Swimming to get fit and I need tips.

[Tusktusk]

Here is what I want to know, as a person who can stay afloat and travel slowly through water but I have zero technique.

1. Are there any YouTube videos you can recommend for tips on technique? Everything I’ve seen seems to be for people who already swim reasonably well. I’d like to progress from total basic breaststroke with head above water!
2. When and how often do you swim?
3. How do you look after your hair? What hairstyle do you have? Do you use expensive shampoos? Are you constantly drying and styling your hair?
4. Do you have specific workouts you follow or do you just do lots and lots of lengths?
5. How do you keep water out of your nose when doing proper swimming?
6. Do you do other forms of exercise to keep fit too?
7. Are classes like aqua combat any good?

Thanks if you can be bothered to answer any of these!

1. I'd definitely recommend some lessons/sessions with a swim coach.
2. I swim in the mornings because I can never be arsed in the evenings. Don't discount lane swimming sessions - the slow lane will usually be a really wide lane so no-one gets in each others way and you won't be holding anyone up because everyone will generally be doing heads up breaststroke too
3. I wear a swimming cap although I'm doing frontcrawl but would recommend even if you don't plan on getting head wet!
4. I have paddles, fins and kickboards but that's because I like to break up the monotony with drills. If you get lesson/swim coach session, they will be able to suggest drills to do.
5. You can get nose clips but just breathe in through your mouth and out through nose/mouth and you'll be fine.
6. I do crossfit. Although I'm swimming so much at the moment I struggle to find the time.
7. I've done these years ago and generally the music is brilliant and the classes are loads of fun.

1. It's worth having a few 1:1s with a swim coach, or joining a social swim or run/triathlon club which has beginner swimming section.
2. I go through phases. I'm an evening swimmer. I prefer lidos/outdoor pools because I'm quite sensitive to chlorine and they are less intensely chemically. When I used to swim indoors, my pool used to have some lanes open during the aqua-aerobics class. I used to like going then, even though they made the water a bit choppy, as the lanes would usually be empty and you got terrible 90s/00s disco music to swim to! In the summer, I like open water swimming and am a member of a local lake.
3. I have very long thick hair. I french plait it into one or two plaits and then flip the plait/s over my head and put it in a swim cap. I can't get it in otherwise, I need the plaits to constrain it down first. I tend to shower choice (because of the chlorine sensitivity), so I do a wash/chlorine removing scrub only at the pool, and then have a proper shower and hair wash and condition at home. It's a faff, but if I swim indoors I have to do this or I wake up feeling like death the next day.
4. I have all the bits from when I used to go to tri club swimming sessions, but to be honest on my own I prefer to just thrash up and down. They are helpful for improving your technique and stroke when under instruction though. Sometimes I make myself a little mini-session in the middle with a warm up and cool down - something like 5 or 6 x 200m off 30-45secs would be my go-to. A traditional club session would have a warm up, a drills section, a main session and then a cool down.
5. I've never had a particular problem with nose water to be honest save for when I tumble turn - so I don't bother tumbling and just hand-turn! I don't really get on with my nose breathing being restricted - also don't get on with snorkel masks for this reason, make me panic a bit.
6. I run.
7. I've never done any of the classes, I just like swimming at the same time hahaha! They seem to be mainly middle aged women but those who go are real stalwarts and seem to love it!

I'm not good enough to give technical or training tips, but in terms of hair care, I apply Aquaguard before getting in the pool, have a quick rinse after, then use any shampoo and a deep conditioner when I get home. I swim for an hour twice a week.

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1. Echo what pps have said about a few 1:1 lessons being a good idea. I sometimes look at YouTube for tips on particular points, but that's building on basic technique that I learned as a kid.

1. I swim a couple of times a week for fitness. I go in the middle of the day, because I have off peak membership at my local gym (I'm retired).

1. I have short hair and shampoo it with whatever is available. I wear a swim hat because I don't like that feeling of even short hair floating about the pool. But it doesn't keep my hair dry. Goggles are also a must.

1. I only do 20 lengths per session ( I get bored quickly) , but that still makes a difference for me. I do mostly front crawl with a bit of breaststroke and backstroke for variety.

1. You keep water out of your nose by continually breathing out whenever your face is in the water. It's something I learned at a young age and is now second nature.

1. Pilates

1. No idea, but it sounds fun!

1. I would book F2F with a coach for some technique lessons.
2. I swim every weekday, at lunchtimes.
3. I have a fringe, so what I do is wash and condition my hair with swimming specific products (aqua guard or triswim are good), then I spray in leave in conditioner and just dry and style the fringe then put the rest in a bun.
4. I like to swim slow and steady, for distance. I usually swim about 2kms each day?
5. I’ve never found it a problem tbh. I don’t tumble turn!
6. Not currently - am recovering from injury. I do like Zumba and body pump.
7. no idea!

Sorry, no idea what happened with the numbers in my PP, too late to edit now....

Swim hat definitely needed to stop hair plastering your face when it goes in the water, some goggles you feel comfortable in. This can take some time as not all goggles suit all faces but it was a game changer for me. Get comfortable putting your face in the water, i taught myself to swim front crawl in my mid-40s after sitting pool side watching my kids learn. I could breaststroke but was uncomfortable putting my face in. I also use ear plugs as I don’t like water in my ears.

Borrow or buy a kick float. Try kicking and practicing putting your face in-the water and breathing out under the water. It takes time and repetition to nail this m. Kids spend months and months doing this in lessons but as adults we think we can just learn it quickly, but it can take time to re-wire learning it. Practice push and glide with head in away from the wall. Then try doing a push n glide and add in a breaststroke kick still under the water. This gets you used to that glide feeling head immersed. Lots hints n tips on you tube. I like the Effortless Swimming Channel but this is just amazing

This may help as often you know what you should be doing but can’t spot when you haven’t quite got it right

Are there any YouTube videos you can recommend for tips on technique?

I've seen some good ones, but I haven't kept links to them, sadly. I'd also recommend having some one-to-one lessons with an instructor. Don't let anyone teach you crawl breathing on every fourth stroke - it's much, much easier and better to breathe on every third.

When and how often do you swim?

Every day, if I'm in staying in a location where this is possible.

How do you look after your hair? What hairstyle do you have? Do you use expensive shampoos? Are you constantly drying and styling your hair?

I don't bother doing anything special; I don't even use conditioner. I have shortish, naturally curly hair. I wash my hair and let it dry naturally. It looks fine - I think maybe I'm just lucky. I sometimes wear a hat, but I have phases of getting fed up of the hat, and just putting clips in my hair instead, to keep it out of my eyes. Swimming hats don't keep your hair dry, but I think they probably stop it getting absolutely drenched with chlorine.

Do you have specific workouts you follow or do you just do lots and lots of lengths?

I mostly do lots of lengths, but I do different strokes in each session, unless I'm swimming in the sea, where I do only breaststroke with my head out (I've never managed being able to swim crawl in the sea). I do a mixture of gentle swimming and pushing myself harder for fitness. Sometimes I do a few exercises in the water.

How do you keep water out of your nose when doing proper swimming?

Breathe out gently all the time your face is in the water. The air coming out stops the water getting in.

Do you do other forms of exercise to keep fit too?

Running and standard exercises like stretching, sit-ups, press-ups and weights ... not as much as I ought to do, because I only really like swimming as exercise. I walk a lot, too.

Are classes like aqua combat any good?

I've no idea, as I've never done one. What on earth is aqua combat? It sounds scary!