Swimming and fitness

[Harpodom]

If anyone wants to talk swimming, here's the place.

 

I've recently started properly learning to swim after years of what my wife describes as 'throw the washing in' type thrashing, gasping and general wasting of energy.

Previously I could do a 25m length, at a push.

 

The other day I got up to the end point of 0-700 (http://ruthkazez.com/ZeroTo1mile.html), the precursor to 0-1650 (or 1 mile or http://ruthkazez.com/Zeroto1milePreamble/pre-zero.html)

 

If anyone wants to use a brilliant free resource for learning to swim, its this:

 

http://www.swimsmooth.com/

[Paul1Perth]

Good luck with the swimming Harpo. Really is great exercise and a good way to relax too. Find if I have something worrying me or winding me up a bit a good swim gets it off my mind and I come out the pool or sea feeling great.

 

Good idea to get lessons and learn to swim properly too. I keep thinking I must do this eventually. My kids both had lessons early and can leave swimming alone for ages and they slip straight into a great efficient stroke as soon as they hit the water.

 

Good site swimsmooth btw.

[Harpodom]

Good luck with the swimming Harpo. Really is great exercise and a good way to relax too. Find if I have something worrying me or winding me up a bit a good swim gets it off my mind and I come out the pool or sea feeling great.

 

Good idea to get lessons and learn to swim properly too. I keep thinking I must do this eventually. My kids both had lessons early and can leave swimming alone for ages and they slip straight into a great efficient stroke as soon as they hit the water.

 

Good site swimsmooth btw.

 

Re the lessons, I did try that once as an adult, and TBH it was disappointing. I'd rather be coached by someone a bit more knowledgeable like the swimsmooth guys who funnily enough have a base in Perth.

 

The Mr Smooth app is brilliant, have you looked at that?

 

Funny thing is, since I started up swimming again, my fitness has gone up incredibly fast. I'd got into a rut with running, hadn't progressed for ages. Yesterday I went for a 5k run and for the first time in years, it felt...almost comfortable! Amazing...

[Paul1Perth]

My eldest did a total immersion course (I think that's what it was called) with Shane Gould. I think it's along the same lines as the swim smooth site. There was him and a mate and 2 older women in the class. He was a good swimmer when he went, as was his mate, but the course taught him a whole new approach. The first lesson was just balance in the water and they hardly swam at all. I though it was going to be a big waste of money at the time but a couple of lessons later he had changed his stroke completely and become much more efficient. He still had to remember to work on it and concentrate on the technique they showed him but he never looked back.

 

Up to that point I had been in front of him when we used to swim in the same squad for a while. A week after he had been on the course he beat me over 200m and was saying what kept you. I thought I'd get him next time but he just got further and further in front of me.

[Harpodom]

My eldest did a total immersion course (I think that's what it was called) with Shane Gould. I think it's along the same lines as the swim smooth site. There was him and a mate and 2 older women in the class. He was a good swimmer when he went, as was his mate, but the course taught him a whole new approach. The first lesson was just balance in the water and they hardly swam at all. I though it was going to be a big waste of money at the time but a couple of lessons later he had changed his stroke completely and become much more efficient. He still had to remember to work on it and concentrate on the technique they showed him but he never looked back.

 

Up to that point I had been in front of him when we used to swim in the same squad for a while. A week after he had been on the course he beat me over 200m and was saying what kept you. I thought I'd get him next time but he just got further and further in front of me.

 

yeah the TI style is similar, though TI is a bit of a swear word on the SS website, mainly because they're direct competitors. SS believe that TI instruction causes you to 'overglide' and lose speed.

 

Overglide or not, I really like watching this:

 

 

 

good visualisation of a really easy relaxed stroke

[Guest]

I 'swim' 2-3 times a week with my son, it's an essential part of his physiotherapy but I can only swim breaststroke with my head out of the water. My son came to Perth a non-swimmer and is pretty good now, I might look into these methods - it'd be a great take home if I improve my swimming before I return.

[Paul1Perth]

I used to swim a lot in the UK, for someone from the UK that is. I used to think I was a good swimmer and was, compared to my friends and just about anyone else I knew in the UK. A lot of people can't swim and don't feel the need to, including my parents. My sister can sort of dog paddle and do a bit of breaststroke if pushed.

 

When we came here and went to the pool the first time I was amazed that it was

1. Cheap to get in.

2. Didn't have sessions.

3. Had lanes designated for fast, medium and slow that were patrolled.

4. The number of kids there in proper squads, with coaches, taking it seriously.

 

I think you have to learn to swim here as there is so much water and peoples houses have pools that kids can get into trouble in.

I know there has been some bad press about shark attacks this year and it has scared a lot of people and put them off going in the ocean a bit. Compared to the number of drownings deaths shark attack would be minuscule.

[Harpodom]

I really like Hannah:

 

 

[Skani]

Really is great exercise and a good way to relax too. Find if I have something worrying me or winding me up a bit a good swim gets it off my mind and I come out the pool or sea feeling great.

 

 

Same here. I try to swim every 2 or 3 days - great for getting the endorphins pumping!

Thanks for the links everyone...I've never thought of online resources for swimming.

[Paul1Perth]

Try out wiggle.co.uk, or the Australian site, for all you swimming and sporting needs. I can recommend these goggles as the comfiest, most scratch resistant and longest lasting I have ever had. Cheap too.

 

 

http://www.wiggle.com.au/zoggs-predator-flex-polarized-goggles/?pr=1603

[Perthbum]

Swimming us good harpo , but fir enjoyment and fitness I don't think you can beat cycling, I never really enjoyed cycling in Perth as it was to hot a lot of the time and became boring seeing the same scenery, over here I discover new areas and roads all the time which fuels the mind as well as keeping you fit ......I could swim fir an hour and then get bored but I can cycle all day and never ger bored....try it mate.

[Harpodom]

Swimming us good harpo , but fir enjoyment and fitness I don't think you can beat cycling, I never really enjoyed cycling in Perth as it was to hot a lot of the time and became boring seeing the same scenery, over here I discover new areas and roads all the time which fuels the mind as well as keeping you fit ......I could swim fir an hour and then get bored but I can cycle all day and never ger bored....try it mate.

 

:biglaugh:

 

 

Edited April 2, 2013 by Harpodom

[WeegieDave]

I'm 34 and actually can't swim at all. I know how to do it but I have some kind of psychological barrier over me and I feel extremely anxious going in a pool. I really should do some lessons!!

[Paul1Perth]

I'm 34 and actually can't swim at all. I know how to do it but I have some kind of psychological barrier over me and I feel extremely anxious going in a pool. I really should do some lessons!!

Try lessons Dave. One of the main things about swimming is being relaxed in the water. As soon as you tense up your stroke goes to pot and you get tired without moving very far.

 

A lot of the drownings that happen are because people panic. They might be OK swimmers and be able to stay afloat for hours if they had relaxed. I'm a pretty good swimmer and spend a lot of time in the ocean. I've been caught in rips and tried to swim in and felt myself still going out to sea. I've had to force myself to relax wait till either the rip has disappeared or, as the books tell you, swim parallel with the shore till your out of the rip and then in.

 

It's a mind game a lot of the time and for a visitor or someone not used to the surf and rips sounds easy but in reality the first thing they do is panic, tire themselves out fighting to get in and then get into real trouble.

[Harpodom]

Try out wiggle.co.uk, or the Australian site, for all you swimming and sporting needs. I can recommend these goggles as the comfiest, most scratch resistant and longest lasting I have ever had. Cheap too.

 

 

http://www.wiggle.com.au/zoggs-predator-flex-polarized-goggles/?pr=1603

 

I got them delivered yesterday Paul, from Wiggle, along with some fins and other swimming stuff (including new bathers for the wife who looks mega cute in them and she's delighted to fit into a UK size 10).

 

Have to say I'm impressed with Wiggle's service etc.

 

As for the goggles, yeah, they're cool aren't they? And very comfortable too, cheers for the recommendation.

[Harpodom]

Well, this morning I did something that yesterday thought was impossible: I swam a 20 laps (500m) without stopping. What is even weirder, I felt like I could have kept going!

 

I ain't saying my technique is any good, in fact I probably resemble a paraplegic as my legs barely move...but...my breathing was slow and unrushed: it's all about the exhilation.

[Quoll]

Well done Harpo! 500m for an adult newbie is very good going!

 

my DH can't swim for toffee although he is probably the fittest 64 yr old I've ever seen - just cannot relax in the water and sinks like a stone. OTOH I, the family couch potato, can churn out the miles in good style, no worries! I think it probably is so much harder to learn as an adult. I taught myself at 9 and went from being a non swimmer to competing in a 3/4 mile race (they don't swim through Cambridge any more, Elf and Safety!) within weeks. I was a level1 coach for many years while DS2 was doing his squad stuff. I was really surprised at the very poor level of school swimming (in ACT) - the schools I worked in were scraping to get a half decent relay team together and as I said, DH can't swim and neither can his brothers although our niece swims at country level and DS got to nationals.

 

My only problem with swimming (apart from the fact that I was too big to fit into a cossie!) is that I lapse into reciting my tables when I swim - bloody annoying but it was what I used to do as a kid! I really need a waterproof MP3 player so I can listen to my audio books.

 

keep up the good work! You have inspired me to get back in the pool for cross training!

[Harpodom]

cheers Quoll, thing is now, I'm absolutely hooked! Can't wait for my next swim.

 

The other day, something just clicked, all of a sudden I was able to relax and breath more calmly. I think it is to do with balance: before that I felt like I'd sink unless I swam really fast, now I can slow it right down.

 

Well done Harpo! 500m for an adult newbie is very good going!

 

my DH can't swim for toffee although he is probably the fittest 64 yr old I've ever seen - just cannot relax in the water and sinks like a stone. OTOH I, the family couch potato, can churn out the miles in good style, no worries! I think it probably is so much harder to learn as an adult. I taught myself at 9 and went from being a non swimmer to competing in a 3/4 mile race (they don't swim through Cambridge any more, Elf and Safety!) within weeks. I was a level1 coach for many years while DS2 was doing his squad stuff. I was really surprised at the very poor level of school swimming (in ACT) - the schools I worked in were scraping to get a half decent relay team together and as I said, DH can't swim and neither can his brothers although our niece swims at country level and DS got to nationals.

 

My only problem with swimming (apart from the fact that I was too big to fit into a cossie!) is that I lapse into reciting my tables when I swim - bloody annoying but it was what I used to do as a kid! I really need a waterproof MP3 player so I can listen to my audio books.

 

keep up the good work! You have inspired me to get back in the pool for cross training!

[kungfustu]

Well, this morning I did something that yesterday thought was impossible: I swam a 20 laps (500m) without stopping. What is even weirder, I felt like I could have kept going!

 

I ain't saying my technique is any good, in fact I probably resemble a paraplegic as my legs barely move...but...my breathing was slow and unrushed: it's all about the exhilation.

 

Swimming is a great sport, I was given a few tips when I first started by someone else in the pool who was watching me and that was to keep your chest down, try and push it down as you are swimming, that will counter and bring your legs up reducing the drag in the water, made a big difference to my times, keep your arms/hands close to your body as you bring them up from the end of a stroke and dont "ark" them out of the water, try not to roll your body......keep your fingers together and cup them and try and enter your hand sideways into the water ahead of you as you start the next stroke to reduce spalsh.....all of the above workedwnders for me and knocked several minutes of my 1500m times.....wearing a wet suit helps as well lol.

[Harpodom]

Swimming is a great sport, I was given a few tips when I first started by someone else in the pool who was watching me and that was to keep your chest down, try and push it down as you are swimming, that will counter and bring your legs up reducing the drag in the water, made a big difference to my times, keep your arms/hands close to your body as you bring them up from the end of a stroke and dont "ark" them out of the water, try not to roll your body......keep your fingers together and cup them and try and enter your hand sideways into the water ahead of you as you start the next stroke to reduce spalsh.....all of the above workedwnders for me and knocked several minutes of my 1500m times.....wearing a wet suit helps as well lol.

the great thing about swimming (freestyle) is that it is such a complex set of learned movements to 'imprint' on muscle memory that there is always something that can be tweaked and improved (says he, who only started swimming in anger 10 weeks ago),

 

For me, at my early stage of learning its all in the breathing: slow continuous breathing out under water, then quick breath in. No holding breath (which is my natural tendency): this keeps your body high/legs low and as you say increases drag.

[paisleylass]

Last year I started swimming - slow breaststroke with head above water - for the first time in about 30 years! I went to the local pool many times until I got a sinus infection that weakened me and knocked my confidence - as well as lane-sharers getting too close and freaking me out! So I started doing aqua aerobics to get fit in the summer, and it's really helped my water confidence - especially deep water running and other deep exercise using an aqua belt which is ace! I could do with proper lessons but am reasonably happy with my clumsy style, and adult classes at my local pool start a bit too early to fit in with work (

 

Wiggle looks ace, prices for swimsuits are reasonable compared to any of the shops around here! I've been buying my togs from Sports Direct in the UK delivered to Aus - the £5 Donnay basic swimsuit is a bargain, I'm gonna get a few more, visiting the pool 4-5 times a week takes its toll on the old lycra!

Edited April 16, 2013 by paisleylass

[kungfustu]

the great thing about swimming (freestyle) is that it is such a complex set of learned movements to 'imprint' on muscle memory that there is always something that can be tweaked and improved (says he, who only started swimming in anger 10 weeks ago),

 

For me, at my early stage of learning its all in the breathing: slow continuous breathing out under water, then quick breath in. No holding breath (which is my natural tendency): this keeps your body high/legs low and as you say increases drag.

 

That is so true.....perfecting all of those movements and keeping it all synchronised is extremely difficult.....and of course the further you swim the more tired you get and thats when the wheels really start to fall off......for me keeping my chest down and legs up was the biggest gain.

[Harpodom]

Testament to swimming massively improving fitness: I ran 7.75K today (longest I've run for a couple of years). I did only 5K on my last long run 2 weeks ago. Next target 10K then.

 

At this rate I might need to start thinking of triathlons...OMG.

[Quoll]

Absolutely, Harpo, go for the Iron Man! Or, if you wan to start small the Sri Chimnoy do a mini tri option.

 

My dad took great delight yesterday in showing me the local rag - they are thinking of bringing back the Swim through Cambridge (it stopped in the 80s due to Health & Safety.) There was the file pic of the competitors in 1960 including me! So, shall I start training do you reckon? After all, someone has to come last and it would be perfectly acceptable for a 64 yr old granny to take the wooden spoon.

[russ and claire]

I had a lesson because I couldn't work out the breathing part and was getting very tired and frustrated. On the lesson, the instructor said to breath out out slowly when underwater but I just couldn't do it, felt panicked, not sure if its because I'm asthmatic so she said to breathing out very quickly before coming out of the water and that worked she also recommended not to swim with nose clips but I have to have them.

 

Claire