Any swimmers around? could use a bit of advice.

[notfred]

Ok, first off, I have a stupid ass question: Does a lap count as one length of the pool, or from one end of the pool to the other and back?

Anyway, I want to start swimming for excercise. I'm really not interested too much in speed or style, jsut endurance and gernerally getting myself in shape. I have a very strong background in swimming. I've never done it competitively, and rarely in a pool for that matter, but I basically grew up in the ocean, and am very comfortable in and around almost any water. Lately I've gotten ut of shape though, and I'd like to get into swimming, since we've got a pool here. What stroke is the best for excercise? How many laps/day is good to start? Should I do it every day, every other day, etc?

Thanks for any help you can give.

 

[GooberPHX420]

Hey - A lap is to one end and back.





And my prefered style is known as "the cannon ball"

 

[gopunk]

i think a lap is generally 50 m... i could be wrong though. public pools are usually 25 m, better pools are 50 m. best stroke for exercise? probably butterfly, but you'll get really tired of that i vote for freestyle.

i dunno your schedule, and i'm not really an expert (but i did swim competitively)... but if i were you, i might go for an hour every morning? i don't know if you have enough time for that though.

 

[Novgrod]

The best stroke is, without a doubt, freestyle. Feel free to do backstroke/fly, and they'll certainly help, but they're no freestyle. I don't know the size of your pool, but if I were you, I'd just swim until i were fantastically tired

You can feel free to swim every day.

 

[notfred]

Well, I was thinknig of going every evening, rather than every morning

50m is a lap? ok. I guess I'll try and look that up. I know our pool here isn't that long. I guess number of laps to start with is "until I get tired"

 

[Maleficus]

swimming is awesome

Swimming with hot chicks is even better though

 

[gopunk]

<< Well, I was thinknig of going every evening, rather than every morning

50m is a lap? ok. I guess I'll try and look that up. I know our pool here isn't that long. I guess number of laps to start with is "until I get tired" >>




eh i guess evening works too... i am a fan of morning because that's the way i trained, and because i think it's nice to have that cold water and exercise wake ya up.

i dunno about the getting tired thing... if you're out of shape you might get tired after just 100 m

 

[gopunk]

<< swimming is awesome

Swimming with hot chicks is even better though >>



OMG i know what you mean... that was like my motivation to swim fast in practice...

 

[joohang]

Yeah. I came from a similar "swimming background" as notfred. Practically grew up in the pool every hot Argentinian summer. I never took official lessons or competed in any ways, but I am very comfortable with water.

I was once taught how to swim freestyle but I forgot. I see people doing it but I never tried it. Any good swimming websites out there?

notfred: I concentrate on relaxing my back muscles so I take laps underwater and try to exercise my back as much as possible. I came up with swimming styles to concentrate on my back. Perhaps you can come up with something similar, unless you just want an overall exercise without concentrating on a specific body part.

Any ways, good luck.

 

[Kelvrick]

Backstroke rules. Anything where I'm on my back and can just relax. I don't like freestyling that much because of the head turning. yes, I'm THAT lazy.

I could never do breaststroke. I'd do one lap of breastroking and be breathing like I did 20 freestlying laps.

 

[gopunk]

I don't like freestyling that much because of the head turning. yes, I'm THAT lazy.

jeez

if it helps, you can only turn on one side (which is what i did)... and also don't breathe as much. after some practice you should be able to do a 25 m without breathing.

 

[notfred]

only thing I could find on definition of a lap:

lap: a lap is either one or two lengths of the pool. Whether it is commonly used to designate one or two lengths can vary from area to area and even pool to pool. It's usually easier to describe a distance in yards/meters or in number of lengths.

Here's my plan so far: Go to the pool everyday after work or classes (if I went in the morning, I'd hav to get up too damn early... work starts at 8:00) and swim freestyle laps until I'm too damn tired to do any more. After a few days, maybe I can come up with some kind of goal for myself.


My version of freestyle has one breath for every four arm strokes, with every breath on my right side. Is that normal?

Anyway, I also need to practice underwater, I should be able to do 50m underwater.

 

[MrDingleDangle]

i was on the swim team for 4 years in high school...then i took 4 years off in college, but now getting back into it...

i think the best is to mainly do freestyle, but mix it up with some breatstroke,backstroke, or fly...to start take a good 15 minutes of stretching first and then I would try doing lengths of 100 yards at a time and rest for 30 sec. in between and every 5th or so take a minute off...swim for at least an hour and every day is def. a good thing...

once u get into some shape doing the 100 yards, throw a 200 yard swim every 5th time, good to have this before your minute break...

also a good one to try is to break it into 4ths...for 100 yards, 25 free, 25 breast, 25 back, 25 fly..

good luck

 

[Novgrod]

Here's my plan so far: Go to the pool everyday after work or classes (if I went in the morning, I'd hav to get up too damn early... work starts at 8:00) and swim freestyle laps until I'm too damn tired to do any more. After a few days, maybe I can come up with some kind of goal for myself.


My version of freestyle has one breath for every four arm strokes, with every breath on my right side. Is that normal?

Anyway, I also need to practice underwater, I should be able to do 50m underwater.


Sounds like a good plan to me, not that I know anything. I've started running (no pool nearby) and I try to add a half lap every time I run. Gives me a realistic target and a good goal for which I can aim.

 

[element2k5]

5 words.... breaststroke is the best stroke......

 

[gopunk]

<< 5 words.... breaststroke is the best stroke...... >>



can't say i disagree

 

[blstriker]

Freestyle is good but there is a tendency to overuse either the arms or the legs. Do a few laps with a kickboard (legs only) and a few laps with a buoy between your legs I forget the technical term (arms only).