How can I build my endurance when I swim?

[Orsorum]

Throughout high school, I was a fairly avid swimmer; never swim team material, but I loved going and swimming laps; this had the positive side effect of keeping me relatively slim and in good shape. When I went and swam laps I would go and swim at the local high school pool; they had it set up so that a lap (once back and forth) was equivalent to half a lap (only one way) on an Olympic sized pool.

When I came to college three years ago, I started weight lifting and I pretty much abandoned running/other aerobic exercise; that plus bad eating and poor sleep habits helped me gain about sixty pounds over the last two years (I weigh 260 now, 180 is my eventual goal but 200 is acceptable and what I'm used to weighing). I've finally started swimming in the last two weeks, and my goal for the summer is to swim M-W-F and do pushups/situps on T-Th-Sat-Sun.

The only problem is, I'm really out of shape. It's hard for me to do even a full lap (back and forth) without getting out of breath and having to rest for a few seconds; by the time I get up to four or five laps I'm usually spent and sore, and that's when I stop for the day.

Is this normal to get tired so quickly? Is there anything I can do to build endurance besides just keeping at it and swimming every day or couple days?

Thanks!
Nate

 

[MattCo]

I think the best thing is to just keep swimming. Start slow and work your way up, like any other excercise program. If you smoke or eat poorly, it will take much longer to build endurance.

I did the couch potato to 5k thing a year or two ago, and when I started it was tough. Now running is MUCH easier.

-MC

 

[MattCo]

Also, congrats on getting started and good luck.

It helps if you find someone to keep you accountable. Maybe make a bet with a friend that you can do it, or find someone that will hassle you when your will power drops.

-MC

 

[azazyel]

First off just get comfortable in the water again. Don't worry about how many laps you do or how long it takes for you to do them. Just swim and have fun. Bring in something heavy and dive for it. Just the act of getting used to holding your breath and really pumping your arms and legs will help to build stamina.

Second get a kick board and a set of leg buoys. These are great for focusing on your legs and then arms. Also remember there are a lot of different ways to use a kickboard. You can hold it strait out in front of you so your hands are on the bottom and your face is in the water. This will help you remember to breath from the sides. You can have your arms over the kickboard when you get tired. You can go on your back on hold the kickboard on your stomach to simulate the backstroke (my favorite stroke). You can also be on your back and have the kick board under your head (that is a little tricky). With the buoys I would recommend just starting out with the breast stroke and freestyle. When you start feeling more confident go to fly.

After you start feeling good again then start doing laps. First start out with about 200 meters at your own pace (4 laps or 8 lengths). Then switch to a kick board and do 100 meters at your own pace, then another 100 with the buoys. Then you can start doing sets of 50s timed, probably on the 2 min. Then go back and do 100s timed if you can. Then of course the warm down, do about 200 at your own pace.
If you can remember to STRETCH. Most people don't think that you need to stretch if you are going to swim, you do. Buy a length of surgical tubing and tie it off so you have a really big rubber band. Use this for your stretching.

 

[DaiShan]

swimming is tough to get back into, not only does it work you aerobically, but you feel it a LOT in your shoulders/traps/biceps for the first few weeks back. If you want to get into aerobic shape I suggest doing sprint sets interspersed with distance sets. Find out how long it takes you to go there and back, then add 15 seconds or so to it and do it 6 times (if it takes you 30seconds do one every 45 seconds untill you get to 6) then do a warm down with like 100meters free style nice and easy stretching out your stroke, and do some 100's/200's descending (that is to say that you should start out at a moderate pace and your times should get faster for each one you do, so if you do the first in 2 minutes the next should be at least 1:59, take about 30 seconds rest between each one.) One last thing you can do to get into aerobic shape is called hypoxic training, basically (I'm assuming you dont' already live in Colorado or have access to a hypoxic room heh) you breath less for these, one I like to do is a pyramid, start out by doing 100meters,150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 350, 300, 250, 200, 150, 100. You breate once every third stroke on the 100 then once every 4th on the 150, then 5 then 6 the 7 then 8 then 9 then 8 then 7 all the way back to 3, you should do the last 100 as fast as you can. You will probably want to reduce these distances if you are just starting, with the exception of the last one you don't have to do these fast, you will feel it regardless. Take about 30 seconds rest between each one. Also, if you start to get tunnel vision stop swimming for a bit heh. Once you get used to it it isn't that bad, but if you aren't experienced you could black out totally. I had a friend on the team that someone bet him he couldn't go there and back then there again under water, he went there back and most of the way there again blacked out and had to be pulled out, and he was used to it heh.

 

[z0mb13]

get those swimming boots (like the ones divers use) and a snorkel..

the snorkel will help your breathing, and the frog boots will help you pedal. Also dont stop constantly, try to do a couple of laps before you stop, this will help your heart rate constant

<--- just found out that school's pool is kick ass... will be swimming a lot during the summer!!

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: z0mb13
get those swimming boots (like the ones divers use) and a snorkel..

the snorkel will help your breathing, and the frog boots will help you pedal. Also dont stop constantly, try to do a couple of laps before you stop, this will help your heart rate constant

<--- just found out that school's pool is kick ass... will be swimming a lot during the summer!!

I agree ...I go snorkeling alot and it is excellent excersize.


Sysadmin

 

[RavnShield]

How bout some HIIT, I went from runnin 1/4 of a mile to a solid 5K. It increases yer VO2max. Some info here

Oooo I hit a century!

 

[ohtwell]

I can't do that many laps before I get tired either. It takes me more to get sore though. I've done over 25 in one day and not been sore.

I guess you just have to build up your endurance and stamina by swimming more and more.


: ) Amanda

 

[Kelemvor]

Also be sure to vary your strokes. Butterfly will kill you. Front Crawl and Backstroke and second, and BreastStroke is the easiest. Plus they all work different muscles. You can also throw in some kicking with a kickboard and pulling with one of those floaty things you hold between your legs so as not to kick.

Anyway, end thought is just keep at it. Any time you do anything you ahven't done for a long time, it's going to wear you out. You might want to try swimming for shorter timespans. If you normally want to swim for an hour but that kills you, go for 30 mins in the morning and 30 in the evening. Still your hour but you get to rest in between.

Also, if the pool is crowded just wear a speedo, might scare everyone else away and get you a lane by yourself. heh heh.

 

[DaiShan]

Also, if the pool is crowded just wear a speedo, might scare everyone else away and get you a lane by yourself. heh heh

heh wouldn't work here unless he is like 50 and hairy, people that wear board shorts are in the minority here. Also are you wearing board shorts to swim laps? That would be hard even for me because its so much extra drag. In fact we used to wear board shorts to practice for a few weeks before tapering for states and it was hell. You don't have to wear a speedo, I alternate between a traditional speedo and these things called "jammer shorts" which are basically like biker shorts, they are tight so they dont have a lot of drag, but the go down to just above your knees if you are self conscious about sporting a speedo

 

[Atomicus]

My friend was captain of Stuyvesant HS swim team in NYC a few years ago, and he suggests that if you're tired from just a few laps, build up endurance through other exercises such as power-jogging or DDR (no joke lol). Power and endurance comes from the entire body he says. So work up your endurance in other exercises also.