Forums » General Training » Swimming

1. Lindsey
   Member

   I am going to add swimming next week to my workout routine but I am not really sure what is technically considered a "lap" or should I keep record by yards?.............

   I am going to be swimming at the local recreation center. My watch has a start/split feature that is supposed to help with tracking swim workouts but I need to figure out how that works and what it all means. So I guess I am basically asking what is the best way to record swim workouts and what is the definition of that method?

   Also, are there basic strokes or swim styles I should be practicing? I consider myself a fish in another life however I have never swam for exercise or for any other purpose than fun so I don't really know exactly what a swim routine should entail. I would like to, some day, complete a triathlon so I guess that would be my long term goal/purpose for adding swimming to my routine.

   Any advise woud be helpful!

   Posted 7 months ago #

2. Brad Hefta-Gaub
   Administrator

   I think most people track time and distance... but some workouts it's easier to just track time in water. Laps are useful to track for different kinds of interval workouts (say: 100yrds warm up, then 3x100yards kick only, etc.) But really, I think for must swimmers, getting in the water and swimming for a certain amount of time is the best thing you can do.

   Swimming is one of those things that it's really really hard to improve your speed by improving your fitness, it's much more valuable for you to focus on technique and being comfortable.

   I am a strong advocate of Total Immersion, I encourage you to check it out... http://sweat365.com/library/articles/sports-specific/triathlon/total-immersion-1/

   Posted 7 months ago #

3. milestogo
   Member

   Lindsey,

   Brad is right as usual, specifically about the emphasis on technique. The unfortunate reality of swimming is that to get fast you have to swim a lot. I have found that to get fast you also reap great rewards by swimming with a coach (see my post about masters programs).

   If you are working out on your own then I would consider looking at the workouts given in the database linked below. Otherwise, if you are swimming laps on your own the best way to get faster is to do a very structured interval workout with set distances and times (including limiting rest periods). For example, 1000 yards freestyle total: 300 yd warm-up, 3x100 on 2 mins each (that means if you finish a 100 after the 2 mins is up no break, otherwise break until the end of 2 mins), 2x200 on 5 min, + a cooldown maybe 200. These types of intervals make grinding out distance much more interesting. A typical workout for a decent swimmer should be an hour long and cover around 3000 yards depending on lots of stuff that I won't list.

   The rewards of being efficient in the water are significant so don't get discouraged.

   http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/swim-cgi/

   Posted 7 months ago #

4. nutritionexpert
   Member

   Hi Lindsey!
   I would highly recommend that you join a group such as Master's when you swim. Otherwise, in my opinion, swimming can be really boring!!! Don't get me wrong, I love to swim, but unless you have someone giving you new and challenging workouts and pointers on your stroke, it's hard to improve on your own. It's also nice to work out with others who may have the same dilemmas that you do.

   Posted 6 months ago #

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