Swimming Thread

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staffsblue

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Following a discussion in the Running Thread, I realised there wasn't a bespoke swimming thread.
Any other aquatic Bluemooners out there?
I restarted swimming on my retirement about 2 and a half years ago as a way of losing a bit of timber and getting a bit fitter.
I try to keep things interesting as much as possible by swimming in lidos in the warmer months.
I haven't considered open water swimming as I don't like the idea of swimming in human or chicken poo or run off fertilisers & other chemicals from farmers' fields.
I'm not particularly fast, but I can keep going at a steady breaststroke for a while, and aim to swim at least 5km each week.
 
Also love to go swimming 4 or 5 times a week at the local gym,I have gone from doing a few lengths to swimming half a mile (32 lengths)
I like to swim front crawl
The thing that was holding me back was getting the breathing right but I’m getting better and hope to be swimming a mile very soon
The only problem is that the pool I use gets very busy and people always get I my way which upsets my rhythm
Swimming is a fantastic exercise I had a really bad shoulder a few months ago and with the help of a few deep tissue massages and swimming it seems to really improved
 
I love swimming but because of my health problems just never thought about doing some more. As a kid I lived at our outdoor baths during the end of May until the first week in September and a 7/6d Season Ticket was used up in the first week, but thankfully it never expired.
Always use the seas when we go overseas and always go on one of the catamarans tours to snorkel.
 
unsworthblue said:
Also love to go swimming 4 or 5 times a week at the local gym,I have gone from doing a few lengths to swimming half a mile (32 lengths)
I like to swim front crawl
The thing that was holding me back was getting the breathing right but I’m getting better and hope to be swimming a mile very soon
The only problem is that the pool I use gets very busy and people always get I my way which upsets my rhythm
Swimming is a fantastic exercise I had a really bad shoulder a few months ago and with the help of a few deep tissue massages and swimming it seems to really improved
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I also struggle with the breathing technique with front crawl, so stick to breakstroke to avoid embarrassment. I'll give it another go at some point when there's less other people about.
I often use the "Better" app to locate capacity at pools, and when I'm in Manchester find the Aquatics Centre really quiet most of the time.
 
did my first proper swim today,i always loved swimming,but having kids it was more fun in the pool,today i just swam, lost count of the number of lengths of the 25 meter pool i did,but it was lovely, wasnt really busy but people still got in the way(quite a few kids there as well), they do a lane swimming session a bit earlier in the morning which will suit me better, carrying on with my running,but will definitely add swimming into my weekly routine, gym membership is £32 a month, swimming is £4.70 a session,ill see how i get on before committing to a membership
 
I see some very different and ‘interesting’ techniques when I go swimming,to some people swimming can look very difficult but to some they look like they are gliding through the water,effortlessly!
With the breathing I think the way I overcame it was trying not to think about it too much and just letting my breaths come naturally once completing a stroke
 
unsworthblue said:
I see some very different and ‘interesting’ techniques when I go swimming,to some people swimming can look very difficult but to some they look like they are gliding through the water,effortlessly!
With the breathing I think the way I overcame it was trying not to think about it too much and just letting my breaths come naturally once completing a stroke
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I noticed a guy the other day doing about 3 times as many strokes as me doing breaststroke but was moving much slower.
I tend to take long, slow strokes, and utilise big "kick offs" and glides at the start of each length. As I said before, I'm not particularly fast, but can manage 80 x 25m lengths in about 58 minutes. 40 x 50m takes a bit longer as I need more of a breather between lengths!
 
The best exercise there is, it was the one sport at school I was really good at. I was a lifeguard at a local council pool for several years, got into diving too. There aren't any good facilities near me so don't get to swim on a regular basis. I miss it but will swim in any lake or ocean I'm at.
I can swim Breaststroke for a long time and I get the breathing part for Front crawl, it kicks my ass now and can't do it for very long.
 
unsworthblue said:
I see some very different and ‘interesting’ techniques when I go swimming,to some people swimming can look very difficult but to some they look like they are gliding through the water,effortlessly!
With the breathing I think the way I overcame it was trying not to think about it too much and just letting my breaths come naturally once completing a stroke
Click to expand...
Breathing is always a problem with me. What is the correct procedure. Is it Breathing out while your head is in the water, only bringing your head out, to breathe in. Seems such a stupid question reading it back to myself. But i tend to only swim the distance i can go without requiring a breath.
 
staffsblue said:
I also struggle with the breathing technique with front crawl, so stick to breakstroke to avoid embarrassment. I'll give it another go at some point when there's less other people about.
I often use the "Better" app to locate capacity at pools, and when I'm in Manchester find the Aquatics Centre really quiet most of the time.
Click to expand...

Get yourself in the open water mate, you'll never look back. Great time to start now and acclimatise before it gets cold. I started it around 18 months ago and have been going whatever the weather since. Between October - March though it is difficult to get good distance in though without a wetsuit.

The evenings where it's sunny but 18-20C are the best as you often get the lake to yourself. I hate lane swimming these days as there are too many entitled tools who swim in the wrong lane and think they own the pool. I tend to do breaststroke too, when you are lapping front crawlers in the 'fast' lane you know it's time to find somewhere else to swim.
 
CarlosTevez'sEnglishTutor said:
Get yourself in the open water mate, you'll never look back. Great time to start now and acclimatise before it gets cold. I started it around 18 months ago and have been going whatever the weather since. Between October - March though it is difficult to get good distance in though without a wetsuit.

The evenings where it's sunny but 18-20C are the best as you often get the lake to yourself. I hate lane swimming these days as there are too many entitled tools who swim in the wrong lane and think they own the pool. I tend to do breaststroke too, when you are lapping front crawlers in the 'fast' lane you know it's time to find somewhere else to swim.
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I'm definitely not averse to the cold having swum in a few unheated lidos, but don't like the pollution aspect of open air swimming, at least in this country.
Did a bit of sea swimming in Cornwall a few years back and really enjoyed it, but currently don't trust the water authorities in this country!
 
staffsblue said:
I'm definitely not averse to the cold having swum in a few unheated lidos, but don't like the pollution aspect of open air swimming, at least in this country.
Did a bit of sea swimming in Cornwall a few years back and really enjoyed it, but currently don't trust the water authorities in this country!
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You're probably right to be honest mate, but I haven't died yet so take that as a positive. Strangely, have not had as much as a cold since I started doing it. I think there are definitely immune system benefits to doing it in the winter.
 
CarlosTevez'sEnglishTutor said:
You're probably right to be honest mate, but I haven't died yet so take that as a positive. Strangely, have not had as much as a cold since I started doing it. I think there are definitely immune system benefits to doing it in the winter.
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When I lived in Bournemouth there was a club of older people that met everyday and swam in the sea, I think you're right about the health benefits
 
CarlosTevez'sEnglishTutor said:
You're probably right to be honest mate, but I haven't died yet so take that as a positive. Strangely, have not had as much as a cold since I started doing it. I think there are definitely immune system benefits to doing it in the winter.
Click to expand...

I love going to lidos "out of season". I've been mostly avoiding them during the school holidays as I don't want to surrounded by crowds of screaming brats splashing about.
However, when I visited Hillingdon Lido in Uxbridge last year, there was only me in there, being overwatched by a very bored looking lifeguard!
 
Senior swimming for me . Love it cheap swim and have definitely got quicker and feel much fitter for it .
 
Just started after years off, I do lane swimming in the slow lane for an hour and can do 45 lengths in the time, what I don’t get is I think my technique is pretty good, yet some people larger than me and look quite awkward are some how much faster overtaking me a few times in the hour.
 
blueparrot said:
Just started after years off, I do lane swimming in the slow lane for an hour and can do 45 lengths in the time, what I don’t get is I think my technique is pretty good, yet some people larger than me and look quite awkward are some how much faster overtaking me a few times in the hour.
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I started by doing that distance when I restarted but slowly ramped it up to 80 lengths in the alloted hour.
I guess I improved over time by taking less rest between lengths, taking longer, slower strokes and doing big "kick offs" from the pool end followed by a glide to conserve energy.
 
staffsblue said:
I started by doing that distance when I restarted but slowly ramped it up to 80 lengths in the alloted hour.
I guess I improved over time by taking less rest between lengths, taking longer, slower strokes and doing big "kick offs" from the pool end followed by a glide to conserve energy.
Click to expand...
Could be the longer slower strokes, maybe try that.
 
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