Swim Question: Increasing Swim Distance and Overtraining

author : Tri Swim Coach

comments : 0

In running, when trying to increase your distance, you don't want to add more than about 10% a week to avoid injury from overtraining. Is there a similar limit with swimming?

Member Question

I know that there's a general rule in running when trying to increase your distance that you don't want to add more than about 10% a week to avoid injury from overtraining. Is there a similar limit with swimming? Since it's a lower impact exercise than running I figured the same rule wouldn't apply, but beyond that I'm in the dark when it comes to sensible distance increases.

Answer
One of my favorite things about the sport of swimming is that it’s a low-impact sport, meaning, your chances of becoming injured are slim when compared to a heavy-impact sport like running (this does not include getting kicked at the beginning of a triathlon!)

However, shoulder injuries from overuse and poor technique are extremely common in swimming. The first thing you need to do is make sure your technique is in order. The most common stroke problem that causes shoulder issues (although not the only problem) is crossing over (or reaching over) too far on your pull. [.....]

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date: January 16, 2008