swimming fatigue question

What gets tired?

Arms? Legs? Lungs?

I'd hazard a guess that it's down to your breathing, are you breathing out while your head is in the water?

x2. Even if you swam on a team as a kid, if you don't really keep it up over the years, you lose both fitness AND form. If you are fatiguing after a few laps, it's most likely either breathing, or you're kicking like a madman.

John

Hi, and thanks for the quick replies.

To answer your questions.  Yes I am breathing out with my head underwater, then turning my head and breathing replacement air as I turn my head to the side. 

My arms and lungs get tired (out of breath).  I like to think that I am not kicking like a madman, meaning I can tell when I do and correct it.  My stroke is pretty smooth (I think.)  I didn't know if its just that I need to spend more time in the pool and I will gradually increase my distance (number of laps) before having to stop.

Thanks,

Mark

I am in nearly the same position as you, though it sounds like you swam more as a kid.  I decided to add swimming to my bike and running (to start doing triathlon) in mid-July.  I couldn't go more than 100 meters without break at first.  Extended to 200 meters in August.  Seemed to hit a wall until about a week ago.  Had gone about 2/3d of a mile, and I just found a groove.  The stroke felt long, good rotation, breathing calm...and next thing I know I had gone 600 meters without a stop.  Sloppy at the end.  Since then, I've become smoother throughout that continuous distance.  I think (who knows, not a good swimmer) I finally developed decent breathing technique and I lengthened my stroke which I think made me work less.  So, based on my experience, just keep swimming and the technique gets more efficient and you start going longer.  Good luck.

Does anyone have a good reference as to good swim strokes?  I know I could Google and get 10000 references.  I guess I  need to learn to slow my stoke down etc.  Any thoughts?  I am not sure how to go about finding a local swim coach?

Do a little test next ime you go for a run... once your up and running good, try and breathe every 4th step...   My guess is you'll get fatigued quick... if its the same feeling you have while swimming laps then you have a breathing issue as opposed to a stamina issue.

General fitness does not equal swimming fitness...  stroking and breathing is an art-form.  Slow down the next time you swim laps, practice stroking and breathing,  if you swim with good form speed will come.

active.com has an article that gives 10 different parts of the stroke to focus on.  Some other articles, the ones on breathing helped too, there that have been of some help.  But what has helped me most is the lifeguard/instructor where I swim that has given me several tips on how to improve my stroke.  I hope to do a masters swim class to improve some more this winter, I really do think my ability to go longer was a result of improved efficiency in the way I was swimming.

What did you swim on the team? It's unusual for a swim team swimmer to have problems getting back into it.

I swam IM, so all strokes, but  mostly freestyle and butterfly.  Again that was 25 years ago.  However I have periodically swam throughout college and over the recent years.

i think there are a couple of different things you can try to figure out why are you getting fatigued when you are swimming.  the first thing i would try is to slow down your turn over and see if you can make it more than 4 laps. 

another thing i would try is give yourself more rest between attempts.  swim a 100m, rest a minute, attempt to swim another 100m.  see if this increases your stamina at all.  if you can figure out the balance of rest you need versus how far you are swimming you can build on those numbers.  for instance, you figure out you can swim 5x100 on :50 rest.  work on doing repeat 100s till you feel stronger/ have more endurance.  then drop the rest OR increase the distance, for example: maybe the following week you can do 2x150 on :50 rest and 3x100 on :40 rest....etc.

www.swimsmooth.com

That's what I swam in high school 33 years ago. Try slowing down and going for distance. I tried doing a 200 IM just the other day. I damn near drowned. Try some LONG s-l-o-w freestyle.

It is just going to take some time, in addition to posts above.  Just keep with it and in a few months  you will be going farther without stopping.  Probably slow down and enjoy the form to get the distance and not worry about speed at all until you can go farther. Then build speed from there.

keep working at it.  make goals for yourself.  when i started swimming, i could only do 1/4 mile and i needed to rest in the middle.  now i can swim the more than i need to for the sprint distance tris without resting.  it took me about 7 months of swimming 2 times a week to get to where i am.

everyone is different.  worry more about your stroke than speed, the rest will follow.

Everyone thanks for your help.  So I took one of the posters advice and read up on active.com and found some articles on proper swim technique.  Wow, lots of new good information.  However, one of the important points was that distance swimmers should use the Crossover Kick.   I found some examples http://www.donalfagan.com/html/body_crossover.html, but not sure I understand what I am seeing. 

Are you actually kicking normally, but then crossing over every so often or, is every kick a cross over?

Thanks

I'm having this same problem so the last time I swam, I really slowed down and concentrated on form, breathing etc. instead of trying to race the clock.  I was able to swim more consecutive laps because of it. I swim in a 25 meter pool which is the neighborhood community pool we can use.

Not sure what other advise to tell since I am a beginner also!

^^^^^^^^
Check that site out too.  It's great.

I have never had a problem with the water but I never new how to technically swim freestyle / crawl.  I read the Total Immersion book in July and started figuring it out in my backyard pool.  I joined a pool in August and in no time at all I could do a mile swim without stopping.  I was horribly slow but at least I had the confidence to know I could do it.  I was at 49 min to do 1650yds!  I found the swimsmooth site and shaved it down to 40 and now closer to 35 min.  It's still way slow but I'm not worried about completing my swim.  I think it's been a great improvement in such a short time considering I've learned from a book and a website.

Another former swimmer here - 22 years out of the water other than cannonballs and waterslides before my first tri. I did a sprint Tri plan and used some beginner swim workouts to get some consistent yardage in, thinking no problem, it's only a 400 meter swim. It turned out to be the longest 400 of my life. WTF, right? That's what I thought.

This year, getting ready for an Olympic and a HIM, I knew I had to "re-learn" to swim as a triathlon swimmer - it's a whole different mindset. I read "The Complete Guide To Triathlon Swimming" I learned to slow down, relax, and lengthen my stroke - which in turn allowed me to stay aerobic, which allowed me to swim longer.

That, coupled with the fact I had another year of longer and longer endurance base training under my belt, was the difference for me, so don't get discouraged.