swimming strokes

I just started swim training, I am trying to get proficient with freestyle first.

I did a swim workout with the Garmin 910XT, pretty cool.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/209219044

I usualy do an IM set every other workout, but I grew up as a swimmer, so it comes natural. 

Thanks for posting that, I've been curious to see what the swim workouts with the 910 looked like.  I have the Garmin swim and it looks the same.  I already had the 310, so I figured that the 310 + Swim = 910

Yea, I love all the data, it will be nice to track my swimming improvement. 

All four strokes here, too. Though if you're a beginner, your focus should be developing an effficient and confident freestyle. Then branch out from there. Breaststroke is useful for recovery and as a  "rescue" stroke if you are having trouble in a race (i.e. swallowing water, serious problems with sighting, exhaustion or cramps). Backstroke is nice for getting stretched out as part of warmup or cooldown or between sets, and some also use it as a "rescue" stroke. Butterfly.....let's just say it really ups the aerobic ante of any workout you can think of. Great for core strength, too. (My specialties in HS were the 500 and 1500 free, and the 100 and 200 fly. Otherwise known as the events no one else wanted to swim.)

I typically use breast and back as part of warmup and cooldown, and sometimes easy recovery laps between hard sets; and incorporate strokes into some of my shorter repeats like 100's and 150's.  If I'm doing a big set of 100's, I might make every 4th or 5th one an IM, or do a set of 150's where 100m is free and 50m is stroke. Overall my workouts are probably 80-90% free, 10-20% other. I  definitely think my freestyle is faster and more efficient when I've done other strokes in the set--I'd guess because it allows you to balance use of different muscles and improves your body position.

I come from a swimming background so I use swimming for general fitness.  My typical workout includes sets of 100's and 50's of all 4 strokes with an IM sprint.  I follow that usually with a 500 free.  Now that I've gotten into triathlons and longer swim distances, I have started to focus larger portions of my workouts and sometimes entire workouts to freestyle only.  Focusing on longer strokes and being mindful of my technique is an added element.  I still like the other strokes for the strength/muscle definition benefits.  You need to do Fly and Back to get those big lats that all the cool swimmers have!

I personally have no interest in learning any other strokes. I just focus on freestyle/front crawl for the whole workout. I'm not going to swim butterfly, breast stroke, backstroke, sidestroke or anything else during a race and those strokes don't appeal to me. I just train to be good at what I need to do on race day. Might I benefit from learning other strokes? Maybe. Do I want to spend the time learning them? Not really. I have a hard enough time just trying to fit training time into my schedule, so when I get to the pool it's all business. No swimming just for recreation and fun. I can use breast stroke or back stroke if I inhale some water and need to cough for a few seconds, but otherwise it's full steam ahead freestyle for the whole workout.

Just my 2 cents worth. Different strokes really are for different folks; and I like to keep my workout focus simple. I don't have time for developing a bunch of different strokes that I'm never going to use in a competitive environment. For those who have the time, and really enjoy mastering all the various nuances of swimming, you probably should explore all the different strokes and enjoy the sport as much as possible. But, if you're like me, and swimming is just a means to an end (being a competent triathlete), then don't feel bad if you only use one stroke in your workouts.

I enjoy the variation and I'm tempted to compete more in swimming as I have had a fair few injuries this year related to running and my flat feet which keep causing problems.  And in general, I do have a stronger liking for swimming than the other 2 and I also do alot of weights on top to get a bit more speed and strength.

Thanks for your comments

Flyers do a ton of free. Backstrokers do a ton of free. Breaststrokers do a ton of free.

Freestylers whine when they do other strokes ... but do them they do, and oddly enough their freestyle improves. Hard to say how much more or less it would be if they did free alone, but anecdotally at least, it seems like there's a lot of value to the other strokes.

The hand/arm pull position in fly is sufficiently (nearly identically) close to free as to be a great drill. Fly is killer for swim/free specific core strength.

Backstroke is somewhat like free in reverse: the pull and body rotation are very similar. The slight differences in muscles used and how does mean it's a good balance to free, free, free. Also a great emphasizer of body position.

Breaststroke--like fly, the pull is nearly identical to free! (not the push, though) If it's not, you're not doing it right. Great way to slow down and really focus on pull mechanics, and the gliding element really helps body position in the water and feeling where the water resistance is.

Generally, triathlete swimmers who at least try to do the other strokes find value in it (there are always a few exceptions). They're great to use as drills during warm-up or cool-down, if nothing else.