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2015-06-27 12:55 PM

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2

, Ontario
Subject: newbie ... swimming help
hello everyone.
myself is Balbir, Male, 6'3", 42 years in toronto , canada
i recently joined this site to learn and enhance the physical challenges to be a triathlete. well i run a bit and cycling and swimming is all new to me. just start swimming two three months ago.
my difficult part is swimming.. and in the deep waters.. more difficult. but here iam to do it right from my sincere efforts and with all my energy. in the pool i can hardly swim 75 meters. very difficult to keep my breath, well i go for swimming two three times a week and improving it a bit. my biggest concern is how much its easier (buoyancy level) to swim with wetsuit in the lake. i joined a local club and they swim in a small local lake that is around 500 meters.
i just purchased HUUB Aegis 3.5 swim suit.. might be here with me in two weeks. so how much minimum endurance i need to develop to go in lake. how should i compare my ability in the swimming pool V/S swimsuit/lake swimming.

how many meters should i swim in the pool before being exhausted ... to be able to swim across the lake (400-500) with the suit.

plz give me some picture of this scenario so that i step in the deep with some knowledge and ability.
sincerely
balbir atwal


2015-06-27 5:29 PM
in reply to: balbiratwal

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Penticton, BC
Subject: RE: newbie ... swimming help

Hi Balbir,

Swimming is the hardest part for most triathletes and it is more technical so it helps to get some coaching at your local pool (it doesn't just help - you MUST get some coaching to help you - and don't expect to swim far for at least 6 months if you swim 3 times per week).  Talk to some of the lifeguards at your pool and see what coaching is available to you.  Don't try to learn on your own or you might develop some bad habits that limit your ability.  In my local pool we have a group called "Swim Fit" that gives us a coach and gives us other people to train with for just a little more than the cost of going to the pool.

You are quite normal to only be able to swim 75m at the start.  It takes time to learn how to swim further and faster.  I could just barely swim 50m when I started swimming 3 years ago but yesterday I swam 3720m in my local lake.  I'm not bragging but just saying you will need to be patient and consistent with your swimming.  Don't be in a hurry to push yourself to swim further until you get more comfortable in the water.  If you find yourself breathing too hard slow down.  Slow down a LOT!  You will feel better and swim further if you relax and don't try to swim fast.  Speed will come with experience.

Open water swimming (OWS) is quite different from pool swimming.  Don't go to your lake without other people to swim with and advise you.  Don't go to the lake until you are starting to improve your swimming.  When you get your wetsuit learn to put it on and take it off then go to the lake and get in the water and just float around for awhile.  Get a feel for what it feels like and try a few swim strokes.  Don't swim across the lake alone at least for the first few times.  If your shoulders feel uncomfortable in your wetsuit you may not have put it on properly.  When putting it on make sure that the crotch of the wetsuit is right up tight to your body and make sure you pull your sleeves up as well to give your shoulders room to move.

You will find that your wetsuit will make you very buoyant and I find it even makes me faster by a fair bit compared to swimming in the pool.  Your club should really be able to help you with a lot of these issues.  Don't get discouraged just keep at it and you will have a lot of fun.

Enjoy your training and learning to swim.

 

2015-06-28 2:12 AM
in reply to: wenceslasz

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2

, Ontario
Subject: RE: newbie ... swimming help
thanks for the advice.. ill start working more seriously. i had swimming lessons.. like 25 private lessons.. they did help but not a lot.. very soon ill discuss it with my clubs swimming coach .. hopefully there will be time soon when ill do it.
thanks dear
2015-07-01 2:30 PM
in reply to: balbiratwal

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Subject: RE: newbie ... swimming help
Like with any form of exercise, you have to start slowly and be patient with how far you can go AND be realistic in terms of how long it will take you to get there.

I do not run (I'm an open-water swimmer ONLY) and if I suddenly wanted to do a marathon...should I be able to run 20 miles on day 3? Even on week 3? Yeah, not so much...and with swimming it should take you even longer to build up.

One of the main issues my swimmers have in terms of training for swimming is the breathing. They do it too quickly, they feel like they can't get enough of a breath, or they just take in a ton of water. One of two things is happening:
1. You're pausing your kick when you take a breath. Kicking keeps you on the surface of the water, and if you pause when you breathe, you'll sink; or
2. You're not rotating your hips enough to literally be able to comfortably get your entire face out of the water.
So if you are struggling with actually breathing, and that's why you are out of breath...try fixing those things and focusing on them. Also, RELAX. Swimmers get tired because they tense up or they literally swim really hard for a really long time. Just chill out.

In terms of wetsuits, I always tell my swimmers to not train with them, nor should you rely on them. You need to get really good and really confident without the wetsuit, because if you use it as a crutch, what are you going to do if you get to an event and they aren't allowed? That's never a good feeling. So, ditch the wetsuit for training and only put them on for race day. (The only exception to that is if you swim in REALLY COLD open water ALL THE TIME, but even then....get great without that cheat suit. )

Finally, in terms of distance that you should aim for to really be able to hammer out an impressive 400 - 500m: About 1000 meters in the pool without being wiped. Open water is so much better, but it is so much tougher than swimming in a pool, so I always suggest people take what their distance is in the open water and double it when learning how to build endurance. Essentially, you want to get to the point where you are efficient enough to go without stopping at any distance.

Seriously, apply the endurance-building principles in the water the same way you would if you gave advice to someone on land. If someone came to you and said "Hey, I'd really like to run a mile, but I can't jog more than 100m without stopping and being really out of breath". What advice would you give them? Do that in the pool (only swimming, not running!).

There is only one human being in the history of the sport of swimming who essentially decided he wanted to swim at the age of 15, hopped in the water, and was breaking world records within six months. That means the other billions upon billions of us are going to have to work hard at it and be patient. Just keep with it...you'll get there.

Good luck!
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