Hi all, I am joining a masters swim program as a beginner (I know how to swim, just not experienced or good at it yet). I don't know how to go about setting goals and I am hoping that some of you might be willing to offer suggestions. I know that fitness is #1, but if I don't have goals I'll get bored. The trouble is, I have no frame of reference for what my improvement should look like.
For time availability, I can swim up to 5 times per week, 1-2 hours each time (although one hour is more reasonable, I can commit up to two if necessary). I'm tall and skinny and not naturally athletic. Right now I swim a 50 yard free in a minute, which means I'm in great shape for an 85 year old man. I am a 35 year old man though so that's not good. I can only swim at the end of a pretty exhausting day so that will probably negatively impact my abilities.
Assuming working with a talented coach, what are reasonable and appropriate goals? Should I have a goal by the week, month, 3 months, or some other timeframe? For those who have gone through this before (going from non-swimmer to swimmer as an adult, no history), any tips? Approximately how long of dedicated training did it take to reach a good swim time?
Thank you everyone who helps me out in setting some reasonable goals for myself.
As a beginner swimmer with fitness as your #1 goal, I’d be more focused on turning swimming into a lifelong exercise habit, but this is more of an objective rather than a goal.
And assuming you have a talented coach, your first goal should be to pay attention to the coach. They are in the best position to assess and improve your swimming.
A second goal is to learn and get comfortable and competent with the basics (the 4 strokes, flip turns, streamlining, dives, kicking, …). This can take 6 months to a year.
Goal 3 – sign-up for USMS Go the Distance, track your training, set distance goals and earn awards!
Again talk to your coach about this, but I wouldn’t suggest a beginner working out more than an hour 3-4 times per week. Too much too early can lead to burn-out and injury. You can work your way up to 2 hours 5 times a week, but it’s better to work your way into it.
And “good swim times” are relative. In today’s society, just swimming 50 free in a minute is a good time. However, if you are interested in competitive goals, then I’d suggest participating in a swim meet after 3 -6 months of training and use these times as a baseline to set future goals.
As a beginner swimmer with fitness as your #1 goal, I’d be more focused on turning swimming into a lifelong exercise habit, but this is more of an objective rather than a goal.
And assuming you have a talented coach, your first goal should be to pay attention to the coach. They are in the best position to assess and improve your swimming.
A second goal is to learn and get comfortable and competent with the basics (the 4 strokes, flip turns, streamlining, dives, kicking, …). This can take 6 months to a year.
Goal 3 – sign-up for USMS Go the Distance, track your training, set distance goals and earn awards!
Again talk to your coach about this, but I wouldn’t suggest a beginner working out more than an hour 3-4 times per week. Too much too early can lead to burn-out and injury. You can work your way up to 2 hours 5 times a week, but it’s better to work your way into it.
And “good swim times” are relative. In today’s society, just swimming 50 free in a minute is a good time. However, if you are interested in competitive goals, then I’d suggest participating in a swim meet after 3 -6 months of training and use these times as a baseline to set future goals.
