Coming back to swimming?

I don't know if I qualify, but I started swimming as an adult, and was swimming a lot until I got a job with long hours. I'm back to it now, and I've experienced some shoulder issues, but changing my stroke helps. Of course, I'm not fast and I don't compete.

Hi Greg, Welcome back to swimming! Getting back into training after several years away from the pool is tricky. As a competitive swimmer, you are now tempted to put the same amount of effort into swimming as you did before, expecting that you will be at the same level. However, four years away is a long time and your body may not be able to do what your mind thinks it can - at least for now. If you approach your training with the understanding that you are starting off at a lower level, it will be much easier to build back up to competitive shape while avoiding injuries. I actually wrote an article on The Motivation to Train which you might find helpful (www.swimspire.com/.../). The shoulder pain is likely coming from your technique (whether from the way you are executing the pull, the recovery, the entry into the water or from an imbalance in your stroke overall, etc) which may have even been present when you were training previously but was not as apparent since you were in good swimming shape. I would suggest getting your stroke analyzed to see what areas you need to improve upon. This way, you can continue to build endurance while placing less pressure on your joints. Good luck! Julia

At 22 or so , I sure you went back into it FULL TILT , so try to swim longer distances with more thought of stroke rather the speed. And welcome back. I hope you stay with us/it for a lifetime!

I'm suffering from a burnout phase, which you wouldn't expect from someone who's only been swimming about six months. I'm just tired of not making progress with my speed or stroke efficiency and not getting a good enough workout. I'm pretty stressed about something else that's not related to swimming, but I feel if I don't get back into the pool soon I'll lose any little bit of progress I did make over the last months.

Good news and bad news. Good is that at only 4 years out and assuming you kept in decent shape otherwise, you will probably be back at lot sooner than if you waited 10 + years. The bad news is that recovery always goes downhill with age. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

I just started swimming again, and it's been 15 years since I swam laps. I swim about a true mile +, but I rotate between freestyle, breaststroke, and kicks to avoid overworking any one area of my body that might not be used to all this movement. I also am not swimming for time yet, and take breaks at the 100 yd marks. So far, no undue pain. It doesn't seem run of the mill that you would have shoulder pain after doing 2 100s, but then you might be swimming at a brisker pace than me.

Hey guys and gals, I have a quick question. I haven't swam rigorously since high school which was 4 years ago. I'm getting back into it right now, and my shoulders start hurting after doing just 2 100s. Is it just because I haven't used them in this manner in a long time? What can I do to swim longer without having this pain? I stretch a lot before working out, so that can't be it. Do I just need to keep swimming so that I can get used to it? Thanks, Greg What helps me is warming up primarily with dolphin or flutter kicking on my back -- the big muscles do warm up faster, after all. Other than initiating my turn, I don't bring the arms in for a good 1,000 meters. Doing lots of kick helped me ramp up my endurance and total distance in a relatively pain-free manner after a three-year layoff. Fins and/or a swimmer's snorkel may may also help you take the load off your shoulders. On the flip side of that equation, you may want to lay off pulling, at least not with big paddles. Technique wise, make sure your arms aren't crossing over the centerline in free/back -- that seems to be a common culprit for shoulder pain.

Hey guys and gals, I have a quick question. I haven't swam rigorously since high school which was 4 years ago. I'm getting back into it right now, and my shoulders start hurting after doing just 2 100s. Is it just because I haven't used them in this manner in a long time? What can I do to swim longer without having this pain? I stretch a lot before working out, so that can't be it. Do I just need to keep swimming so that I can get used to it? Thanks, Greg What kind of stretching do you do before workouts? Slow motion stretches that warm up the muscle are fine,but static stretches(what most people think of as stretching) can actually be harmful if done before the muscle is warmed up. I have had shoulder injuries a couple of times and when coming back I am careful to ease back to full intensity.I start with fist swimming dog paddle with a swim snorkel.This puts less strain on the shoulders and is a great drill to work on EVF. A coach told my wife that if her shoulders starts to get twitchy, she should swim holding tennis balls to take the strain off the shoulders.

A half hour with a private coach this morning and I learned more than in a whole semester of group lessons. She even got me into the deep end, which is a huge accomplishment. I'm giving myself some well-deserved pats on the back.:banana: WooHOO! That's great, Denise! By the time we meet up at Nationals, you'll be looking back and saying, "I remember when..." :applaud:

A half hour with a private coach this morning and I learned more than in a whole semester of group lessons. She even got me into the deep end, which is a huge accomplishment. I'm giving myself some well-deserved pats on the back.:banana: