This is my first post here.
I started swimming four years ago. I grew up with a pool at our house and swimming was always an important part of summer for me, but I never swam competitively. Fast forward a few decades (I'm 47 now). I started swimming because running was becoming too painful for my knees and back, and I was tired of other problems (shin splints, for example).
I started out with breaststroke but now I swim almost nothing but freestyle. I started practicing bilateral breathing just a few months ago because my goal is to enter triathlons starting next year (Olympic distance), and I found that being able to breathe on both sides would be an immense asset after a few open water swims in which I breathed only to one side.
After a timed swim last week in which I tried to do bilateral as much as possible during a 1500m swim, I came up with a time that was slightly better than normal, and this even though I deliberately took it easy for the first half of the swim.
I knew it must have been the higher stroke rate that this unnatural style forces me to use. Yesterday, I timed myself again for 1500m and ended up under 28 minutes for the first time ever (27:48). I again used bilateral breathing and the higher stroke rate.
Now I'm sold on a higher stroke rate! When I breathe to one side, it's very smooth (almost no bubbles even when I push myself), but I pause for a second with my right arm in the water.
Has anyone else experienced something similar with a higher stroke rate?
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the fact that I got rid of the dead spot I have when a swim breathing to only one side (my right arm is extended and I pause for probably a good half second)
This seems like the big difference, you obviously don't want any dead spots in your stroke.
Some people what you are calling the statue of liberty, one arm is extended our front, the other is at your hip and for a time you are there just gliding motionless on your side, this isn't what we are after.
If your dead spot is indeed tha pronounced, you may even be faster breathing every two strokes to your "bad" side.
In terms of fixing the dead spot, first of all get video of yourself. Everyone has a smartphone these days, get video from the side of the pool as you breathe left, breathe right and another as you breathe every third. It will prove illuminating.
While not necessarily a cure-all, for a self taught swimmer I have found a tempo trainer to be helpful. Set it to beep every 1.1 seconds to start this should help you eliminate the dead spot.
Best of luck
I have a Swimovate watch that keeps track of laps for you and also counts your strokes. I've been paying close attention to my stroke rate lately and I don't see a difference between when I do bilateral breathing (breathing every three strokes) and single sided breathing (breathing every two strokes). The watch counts my strokes to be 18 strokes in a 25m pool and 44 strokes in a 50m pool for both bilateral and single sided breathing.
So it's definitely my dead spot and not an upping of my stroke rate that has been helping me with my times. So with the other suggestions in this thread regarding how breathing every 2 strokes for long distance would be better, I think I can further improve my time by getting rid of that dead spot and breathing every 2 strokes (rather than relying on bilateral/every three strokes breathing to do this).
I like your "statue of liberty" comment. I might very well be doing a statue of liberty! I've seen some video that addresses this topic in which the arm of the swimmer is outstretched and the fingers are pointing upwards. I would call this "The Heil Hitler."
Thanks for your comments.
the fact that I got rid of the dead spot I have when a swim breathing to only one side (my right arm is extended and I pause for probably a good half second)
This seems like the big difference, you obviously don't want any dead spots in your stroke.
Some people what you are calling the statue of liberty, one arm is extended our front, the other is at your hip and for a time you are there just gliding motionless on your side, this isn't what we are after.
If your dead spot is indeed tha pronounced, you may even be faster breathing every two strokes to your "bad" side.
In terms of fixing the dead spot, first of all get video of yourself. Everyone has a smartphone these days, get video from the side of the pool as you breathe left, breathe right and another as you breathe every third. It will prove illuminating.
While not necessarily a cure-all, for a self taught swimmer I have found a tempo trainer to be helpful. Set it to beep every 1.1 seconds to start this should help you eliminate the dead spot.
Best of luck
I have a Swimovate watch that keeps track of laps for you and also counts your strokes. I've been paying close attention to my stroke rate lately and I don't see a difference between when I do bilateral breathing (breathing every three strokes) and single sided breathing (breathing every two strokes). The watch counts my strokes to be 18 strokes in a 25m pool and 44 strokes in a 50m pool for both bilateral and single sided breathing.
So it's definitely my dead spot and not an upping of my stroke rate that has been helping me with my times. So with the other suggestions in this thread regarding how breathing every 2 strokes for long distance would be better, I think I can further improve my time by getting rid of that dead spot and breathing every 2 strokes (rather than relying on bilateral/every three strokes breathing to do this).
I like your "statue of liberty" comment. I might very well be doing a statue of liberty! I've seen some video that addresses this topic in which the arm of the swimmer is outstretched and the fingers are pointing upwards. I would call this "The Heil Hitler."
Thanks for your comments.
