Gasping for Breath After a 25 yds

It could be chemicals that cause an allergic reaction. However, in my case, I have to be in the pool area a little longer, about 300 yards. The most common problem is exhaling. There is an article on this website about breathing. If you con't exhale completely, you can't take in more air. You only need to turn your head a little (keep one goggle in the water), and take a small breath. If you haven't exhaled, you will be very short of breath.

Agreed as Betsy says. Many swimmers try to hold their breath too long and then try to catch up with oxygen debt. A 25 is not long enough to do this , so it must be a physical thing going on.

#1 is called the ejection fraction. If this is a recent development I would check with a cardiologist to be on the safe side.

I think this is the article Betsy is talking about: Exhaling - the hidden secret to swimming further and faster Betsy, did I guess right?

betsy: Can you help me locate the article about breathing you're referring to. Do you mean an article or a thread on the forum about breathing. I seel lots of those, but I don't think that's what you're referring to. Thanks.

My guess is, when you're swimming, you're exerting too much, you're trying to hard, and probably not swimming with ease. Even though you've got years on the bike, swim conditioning is a whole new thing. To confirm this, I would need to see you swim. I suggest you get one on one swimming technique lessons. to learn how to properly swim. have someone make a video of you swimming, post it on youtube and provide us with the link check these out: Total Immersion: How I Learned to Swim Effortlessly in 10 Days and You Can Too The Most Graceful Freestyle Swimming by Shinji Takeuchi ... I'm 64, slightly asthmatic, in decent shape from years of bicycling, and swim in a pool disinfected with chlorine and ozone. I have a decent freestyle, but can't swim more than 25 yds. without gasping for breath. My three theories are: 1) my heart muscle just doesn't have the strength to send the blood to my muscles, 2) my wind passages are closing up as an allergic reaction to the ozone, and 3) my stroke technique prevents me from getting a good breath of air. As to No. 2, if you google "ozone allergies", you'll see articles talking about how ozone triggers an asthmatic attack in asthma sufferers. Does anyone have any theories about why I can't swim more than 25 yds.?

You could try swimming about 25 yds in open water where there are no chemicals (not in a pool) to see if you have a reaction and how your breathing feels (out of breath) and that might tell you if 2) is the problem. If you are in decent shape, it seems like 1) would be unlikely swimming 25 yds., but swimming laps is very aerobic exercise. I think many adults who initially jump in the pool to swim laps find it very fatiguing and are out of breathe in one length or two, especially if they are tense, fighting it, and pushing the pace. Relax, swim slower, feel the glide in your stroke, and even just kick along with your arms stretched out for awhile if you have a decent freestyle. You can build from one length to two lengths, then three and more over time. If someone on the pool deck can check out your stroke mechanics, body position, breathing and kicking that may help you with 3) or post up a video on you-tube and link it to this forum.

Thanks Determinedtri. Helpful article.

First of all, get a stress test. Eliminate any heart issues. Being in good shape doesn't mean there isn't something going on, though it's unlikely given that you don't have breathing troubles with other forms of exercise. Still, my BIL is a kid's hockey ref and in his 50s, he's in better shape than anybody I know. He had a mild heart attack earlier this year that required a stint. So you never know. Not trying to be a bummer, but it's always a good idea to get checked out when you start a new exercise. When I started to swim after years out of the pool, it took me ages to build aerobic capacity, even though I'd been an avid cyclist and done a lot of other aerobics. Sojerz et al are right; because we're in water we forget that swimming is highly aerobic. I'd swim a half length, stop, swim back, and build up to a whole length. Like ande said, you might want to swim in another type of environment to see if it's really ozone or just conditioning. I think the links to Total Immersion are a good starting place.

I'm 64, slightly asthmatic, in decent shape from years of bicycling, and swim in a pool disinfected with chlorine and ozone. I have a decent freestyle, but can't swim more than 25 yds. without gasping for breath. My three theories are: 1) my heart muscle just doesn't have the strength to send the blood to my muscles, 2) my wind passages are closing up as an allergic reaction to the ozone, and 3) my stroke technique prevents me from getting a good breath of air. As to No. 2, if you google "ozone allergies", you'll see articles talking about how ozone triggers an asthmatic attack in asthma sufferers. Does anyone have any theories about why I can't swim more than 25 yds.? Another thing to consider is exercise-induced asthma (EIA). I used to get this as a beginner competitive swimmer in high school. I never really experienced it in other sports, but swimming can be much more intense than many other sports. In comparison to swimming, I consider biking a rather leisurely activity (no offense intended!). EIA can be related to allergies/asthma and may also be exacerbated by chlorine or other organic and inorganic compounds in the water. You might want to talk to your doctor about this, especially if you have a doc who has experience in sports medicine. Have you tried using your albuterol inhaler before or after swimming? I think EIA typically improves over time. Mine did, anyway, 'though I still get exercise-induced rhinitis after really intense swim work-outs (eg, 3 miles, two days in a row). Also, if I am in a really heavily chlorinated environment like an indoor waterpark I can get shortness of breath that may last for a day or two.