I'm 70 yrs old and started swimming last August. I'm swimming with an awesome Masters team.
I've lost quite a bit of weight, still have 20lbs to go; I'm getting there but have two questions:
1: Am I pulling an extra 20lbs with each pull? At first it seems an obvious yes, but I wonder if being in water makes it different.
2: When the weight is off will it be easier for me to get and stay underwater? - I'm having a tough time pushing off the wall streamline underwater.
odd questions I know, but I'd really appreciate it if anyone can tell me?
Thanks,
Pam
All good points on the physics of swimming, Allan and Kirk. I didn't mean to forget or dispel mass entirely (F=MA unless we approach light speed :), and I hinted at the "tweaking" that can be done too, through streamlining, sdk, tech suits, etc. to reduce drag. A good coach should be able to bring Pam along with these kinds of tweaks or refinements.
One of the big differences in swimming that many new swimmers don't realize results from the inefficiency of the propulsive force pulling on water. On the land the propulsive force to move forward is 100% efficient (unless your feet slip) cause the ground doesn't move, but in the water, the water just moves out of the way and slips by, as we all well know. It takes a lot of practice and technique to minimize that slip and I think Pam would likely benefit more from work on technique than worrying about 20 lbs.
I've noticed on my starts and turns that if my arms aren't already out in a streamlined position when I enter the water or push-off the wall from a turn, they get slammed back; talk about drag! I don't have the strength to resist the force of my push-off cause my legs are much stronger than my arms and velocity is initially high. Maybe younger stronger guys can recover from this error, but I can't. I'm guessing Pam's arms aren't already out in front when she's coming off the wall and a coach could help her fix that pretty easily. At age 66 I know my biggest limitation is largely due to strength at this point - gaining strength and conditioning is much harder now than when I was 20ish, a bit discouraging, but it happens with persistence. A good diet, some dryland work, and cross training seems to help too.
All good points on the physics of swimming, Allan and Kirk. I didn't mean to forget or dispel mass entirely (F=MA unless we approach light speed :), and I hinted at the "tweaking" that can be done too, through streamlining, sdk, tech suits, etc. to reduce drag. A good coach should be able to bring Pam along with these kinds of tweaks or refinements.
One of the big differences in swimming that many new swimmers don't realize results from the inefficiency of the propulsive force pulling on water. On the land the propulsive force to move forward is 100% efficient (unless your feet slip) cause the ground doesn't move, but in the water, the water just moves out of the way and slips by, as we all well know. It takes a lot of practice and technique to minimize that slip and I think Pam would likely benefit more from work on technique than worrying about 20 lbs.
I've noticed on my starts and turns that if my arms aren't already out in a streamlined position when I enter the water or push-off the wall from a turn, they get slammed back; talk about drag! I don't have the strength to resist the force of my push-off cause my legs are much stronger than my arms and velocity is initially high. Maybe younger stronger guys can recover from this error, but I can't. I'm guessing Pam's arms aren't already out in front when she's coming off the wall and a coach could help her fix that pretty easily. At age 66 I know my biggest limitation is largely due to strength at this point - gaining strength and conditioning is much harder now than when I was 20ish, a bit discouraging, but it happens with persistence. A good diet, some dryland work, and cross training seems to help too.
