I am 54 and a few pounds heavy, though am very strong. I took up swimming as a main workout about 5 months ago after a 37 year lapse. My gym has a 25 meter pool. I am not anywhere near as fast as I was in HS but can now hold my own with most folks my age. I am pretty good in all 4 main strokes though I find the Butterfly to be a killer.
I worked my way up to 3250 meters but found this to be a bit much so I backed it down to 2100 meters of which I alternate between 100 meter Freestyle, 100 meters of Backstroke and 100 meters of breaststroke 7 times. I rarely do the Butterfly.
I am fighting arthritis and aging. Is swimming the 2100 meters about 4 days out of the week a good workout for the middle aged gent I now am? Right now the whole workout takes about 46 minutes and I hit the mile mark around 36 minutes. Am I doing okay?:) Thanks.
I am fighting arthritis and aging. Is swimming the 2100 meters about 4 days out of the week a good workout for the middle aged gent I now am? Right now the whole workout takes about 46 minutes and I hit the mile mark around 36 minutes. Am I doing okay?:) Thanks.
Sounds like you are doing great, Greg54! You may want to check out a local masters team around you if you want to get even faster. Swimming with a coach is great in many ways. You have someone coming up with new and challenging things for you to do in the water as well as someone who can help to make that butterfly easier :) It's also a lot of fun swimming with a group of peers. Good luck and keep swimming!!!
I find that 4 days/wk is optimal for me in terms of the balance of life and swimming,but also for need for recovery. I swim 1 hr sessions and supplement them with 2X30 minute weight lifting sessions/wk. I have had good results with this, but it is important to note that I do 40 min of the 1 hr swim as some race pace type workout,some HIT and,increasingly,USRPT.
You sound exactly like where I was 3 years ago. I saw from 1967-76 (ages 9-18) for a club team, then not really much at all until I found myself 232 pounds with a 42 inch waist and diagnosed with type-II diabetes. I needed to exercise, but hate running, so what else(?)...I started swimming again and ended up competing in a non-sanctioned masters event and going under 40 seconds in 50 meter *** and 31.66 in 50 meter free after just about 6 weeks of training...at 220 pounds! I'm now down to about 208 and have a personal (masters) best of 30.37 in 50 meter free. That's only about two seconds slower than my 18 year old time of low 28s (back in the day, I was really only a middling swimmer, and I didn't feel like I was good enough for college). I still need to get under 200 (only 5'9" but down to 17.2% body fat, with a goal of 12%). There is no better thing you can do to stay in shape...anything else (racing, rankings, etc.) is gravy.
Last weekend there was held a National Masters competition of Bulgaria. I went to see what I should expect next year. I couldn't believe there were so many competitors (more than couple of dozens) aged over 80. Oldest folks were born between 1928-1932 and they swam 50 LCM in 1:25 (slightly slower than me). So comparing to them with your 54's - you are a teenager with plenty of time to improve your technique and pace.
Greg - many who ask questions here are referred to find a local masters team for many reasons. The time spent with a coach and team members will aid you a lot in learning to swim better and have new swim friends. Good luck.
