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 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.
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.
