Let me give you a quick insight on my story. I was about 290 lbs 2 years ago. I dropped 90 but i plan to go down to 160 and no i dont have loose skin. I joined swimming in 10th grade and started off swimming a 1:05 50 free. By the end of the season i swam a 37 second 50 free. I now swim at 35 seconds by jr year. I wasn't put into this sport by my parents at a young age like most swimmers. I joined it, I love it, and I want to get better. While swimming my legs just don't want to move. I can swim a 34 second 50 pull and a 54 second 50 kick. I force myself to kick but it doesn't help. I want to get down to a realistic time of at least 24 seconds by next year. Do you think losing the 40 lbs and also i will be adding on at least 12 lbs of muscle will help. How do i drop time. Does the weight actually make a barrier for me to do so, I see people bigger than me swimming under 30. I'm motivated, I'll be lifting weights and swimming all off season. Give me your input. Thanks.
Losing weight may help a little, but the real solution is to improve your technique. There are plenty of people heavier than you who can swim much faster, so obviously the weight isn't the problem. Find a good coach or instructor who can help you improve your technique and you will improve.
Congrats on your weight loss so far. That alone is quite impressive!
Thanks. Well my coach has been working on that and I swim with a good technique, with exception to the kicking. I do kick in the 50 free sprint but im not sure if it is doing more harm than good. Long distance my legs just rotate with my body and lay there. This is only my second year swimming. My friend has been swimming for 6 years and he does not kick either and he swims on a 23.09. You for sure have more experience than me, what do you think. Is it something that comes with time?
I do kick in the 50 free sprint but im not sure if it is doing more harm than good.
This means you need to definitely work on your kick.
One of two things is likely to be happening:
1) When you kick harder you kick bigger or too much from the knee, bringing your legs too far out of streamline.
2) Your kick timing is off so the propulsive part of the kick is out of sync with the proper part of the pull. This is often due to the hips not rotating in tandem with the upper body...anywhere from slightly behind to completely out of sync. Depending on how good the rest of your technique is and how far out of sync the kick is, this can be a tricky one to spot on deck. Especially if it's only happening at higher speeds where it's harder to keep up with the rotation. It may a complete non-issue at cruise pace.
Also, don't assume your coach thinks you have good technique just because they only say you need work on your kick. Most coaches will try to correct one or two things at a time so as not to leave you overwhelmed. Also some parts of technique are a chain reaction, so when one is finally fixed it automatically corrects one or more other problems. Listen to your coach and do what they say. Technique is king, not muscling through the water.
