Hi All,
I have a problem with my breathing. But before I go into details here's a little background of me.
I'm a 39 old 6'1" 83 kilo (183lb) in-shape (?) male.
In my younger years I was kickboxing, kayaking, rowing, soccer. I like sports and am not a couch potato, doesn't look like one either. Have broad shoulders, long arms. Not bulky, but fit I would say.
I do like sports in general but with breathing I always had troubles. Despite of what would someone think when looking at me I was always almost last to finish the long distance run in school or anytime I had to do something that required me doing something for a long period of time.
With swimming I experience the same.
My average swimming session looks like this: 1 hour lap swimming covering app. 2000 meters. Free-back-free-back-***-back in a 33 meter pool 1:30- 2:00 break. Sometimes I do mini-IMs, so even butterfly is not out of question.
During practice I push myself as hard as I can. Swimming against the clock. Trying to be faster and faster every time. Cutting back on breaks and trying to be faster when swimming. I am completely out of breath after each set.
Since I am a technical guy, I have read tons of articles, watched hundreds of tutorial videos. I know all (well, a whole lot) about body, head positions, catch and pull, rotation, high-elbow, being relaxed, breathing patterns, kicking cycle, etc. and as much I can tell I built those in in my swimming.
When swimming I try to look myself from the outside and imagine my body and compare it to what I have seen from elite swimmers. In my early years I attended swimming schools where and even a few years ago I had a swimming coach. I was told to have a good style. I swim with high elbow in and out of the water, rotate my body when rested. The problem starts after 2 laps...
So when I start I glide through the water, calm and relaxed. Have no urgency to come up for air at all. I do come up after every 5-7 strokes however, but I could make that 9-11 too. It feels like I could go on like this forever. But that's just the first lap.
After I reach the wall I turn to my back and start backstroking. My breathing starts to get faster. Buy the time I reach the wall again I breath at every stroke. And the 3rd lap (free again) is very different from my firs one. I am tired like hell, have to come up for air every 2 strokes, my arms are heavy (there's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti), breathing is not controlled (hyperventillating I believe), heart's pumping fast, have to fight to reach the wall.
I somehow manege to finish my set and take at least 1:30 minute break to catch my breath and be ready for the next one. And it starts again. The first one is very easy, but the same thing happens what I wrote above.
I think that I hyperventilating and even though I try to exhale all the O2 I do something wrong and the CO2 builds up. That is why my lung can't keep up and I have to come up for air.
If you guys have any tip (technical, medical) on what causes how to prevent this, please let me know.
I do think about having a coach for a longer period of time and let them correct me.
Thank you in advance
...in a 33 meter pool...
Interesting. I'm betting it may actually be 33 and one-third meters, and that is a pretty old pool. I once read that 33 1/3 was once the Olympic size pool, back when there were only three strokes. Three lengths equaled and even 100 meters.
Sorry to hijack.
Dan
Hi All,
If you guys have any tip (technical, medical) on what causes how to prevent this, please let me know.
I do think about having a coach for a longer period of time and let them correct me.
Thank you in advance
This is going to sound strange... but try doing a set where you deliberately swim easy, with minimal effort. Work on being fluid, graceful, and effortless.
Your breathing will stay relaxed, but the effort level will slowly become noticeable regardless of this attempt to swim quietly. A set of 12 x 66's or 10 x 99's allows you to focus on technique with an opportunity to re-oxygenate if the rest ratio is just right.
It can take time to build up better lung capacity. And it sounds as if you may be using your athletic background to approach your swimming sets with some intensity, which is great, but it's also putting a demand on your aerobic system.
Keep your focus on efficiency and allow the fitness level to evolve as your stroke gets better and better.
During practice I push myself as hard as I can. Swimming against the clock. Trying to be faster and faster every time
Interesting. I'm betting it may actually be 33 and one-third meters, and that is a pretty old pool. I once read that 33 1/3 was once the Olympic size pool, back when there were only three strokes. Three lengths equaled and even 100 meters.
Sorry to hijack.
Dan
It is a 50 meter pool, but the wall at 33 meter can be folded out, so two pools can be used at once. One is 33 meter long and the other is 16. 1 meter the wall itself.
The bottom of the 16X21 meter pool can be elevated from 0.9 meters to 2 meters. This is where the youngest kids learn the first time.
When there is a race they fold the wall out and tadaa! we have a 50 meter pool :)
Have you tried making yourself breathe every 3 strokes from the start, rather than every 5-9? I was coaching someone who was having a problem swimming beyond 100 yards comfortably and had a similar background to yours - once he shifted to breathing every 3, and breathing pretty fast off of the turn, he wasn't quite as breathless at the end and has been able to get up to 1000 yards. Also, second it can't hurt getting checked by a cardiologist just to be completely safe.
Why not take your time and breathe every two or three? This is something I have worked on a lot. When younger, I was programmed to breathe less, only to figure out now that that is not always the best thing, especially when swimming more than a 50.
So when I start I glide through the water, calm and relaxed. Have no urgency to come up for air at all. I do come up after every 5-7 strokes however, but I could make that 9-11 too. It feels like I could go on like this forever. But that's just the first lap.
Breathing relaxed is fine, but you still need to breathe. Try just breathing normally.
I think that I hyperventilating and even though I try to exhale all the O2 I do something wrong and the CO2 builds up. That is why my lung can't keep up and I have to come up for air.
Co2 builds up when holding your breath or when restricting your breathing, creating an urge and need to breathe more. Best is then just breathing normally, but that's not possible to do during exercise when demand is already high. Hyperventilating washes out the Co2, which inhibits O2 exchange at the cellular level, still not satisfying the demand.
The issue is caused by restricting your breathing from the start. Breathing normally will help to resolve it, i.e. every 2 strokes.
