Good ol' breathing

RE: Good ol' breathing

Former Member — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 16:28:47 GMT

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.

RE: Good ol' breathing

Jimbosback — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 12:06:40 GMT

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.

RE: Good ol' breathing

SharkPointOlivia — Sun, 03 Jul 2016 07:50:53 GMT

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.

RE: Good ol' breathing

Former Member — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 13:46:18 GMT

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 :)

RE: Good ol' breathing

Former Member — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 13:38:47 GMT

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

RE: Good ol' breathing

ForceDJ — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 09:31:58 GMT

...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

RE: Good ol' breathing

secondheart — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 05:07:17 GMT

FYI- not a doctor but having breathing issues can be related to the heart tell your story to a cardiologist.

RE: Good ol' breathing

orca1946 — Fri, 01 Jul 2016 04:58:47 GMT

Have you looked into a Masters swim team?