I am a 58 year old male swimmer - generally swim 4 times a week - 1800-2200 meters per workout. I was considering going to zones - which is first week in April. I picked up the intensity of my workouts - lots more effort - about the same yardage - after about a month - i was exhausted - i think i ran my immune system down and got a very bad cold that basically sidelined me from doing anything for a few days. i find this very frustrating. I do not feel like i am asking too much of my body to work hard 3 to 4 times a week at these yardage levels which probably put me at the lower end of a competitive scale. Perhaps as we get older - we need to limit the "hard" workouts and give our bodies more time to recover? Thoughts? Just seems a little depressing that i cannot swim hard 4 times a week at 58.
I'm just a couple of years younger and would suggest trying two days hard and two days easy. Meaning one hard session - and then the next time in the pool should be easy. At this age and stage, recovery is key. The "easy" days should be spent really focusing on perfect turns, and best technique. This is as equally important to engine building - if not more.
Regarding recovery... don't wait to replenish any depleted glycogen. Meaning that you should eat something as soon as you leave the pool.
Most nutritionists recommend eating something within 30 minutes after a workout. Your body, after using up its available energy, needs to be refueled. Specifically with carbs and protein—for energy and to repair the micro-damage that exercise does to your muscles.We're all busy, though. And sometimes, fitting in a workout means squeezing it into a quick 30-minute window and then rushing off to the next obligation. If you don't have a protein bar or other handy snack packed, getting those nutrients in may not actually happen. But if skipping a post-workout nosh becomes a habit, you risk sabotaging your fitness goals.
"Some people will just feel fatigue, and some people can get disoriented from low blood sugar," Jennifer Beck, M.D., sports medicine specialist and pediatric orthopedist at UCLA, tells SELF. She also notes that ignoring post-workout steps that are essential for recovery, like proper nutrition, can contribute to overuse injuries. "We think a lot of overuse injuries happen when people are not replacing essential building blocks as readily as they should," Beck says. This can especially become a problem if you're doing heavy muscle-building activities and neglecting what your body needs to repair microtears and damage. Fixing those tears is how your body builds muscle; failing to do so puts your muscles at risk of further damage next time you work out.
I'm just a couple of years younger and would suggest trying two days hard and two days easy. Meaning one hard session - and then the next time in the pool should be easy. At this age and stage, recovery is key. The "easy" days should be spent really focusing on perfect turns, and best technique. This is as equally important to engine building - if not more.
Regarding recovery... don't wait to replenish any depleted glycogen. Meaning that you should eat something as soon as you leave the pool.
Most nutritionists recommend eating something within 30 minutes after a workout. Your body, after using up its available energy, needs to be refueled. Specifically with carbs and protein—for energy and to repair the micro-damage that exercise does to your muscles.We're all busy, though. And sometimes, fitting in a workout means squeezing it into a quick 30-minute window and then rushing off to the next obligation. If you don't have a protein bar or other handy snack packed, getting those nutrients in may not actually happen. But if skipping a post-workout nosh becomes a habit, you risk sabotaging your fitness goals.
"Some people will just feel fatigue, and some people can get disoriented from low blood sugar," Jennifer Beck, M.D., sports medicine specialist and pediatric orthopedist at UCLA, tells SELF. She also notes that ignoring post-workout steps that are essential for recovery, like proper nutrition, can contribute to overuse injuries. "We think a lot of overuse injuries happen when people are not replacing essential building blocks as readily as they should," Beck says. This can especially become a problem if you're doing heavy muscle-building activities and neglecting what your body needs to repair microtears and damage. Fixing those tears is how your body builds muscle; failing to do so puts your muscles at risk of further damage next time you work out.
