I have been swimming at a local YMCA for the past 11 years. They have had an on again and off again (mostly off) Masters program. I try to swim 3-4 times a week and have always performed essentially the same "routine" before my swim.
Recently, I have been warned, and notified that I am at risk of being kicked out of the pool for my warm-up routine.
I am fully aware of the risks involving hypoxic blackout. There seems to be some unclear rules regarding "No breath Holding", "only swim 2/3 the length underwater", "only swim 3/4 the length underwater" etc.
Is this behavior unreasonably dangerous?
Any suggestions?
As a routine practice, I have always performed the following actions prior to my swimming workout:
Kind of a weird thing but I always make it a habit of not ‘testing’ the water before jumping in. (Weird I know… but it’s habit)
I place my goggles on my head standing at pools edge and jump in.
I quickly surface, take a breath and perform a dolphin kick swim underwater the length of the pool. (25 Yds).
Upon surfacing, I begin a series of leisurely freestyle strokes, and transition to drills before engaging in my main sets that are approx. 2500-4000 yds.
At no time whatsoever, do I attempt to engage in hyperventilation followed by underwater breath holding, or repetitive underwater laps. Never!
Is this behavior unreasonably dangerous? Maybe not for you, but it may be for someone sees you doing this and tries to emulate your underwater swim. It’s kind of like diving into the shallow end. For many of us we can dive into 3 ½ feet of water with no risk. But, this could be catastrophic for someone else trying to dive because they saw me dive. That’s why our pool has rules against diving in the shallow end.
Any suggestions? Personally, I’d change my routine instead of being kicked out of the pool. If your pool has a rule or guideline prohibiting underwater swimming, then go ahead and follow the rule or talk to the aquatics director about changing the rule. Please don’t debate it with the lifeguards, they are just trying to enforce the rules they have been told to enforce.
Is this behavior unreasonably dangerous? Maybe not for you, but it may be for someone sees you doing this and tries to emulate your underwater swim. It’s kind of like diving into the shallow end. For many of us we can dive into 3 ½ feet of water with no risk. But, this could be catastrophic for someone else trying to dive because they saw me dive. That’s why our pool has rules against diving in the shallow end.
Any suggestions? Personally, I’d change my routine instead of being kicked out of the pool. If your pool has a rule or guideline prohibiting underwater swimming, then go ahead and follow the rule or talk to the aquatics director about changing the rule. Please don’t debate it with the lifeguards, they are just trying to enforce the rules they have been told to enforce.
