Hi Everyone,
It's not my first time posting here (had different names I can't even remember) but I still trying to find a way to be able to swim many laps without having to stop for a few minutes after a few. I have seen it all/read it all/tried it all to no avail.
I have been suspecting that it has to do with my technique/breathing/muscle endurance/or all of these. I am a technical hermit and I can say that I have pretty good technique. Have been taking 1 on 1 coaching (I want to do that again by joining a swimming club that teaches recreational swimmers like myself). I've got many compliments as to my style. I can swim all strokes. When swimming freestyle I have high elbow, good DPS, etc. I have read tons of articles, watched days of tutorial videos, bought fins, pull buoy. I am fairly athletic, broad shoulders, lean and long (6'1") body I could go on and on for pages about my past with swimming and the things I have tried, but I won't. I wrote all these down so you get the picture a little bit of my background.
The question:
I have a coworker who is a girl, short (I'd say 5'5"), a bit overweight, but the firm kind and not full fat - but she is not athletic at all just by looking at her. Although she was a member of an elite Hungarian jump-rope team. She went all over the world (World Jump Rope where they won several golds,etc.), so she is/was good at it.
So this girl started swimming just recently and she can swim 1000 meters without stopping (mainly breasts, but free/back too) whereas I swim for years now and can hardly swim 200 meters before I have to stop. Also after a little preparation she was able to run the Marathon last year. again, she is not athletic and no one would pick her out of a line to run the Marathon...
Her resting pulse is like 40. What is it that she has and I don't? What do I have to work on? I kinda know it: endurance, cardiovascular strength, but I would like others to say it.
Sorry for the words I used when talking about her, but I had to be descriptive.
Thanks
Hi, thanks for posting! Great to hear that you have been working so diligently on refining your swimming - it is certainly a challenge when on your own! You might want to consider posting a video of your stroke here on the forum - I'm sure there are plenty of forumites who can take a look and provide advice on determining your stroke level as well as pointing out any potential areas you might benefit from focusing on. Otherwise, joining the Masters team - as you mentioned you would like to do - is definitely a great idea to help with overall conditioning and to provide you with a coach to whom you can turn for advice. Best of luck to you!
...elite Hungarian jump-rope team...
Interesting. I never would have guessed there is such a thing.
Afodi -- First, I want to compliment you for your "sticktoitivness." I think many other swimmers would have given up by now. I don't really have an answer for you, but I will offer a couple of comments. I think that if 'a swimmer' wants swim longer, non-stop distances...maybe, for now, they (i.e. you) need to just leave all the swim toys on the deck and focus on swimming longer distances. I mean building endurance is a long process. But I'm sure you know that. Decades ago in my early 20s when I decided to become a fitness swimmer, I was already a distance runner. I could "swim" per se, and thought that distance swimming would just come naturally. I was wrong. It took a while before I could swim longer distances non-stop. And to do it I just concentrated on swimming longer...one stroke (crawl) not using all the equipment. Why did it come so naturally to your co-worker? Who knows. In distance running there's a saying: "Sprinters are born, distance runners are made"...through long, hard work. Generally I've always believed that. But I also believe that everyone has a natural ability to some degree or another. It just needs to be refined and/or improved upon. And that it applies to not just running, or swimming, but to any athletic activity. So, if swimming longer is your goal, for now. I think that alone is specifically what you should focus on.
Good luck.
Dan
Many people can go from swimming 100m to swimming over 1000m within a couple months. You should consider trying this program: ruthkazez.com/ZeroTo1mile.html
If you can't do this, I think your technique is a lot worse than you think. You need to relax more in the water in good body position so you exert much less energy.
Why do you have to stop? Are you gasping for air or are your arms/legs getting too tired?
I was going to ask the same question. My guess is it's the former, and if that's the case it's a good indication that your breathing technique needs work. You could have other stroke technique flaws too, of course, but if you're gasping for air breathing technique would be the first thing I'd suspect is limiting your performance.
Those who've suggested stroke improvement, and the like...they are great suggestions for someone who would be suffering from poor stroke technique, or someone looking to improve time over longer distances. But re-read the OP. He stated that he's had numerous one-on-one coaching sessions; watched and followed hours of tutorials; has good form; and has even received complements on his stroke technique. It would seem that his current stroke would be more than sufficient to enable him to swim more than 200 meter without stopping. Again, I would suggest that it is a simple matter of improving/increasing endurance using the same good form that he indicated he has. That's a slow, gradual process.
Dan
Yes, slow down, concentrate on breathing and increase your distance by one single lap each week. If your muscles are aching, they are not getting enough oxygen. If you are out of breath, you are going too fast, or not filling your lungs each time you breathe in, then getting into an anaerobic state. Always stay aerobic.
I used to be a distance runner with good endurance, but not marathons. And I had great lung capacity, so when I switched from run to swim, I was able to swim 1000 yards almost from the start. On the other hand, my form was poor, kick non-existent and speed extremely slow, which is what I have been working on.
Why do you have to stop? Are you gasping for air or are your arms/legs getting too tired? When I first started, I would add an extra lap without stopping every week. For example, if you know you can't do more than 200, try 225 next time. Keep doing that for a week or two and see if it helps.
There is a guy in my lane that goes out really hard and fast. By the end of 100y, he slows down tremendously. Sometimes, he even stops and finds it hard to complete a 200y. We tease him all the time on how he is unable to pace himself. Could you be doing that too?
"Why do you have to stop? Are you gasping for air or are your arms/legs getting too tired?" - yes, I have to gasp for air. My legs are not that tired.
I think this very much points to poor breathing technique. If you are fit and your technique is decent, and both seem to be true, you should be able to swim almost indefinitely if you can find the right pace.
And maybe you are trying to swim too fast most of the time. You should be able to slow down without adversely affecting your technique. Yes, you will glide more. That's not necessarily a bad thing. You can't swim exactly the same way for every swim duration/distance.
