Please Help out a Rookie!

Thanks for the tip on Swim2000 website. I signed up for their workouts. They also seem to have decent deals on equipment.

What I did was take workouts from web sites or SWIM magazine and shorten them for my level of swimming, while maintaining the overall goal of the workout. I would keep the sets but reduce yardage. That way I was getting a nicely diverse workout and one that fit my fitness level. Gradually you add more yardage as you improve.

My 2 cents: One of the most significant things I did that improved my swimming was determining my workout before I swim. I use Swim Info. workouts and others modifying them for me. I write the workout I intend to complete prior to going to the pool and tape it to my water bottle. I have found it is one of the most significant things that gives me an incentive to do a complete workout. Before I used to go for my swim and have a goal in mind (in meters/yards) and often didn't complete it. With a list of the sets in front of me, I feel obligated to complete them and feel so satisfied when I've completed everything I set out to do. It's very motivational. My other cent: Although many people on this forum discuss competition, please know that Masters is for both competitively minded swimmers and fitness minded swimmers. Most Masters clubs have a mixture of both. So, no matter what's your level of swimming, you are welcome in joining Masters. Dan

Originally posted by dcarson My 2 cents: One of the most significant things I did that improved my swimming was determining my workout before I swim. I use Swim Info. workouts and others modifying them for me. I write the workout I intend to complete prior to going to the pool and tape it to my water bottle. I do this too. I decide on a workout the night before, print it out in a large font and put it in a baggie. I can be tough on myself because it is the night before. I may get up in the morning and wonder what I was thinking, but with the workout already in the bag(gie), I go to the pool and do it - otherwise I would probably slack off and decide that I need an easy day, or the water is too warm (it is!), or I need an easy day, or it's time to go eat, or.......etc.

i'm 26 too and have just got back into swimming after about a 10 year layoff. since november i've been swimming once a week for an hour, doing about 2000metres. i tended to do the following: 200m frontcrawl 200m backcrawl 200m ***-stroke then same through with 100m on each stroke then some sprints for fun, say 8 lengths of one length sprint then one length recovery then repeat the beginning again until the time was up!! every now and then i'd put some drills in there for something a bit different i've now got fit and fast enough to be allowed into the local masters swimming squad so i obviously was doing something right!

When I started back swimming a few years ago my practice was: Swim 500 freestyle for time Every other or every third day. I think I did about 7:30-8 minutes for a while. Later I added some 50s on 1:00 Take it slow, mix in other strokes. You'll know when you are ready for more. The main thing is to show up at the pool consistently and don't injure yourself. Swim fast, Greg

A lot of the workouts are geared with people that can do 4,000 yards in an hour. I don't think that I even did 4,000 yards in an hour when I was younger. Maybe, I did but can't remember it. A more beginning workout would be something between 1,000 to 1,500 in 30 mintues to an hour. Maybe swim a 200 yard free and wait 30 seconds to 1 mintue and half. If you have a pace clock it would make it easier. Then a 100 of IM for 1 mintue and 100 breastroke for a mintue. Then maybe 400 yards of kicking. Rest maybe 3 mintues or so. Then 10x50 of freestyle and other strokes on 40 seconds to a mintue. Then rest at least 2 mintues or more then a 200 yard freestyle to warm down. I think that for many swimmers who swim their 50 yard free more than 40 seconds, a lot of the workouts are not always practical.

Half the fun is to make up your own workouts, where you can change and adapt what you do (that is if you are able to do what you want in your pool). For those who need to be told (like myself) I find it more motivating to complete a task set already. Many websites have workouts available to do. www.swim2000.com is where I get my workouts from, where you can have either, beginner, intermediate or advanced workouts sent via email to you every week. These also vary into Long/Sprint sets and I.M./Stoke and are all FREE.

Originally posted by cinc310 A more beginning workout would be something between 1,000 to 1,500 in 30 mintues to an hour. Gee, I was actually kinda proud of my 1650 in 50 minutes this morning...Well, it'll get better I guess. I've only been back in the water for 2 weeks now. I don't care for the term "beginner" since I used to be a competitive swimmer, but I guess in many ways, I 'am' a beginner again. Glad I found this site though. Lotsa good reading.

I was just comparing myself, I even started lower than that. I think the first 4 weeks I did between 200 yards to 500 yards. Just this last month I started doing between 2,500 to 3,000 yards in an hour workout for 4 or 5 sessions. Sometimes I did a double workout on my day off, since I only had acess to a pool 4 days. Anyway, I'm comparing some of the people I see in lap swimming. Some of them can in 30 minutes do only about 200 to 500 yards. And many very beginning lap swimmers do mainly kicking. Some other lap swimmers can do 2000 to 4000 in an hour. I thought that the person had been back swimming a little while that why I recommend between 1000 to 1500 2 to 5 days a week. I don't know how much this person is able to swim. I had a period where I could only workout 2 days last year.