Hello I am a water rescue technician / paramedic / friefighter in South Padre island. I nned to pass a 1000 meter in 20 min test soon to continue as water rescue. I have been swimming around 4 years and my form is terrible.
Can anyone give me advice for lessons or a place to start practicing my legs?
I have been swimming 1000 meters every day and one problem is I feel so sick from the chlorine in the pool that I swim in. My choices for places to swim are extremely limited right now. Does anyone know how I can build my endurance outside of the pool and away from the chlorine?
Can I practice running with an oxygen depervation mask to build my RBC or H&H for swimming and also avoid the chlorine?
My best 1000 is 22 min but since I feel sick with my sinuses and nose burning from chlorine I am barely dchoking through 1000 in 25 min
I'll second what Dan said and add a couple of things:
If the chemical issues at your pool aren't resolved, you could try a nose clip. My dad always reacted poorly to chlorine and a nose clip helped him.
You don't necessarily have to develop a perfect kick, but a technically proficient kick that will help you maintain good body position is important and could help you shave off lots of time. Some swimmers kick is inhibited by range of motion issues. A set of fins can be good for working on improving that, just be careful not to use them so much that they become a crutch. That is all too common in masters swimming.
As for dryland exercises. Sure, maintaining good general fitness will help you in the pool, but you have a very specific end goal. Personally, I think the best way for you to get where you need to be (20 minutes per 1000m) is to work on technical improvements. This is the "low hanging fruit" you can grab that would be far easier than coming up with an elaborate out of water regiment that may not even get you where you need to be. The only way to do that is with time spent in the water and getting some technical feedback from a friend or coach. You could always take a video and upload to the forums.
I'll second what Dan said and add a couple of things:
If the chemical issues at your pool aren't resolved, you could try a nose clip. My dad always reacted poorly to chlorine and a nose clip helped him.
You don't necessarily have to develop a perfect kick, but a technically proficient kick that will help you maintain good body position is important and could help you shave off lots of time. Some swimmers kick is inhibited by range of motion issues. A set of fins can be good for working on improving that, just be careful not to use them so much that they become a crutch. That is all too common in masters swimming.
As for dryland exercises. Sure, maintaining good general fitness will help you in the pool, but you have a very specific end goal. Personally, I think the best way for you to get where you need to be (20 minutes per 1000m) is to work on technical improvements. This is the "low hanging fruit" you can grab that would be far easier than coming up with an elaborate out of water regiment that may not even get you where you need to be. The only way to do that is with time spent in the water and getting some technical feedback from a friend or coach. You could always take a video and upload to the forums.
