Ok, I know this problem has probably been tackeled before but I could use some advice for my own personal benifit. I'm 19 and about 50 lbs overweight. I'm 5'3 and weigh 190. I'm not horribly ashamed of my body or anything like that. But I do know that I am horribly out of shape. Ever since I was a kid I've loved to swim and when I was in 6th grade I finally got some training to learn the proper strokes. Durning that time I lost my baby fat and was in better shape than I have been in since. I joined the swimming team my freshman year and got all the way through the training season before I had to quit (due to my slack in grades). I've tried different work out routines, excercise videos, etc. But nothing has worked as well as swimming has. I am again going to start swimming to get into shape but I don't feel I'm ready to begin joining anything like masters. Does anyone have any suggestions for good swimming workouts that I could do 3-4 days a week that will get me back in shape and ready to join something like masters for competitions. Thanks to anyone who can help.
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Former Member
Funny thing about impressing people. These folks on the Masters teams, they have no idea what you swam like when you were younger. You could be setting PR's, or minutes off of your best times, either way, they will only know how fast your are from the first day you show up for one of their practices.
So...you can work for weeks on your own to get into rip-roaring good shape, then go to your first Masters workout. You might get a little better from there, and your new teammates will think you have made just a little improvement. Or, you could show up slow and sloppy, then rapidly get much better. Even though you are still miles away from what you used to be, your new teammates will be blown away by how much you have "improved" since you joined their team.
Hold off on joining a team because of busy schedule, etc. That's legitimate. BUT DON"T KID YOURSELF ABOUT NEEDING TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE BEFORE JOINING A TEAM! The longer you hold onto that fallacy, the longer it will take you to comprehend what Masters swimming is all about. Put it another way, the only reason to do Masters swimming is because it pleases you. What other people feel/think/want about your swimming is not important. This is a truism that can take many years of Masters swimming before you completely comprehend its depth and profundity.
Matt
Funny thing about impressing people. These folks on the Masters teams, they have no idea what you swam like when you were younger. You could be setting PR's, or minutes off of your best times, either way, they will only know how fast your are from the first day you show up for one of their practices.
So...you can work for weeks on your own to get into rip-roaring good shape, then go to your first Masters workout. You might get a little better from there, and your new teammates will think you have made just a little improvement. Or, you could show up slow and sloppy, then rapidly get much better. Even though you are still miles away from what you used to be, your new teammates will be blown away by how much you have "improved" since you joined their team.
Hold off on joining a team because of busy schedule, etc. That's legitimate. BUT DON"T KID YOURSELF ABOUT NEEDING TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE BEFORE JOINING A TEAM! The longer you hold onto that fallacy, the longer it will take you to comprehend what Masters swimming is all about. Put it another way, the only reason to do Masters swimming is because it pleases you. What other people feel/think/want about your swimming is not important. This is a truism that can take many years of Masters swimming before you completely comprehend its depth and profundity.
Matt
