I posted on the 50 plus thread a while back that I was swimming 3500 plus each time I swam. As luck would have it other obligations have cut into my swimming time and I have had to cut back to an average of 2250 per session during the month of April. The range is 1650 to 3250 for the month.
This is not good but will have to do. I have lost endurance but I am trying to work on stroke and strength. With only about 50 minutes to swim a couple times of week that is all I can do. One of ya'll suggested that I work on fly doing 12X25 fly each time I swim. This has worked out well. The pool was turned around for long course yesterday and I was able to make about 40 to 45 meters before my stroke deteriated. My time has also came down for the 25 fly.
My goal is to swim the 200 IM by June 29 in a respectable time. If I can get the time down I will enter my first masters meet then.
To offset the lack of swimming I am lifting weights several times a week at night. I only have dumbells but again we all make do with what we have.
This might not be much but some swimming is better than none. This also makes me easier to live with while improving my cardiovascular system.
Suggestions welcome.
Have a great day
Paul
Former Member
Dont' feel bad. Truth be told, you really have to have a lot of time on your hands to go swimming. It's great for college kids and retired people. For all in between, it's a hassle.
I swim at two locations here in Queens NY. At Astoria Sports Complex and Queensboro Community College. There is a YMHA nearby, but I refuse to give $500 a year to a gym that closes on Friday night until Sunday morning. There is also a YMCA, but they cater to kids.
The Community College has limited lap swim hours. Astoria Sports gets crowded with kids and poor swimmers who plug up the lanes. I can go to Asphalt Green in Manhattan, but it's very inconvenient, even for people who live in the city. It's a 15-min walk from the subway.
If I were you, I'd buy the Reebok Step and light dumbbells for home workouts when you can't make it to the gym.
You are way ahead of me in distance so my experience probably doesn't mean much for yours. But I actually improved my swimming when I started swimming less and doing more cross-training. I didn't expect it to work that way but couldn't spend so much time in the pool and tried to make up for it with other cardio workouts and extra weight training - focusing on swimming muscles. To my surprise my swimming improved.
Hope you have a similarly positive experience.
Don't wait until your time is respectable (whatever that is) to enter a Masters meet. Just do it...and do it sooner than later. There is much more to be gained at masters meets than just achieving a 'respectable' time. Use this time as your benchmark and go from there.
Well, I think that more yardage isn't always the key at our ages. I rarely do 3,000 yards plus workouts. I swim mainly around 2,100 up to 2,700 ,4 days a weekconsisting of all four strokes but free and *** are the two strokes that I do the most yardage but sometimes I do over 400 yards of fly and 300 yards of backstroke. I do some speed work, this is one reason I usually workout less than 3,000 yards.
Always, always, always remember that you can neither win nor lose unless you walk into the Arena and give it a whack.
JUST walking into the Arena makes you a winner in my book.
Paul,
You are always fast "enough" right now to enter a meet (by definition). So enter and have fun.
If your pool time is limited, and you need to get maximum effect, I have three words for you: technique, technique, technique. If you are losing endurance and power, see if you can compensate by improving efficiency.
And, cross training ain't a bad idea either. Feel free to challenge your assumptions about how you need to train. As we get older, we can reach a point of diminishing returns if we try to workout just the same way we did when we were 18. Dare to get creative.
Matt
Paul,
I second the notion that swimming shouldn't make you feel guilty; that you're doing the best you can and should take pride in that. In addition to the home workouts, you might want to pick up some latex stretch cords--they sell these color coded for different resistance levels. You can kind of simulate swimming with these things. More importantly, from my point of view, you can exercise the rotator cuffs that swimming doesn't use as much, balancing out your shoulders and helping to preempt the shoulder pain that's so common in swimmers.
Not sure if you are on an actual masters team or not, but if not, I highly encourage you to find one in your area. The reinforcement of your fellow aquanuts can be tremendous, and you might find that "other commitments" end up getting reprioritized.
Originally posted by SearayPaul
...I have lost endurance but I am trying to work on stroke and strength. With only about 50 minutes to swim a couple times of week that is all I can do. One of ya'll suggested that I work on fly doing 12X25 fly each time I swim. ...
To offset the lack of swimming I am lifting weights several times a week at night. I only have dumbells but again we all make do with what we have.
I might suggest that the weight training might make you feel like you're not as strong. I've just started working out in the weight room 2-3 times a week plus my 3-4+ times a week in the pool. There are times when I can't move my arms after a bit because of the weight lifting.
If you want to see if that's whats causing the endurance loss try taking a week or so off of the weights, they say it takes 7-10 days to fully recover from working out. I can say that even after just a few days off I can tell the difference. The good thing is I have lost the endurance at practice, but I haven't lost a bit of speed. You might also notice a speed increase that you didn't see before.
Great point about the stretch cords. I like Thera-Bands, which are also color coded and inexpensive. The bands or cords can be used to strengthen the rotator cuff and stabilize the scapula more effectively than weights or machines.
I am always stunned when people say they "only" swim 2500 yd.
I know there are people who enjoy long swims but I just don't have the attention span (or the joints) to do so. I believe that swimming without attention leads to stroke mechanics problems & therefore slower swimming. I rarely swim over 2000 but everything is done at race speed or is a drill. When I do more I lose concentration &/or my shoulders & knees hurt. I swim 4 days a week but also lift wieghts 2 days a week & do core body work with a "fitball" & stationary bike 3 days a week.
