I just recently moved into a new apartment complex with a pool and started swimming some laps to get into shape. the water is way to cold for swimming laps, or swimming in at all really. i don't know what the temp of the water is but it feels like its refrigerated and you try to swim in it and your muscles tighten and cramp. I want to say something to the landlord but i'm not sure about what the safe temp for swimming is, i have an idea of what it is but i'm not sure.
Parents
Former Member
General experience (but not universal) is that YMCAs keep their water too warm for lap swimming. Or at least at the high end of "acceptable". Often Ys keep their pools at 84-86. That's because they have ot accommodate more than just lap swimmer needs. (And even among lap swimmers you'll find a range of preferences. Some of the slower lap swimmers complain about 85 degrees being too cold for them!) But kids taking lessons don't work as vigorously, so even 85 might bee too cold. Ditto for some of the "low impact" aerobic classes. (I call them the manatee classes because of how slow some of those people move!)
Some time ago I called the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and chatted with the pool director. They said that 84 degrees is the threshold at which a body is able to adequately dissipate heat in the water. Above 84, and you can't dissipate enough heat through your skin. Your only recourse is to breathe harder and expel some heat with each breath, and that's very inefficient. Above 84 makes your heart pump faster and your lungs work harder, leaving you less energy for your muscles.
The OTC pool is kept at 80.1 degrees. They found that when the elite swimmers with low body fat do full workouts (several hours) they get chills in the latter part of their workout if the water is below 80.
So, mandymoo, "too cold" is a relative term. Find out what temp your pool really is. Maybe you just need to swim harder. Or maybe the pool really is too cold.
General experience (but not universal) is that YMCAs keep their water too warm for lap swimming. Or at least at the high end of "acceptable". Often Ys keep their pools at 84-86. That's because they have ot accommodate more than just lap swimmer needs. (And even among lap swimmers you'll find a range of preferences. Some of the slower lap swimmers complain about 85 degrees being too cold for them!) But kids taking lessons don't work as vigorously, so even 85 might bee too cold. Ditto for some of the "low impact" aerobic classes. (I call them the manatee classes because of how slow some of those people move!)
Some time ago I called the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and chatted with the pool director. They said that 84 degrees is the threshold at which a body is able to adequately dissipate heat in the water. Above 84, and you can't dissipate enough heat through your skin. Your only recourse is to breathe harder and expel some heat with each breath, and that's very inefficient. Above 84 makes your heart pump faster and your lungs work harder, leaving you less energy for your muscles.
The OTC pool is kept at 80.1 degrees. They found that when the elite swimmers with low body fat do full workouts (several hours) they get chills in the latter part of their workout if the water is below 80.
So, mandymoo, "too cold" is a relative term. Find out what temp your pool really is. Maybe you just need to swim harder. Or maybe the pool really is too cold.
