Your Average Lap Workout Count?

Former Member
Former Member
How many laps do you swim on a average workout? I ask because of the lap counter questions. I used to count laps but that was when I was swimming 18 laps or a 1/4 mile I stopped because it got to be a hassle and really did not care..Exercise is what it is but got to wonder how far I do swim.. I try to swim 30 to 45 minutes a day.. 36 laps to about 50 laps I guess. And a lap I am counting is once across 25 meters or 75 feet depending on the pool. Or is that a lenght across..? I am a lightweight compared to some as I know some swimmers training for Olympics measure their distance in thousands of yards a day. or 1760 yards a mile. thats..71 laps a mile 36 laps a 1/2 mile 18 laps a 1/4 mile give a bit.. Now meters unless I'm wrong its about 1624 meters a mile, or 65 laps a mile or 33 laps a half mile or 16 laps a 1/4 mile in a 25 meter pool rounded off.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Originally posted by Kae1 Can those lap counters display in distance? No it only counts laps and time, but when I swim, I'm swimming for the distance too, not laps, but I know that when my counter says 20 laps I've done 500 yards, etc. I have a spreadsheet I keep at home so I can keep track of it all, and all I do is input the number of laps and it calculates how many yards, meters and miles I've been swimming. Then later I can figure out how far I swam in a week, month, etc...
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    From dictionary.com: lap: Sports. To get ahead of (an opponent) in a race by one or more complete circuits of the course, as in running, or by two or more lengths of pool in swimming. By implication, a lap is two lengths. -LBJ
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    I was swimming every other day; workouts were 3000-3500 meters before finishing with the "reward" of fly laps. To me, the fly at the end makes the whole experience worthwhile; I love the thrill of finishing strong. Problem is, that I have developed bicep tendinitis in both arms, and have been sidelined (in substantial pain) for over a month. I like the idea of the counter, and I guess I'd push the button at each flip. I have worked out a rotation which helps me to count: 6 free, 2 ***, 2 free, 2 back (and repeat ad infinitim). This helps me to know my count at any time while I meditate. Where I get lost at times is whether I'm on lap 70, 80, of 90, etc. So, I think that the counter would help alot.
  • we usually make about 3500 meters (which is 140 laps) before our pool time is up... and to chime in on the length/lap debate- i've been swimming competitively for over 16 years (age group the whole way up to masters). and every coach i've ever had (which is a lot!) has always used lap and length interchangebly. so in my world, they're the same darn thing! :D ;)
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Keeping in mind I also do weights and other forms of cardio at least six days p/week, I'm swimming one mile in over an hour - usually about 1:20 - and that's including water breaks, bathroom breaks, etc.. I don't swim for speed - obvioulsy ;) - I swim for fitness and cardiac endurance.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Originally posted by ChunkyTuna A swimming pool is not a circuit. The lanes don't form a closed loop and a lap swimmer doesn't swim in a continuous cycle. What if you're circle swimming? :) :)
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Originally posted by Guvnah What if you're circle swimming? :o Oops! you got me on that one. :confused: Just for the record... Circle swimming is just a device to picture swimming on the right side of the lane. You'd have to think of a circle (or a very narrow ellipse) then flatten it, making it a circle no longer. Essentially, a lane is split into two lanes, and the swimmers still have to momentarily interrupt their forward progress to reverse direction. It's more like a length of narrow two-way street where each car makes a broken u-turn at the end of the distance rather than a continuous u-turn. In the case of lap swimmers or the cars analogy, you shouldn't be too close to the one in front of you near the end of the distance because the reverse course of the leading swimmer/car will overlap a small part of the forward course. If both were courses truly closed (implied by circular) there'd be no overlap.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Originally posted by Leonard Jansen From dictionary.com: lap: Sports. To get ahead of (an opponent) in a race by one or more complete circuits of the course, as in running, or by two or more lengths of pool in swimming. By implication, a lap is two lengths. The definition you've quoted is for the verb form. In that sense, it relates to the meaning of overlapping where one part extends passed another, as in a lap joint. A swimmer has to be more than two laps ahead of another in order the pass or lap them. More importantly, the same entry of lap at Dictionary.com (as already been cited) expicitly defines a lap in a swimming pool as two lengths: n.2.b. One complete length of a straight course, as of a swimming pool. An explicit definition is more accurate than an inference.
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Here's my understanding of "lap" as it applies to a track or course. One lap is a single traversal of a course. A lap is a circuit if the course is a closed track. A swimming pool is not a circuit. The lanes don't form a closed loop and a lap swimmer doesn't swim in a continuous cycle. The person swims the length of the pool, then reverses direction and traverses the course again. One lap on a 400m racetrack or a 25yd. pool, is the length of the respective courses. Here are a few sources: Merriam-Webster Online Over time may link to a different definition The American HeritageRegistered Dictionary EncartaRegistered World English Dictionary SOCOG Swimming Glossary Search for "Lap" Jane Katz Ed.D., Swimming for Total Fitness: Q: What's the difference between a "lap" and a "length" in a pool? A: In the United States, at least, they're usually the same thing. Although a few people prefer to count a lap as one round trip, the term generally means one length of the pool.
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