Hi all,
Between a lengthy bout of bronchitis, job changes and adjusting to new schedules, I haven't swam with any consistency in about a year. I'd like to get back into competition shape -- which entails losing about 15 pounds and gaining back the muscle I lost -- in time for a meet next March or April. Anyone else ever gone through this? How do you work back a schedule of swimming 1-1.5 hours a day and lifting three days a week without doing too much too quickly and burning out or injuring yourself (or giving up because you feel like you're so far away from "good shape"?) Any ideas of what sort of yardage/intervals to start with?
I appreciate the help -- I'm so ready to stop being a couch potato, but I'm not sure where to start.
Parents
Former Member
You didn't get out of shape overnight, so give yourself some time to get back into it. Advise no more than 10% increase each week in either distance or intensity. Wake up your swim muscles with some technique drills and some low-intensity intervals / longer swims; then in successive weeks ratchet it down and put in a few sprints and more intense, longer sets.
Seems like if I try a more drastic approach I will get sick or get sore shoulders or some other interruption which slows my overall improvement.
I am working to get back in shape after basically a 10-year slump where I wasn't getting into the water more than a few times a month and my appetite went out of control with many many pounds gained. I've been back in for 6 months and have made good progress but it is going to be probably a 2-year long haul to reach my long-term conditioning/weight goals. Everything happens slower at age 50+. So my current get-back-into-it workouts are geared more towards losing weight while maximizing my pleasure-of-swimming. I do a lot of kicking including dolphin-on-back; I do a main set of 1000-2000y of some combination of 100's-200's in free, IM, back; total distance 2500-3700. Some days I tear into it and try to redline my heart; others I just swim through it.
You didn't get out of shape overnight, so give yourself some time to get back into it. Advise no more than 10% increase each week in either distance or intensity. Wake up your swim muscles with some technique drills and some low-intensity intervals / longer swims; then in successive weeks ratchet it down and put in a few sprints and more intense, longer sets.
Seems like if I try a more drastic approach I will get sick or get sore shoulders or some other interruption which slows my overall improvement.
I am working to get back in shape after basically a 10-year slump where I wasn't getting into the water more than a few times a month and my appetite went out of control with many many pounds gained. I've been back in for 6 months and have made good progress but it is going to be probably a 2-year long haul to reach my long-term conditioning/weight goals. Everything happens slower at age 50+. So my current get-back-into-it workouts are geared more towards losing weight while maximizing my pleasure-of-swimming. I do a lot of kicking including dolphin-on-back; I do a main set of 1000-2000y of some combination of 100's-200's in free, IM, back; total distance 2500-3700. Some days I tear into it and try to redline my heart; others I just swim through it.
