I always struggle with the first few hundred yards of a swim. I know I could do better if I could reduce the sagging period I suffer at the start of longer races. I loosen off my muscles and feel ok but breathing seems to take forever to get settled. It happened to me in the first 10 miutes of a football match too, then I'd find my lungs.
I'm always terrified of blowing myself out if I get too aggressive in warm up.
What tricks or tips do you guys and girls have that you will share?
Thanks
Former Member
Warm ups are overated, I still like the hot showers and towels.
I have done the loosen up things, a little shaking here and there. A very casual maybe 200 yards if in a pool. If you are swimming a long swim you automatically warm up in your swim to the first bouy. The thing to do before a cold water swim is to wet the body with the cool water so you don't get a shock.
I guess this just goes to show that all of us are so very different in how our bodies actually warm up to get to a race pace of sorts. I guess my joints are pretty rusty because I take forever. A swim to a buoy wouldn't help me at all and the thing that's interesting here is I have ALWAYS needed an extraordinarily long warmup; even when only doing a 800m swim at Nationals. I must've swam at least a 1500 as a warmup; race pace; some sprinting; etc. etc. So I guess there is no magic answer for this. We just have to figure it out and it may even change from year to year. One of my biggest concerns was how I was going to warmup for a 20 mile swim next year? Since this is the summer I am experimenting with hydration/feeding/training, etc., I just know that my first two miles won't feel very well; just have to go through it until the body is ready!! I actually do best when I swim a 400, rest a minute, swim a 400, rest a minute, etc.
What tricks or tips do you guys and girls have that you will share?Thanks
I think many masters swimmers don't warm up enough. When I don't, my first events suffers because I'm not ready to go. The only surefire trick I know of is to make sure you get your heart rate up by doing some off the block sprints. If I'm in a short course pool, I usually do 4 25s all out and then cool down. Some sprint kicking as part of your warm up helps too.
If your swim is an individual swim just start swimming you will warm up very quickly. If it is a race, ride a bike easily to get the blood flowing arrive at the start and everything will workout. I never warmed up before a marathon race the blood and heart were pumping pretty good before the race. It is called excitement.
My typical warm up: 500 swim, 8 x 50 drill/swim, 5 x 100 on cruise interval holding my 1000 pace or 8-10 x 50 on 1:00 holding my 500 pace, then 200 easy. I warm up again before I race with a 200-400 easy followed by some 50's at race pace. Very important to stay warm before you race (which will not be a problem at the Woodlands).
I'd have to pack up and go home after this warm up(s). :cane: Must be the difference between sprinters and distance swimmers. I never do any pace work in warm up. I do a mix of easy swim, kick, drill (usually one arm fly), build, sprint. I am fanatic about doing some 25s off the blocks at about 80% or so. I never warm up before each race unless there is a super long time between events. Even then, if I've had a couple races already, no harm in sitting around. I think I had 1.5 hours of rest or so before my 50 fly against Muppet.
I'd have to pack up and go home after this warm up(s). :cane: Must be the difference between sprinters and distance swimmers.
It takes me a very long time to warm up. Trust me, if I could sprint, I would.
I think many masters swimmers don't warm up enough.
I never warm up enough, when the water's too cold (for me.)
I know that a lot of Masters (and Forumites) complain when the water's too warm, but I don't recall any post ranting or complaining about the water being too cold. I like it warmish (Hey, that's ME! No criticism of others implied.)
I have been to a couple of LCM meets (We only have one of these per year in Ottawa) where even real (i.e., born and bred) Canadians complained that the water was too cold. I got out after just a 100m of warm-up(?) as I just couldn't take it. On these two occasions, I just swam the 50m free (and scratched the 100m free). When the water's cold -again, for me- I can't breathe. What really irked ME, is that those were two years when I felt really good and where I thought I could get PBs (as a Master. I'll never approach my PBs of 44 years ago..........)
My best swims (meets or just swims) are when 90% of the swimmers are complaining that the water's too warm. But that's when I swim easier, faster, higher, smoother and hardly ever need a long warm-up period.
When I was an age-grouper I used to have this set warm-up that I did before every meet. I think it was about 800-1200 yards but can't for the life of me remember any more. That really has me bummed out as my warm-up was more of an OCD ritual than anything and I'm concerned that my first race back (I'm just recently back in the pool after over a decade) will suffer because of it. :blush:
The former egyptian olympian on my team........................ snip ..............; warm shower; jog laps in the locker room; come out 3 minutes before race and take all clothes off, jog to the blocks; swim (fast).
all ? and they still allowed him to swim instead of arresting him?
Sorry. Just couldn't resist.
