Those who took a lot of time off...how long did it take you to get back in shape?
Former Member
I am wondering how long it will take. I have not swum competitively in about 20 years. I have done other exercise in these 20 years but have never been close to being in the condition I was in back then. I wonder how long it will take to get into at least moderate competitive swimming condition. I guess it is all in how one defines things. I currently swim about 3000 yards/work out and my times are a lot slower than they were back when I was in top shape. I am thinking 6 months might be enough to get into moderate shape. Anyone else here go through a similar long time away from the pool get back into fair shape? How long did it take you?
This obviously differs for everyone and depends in part on how out of shape you are to begin with. I wasn't terribly out of shape when I started but in about two months had lost about 20 pounds and was physically "in shape". Two months later and I've lost another 8-10 pounds (I'm probably too thin at this point). But I don't think I'm even close to the cardiovascular shape I was in as a kid. I swam my first meet about a month ago and my times bear that out. I might look great (relatively speaking, of course :o), but I still have a long way to go. To get fully back into shape, I'm guessing it'll take over a year or more, if ever. Everyone says not to compare yourself you your younger self. Just set a new baseline and improve from there!
This obviously differs for everyone and depends in part on how out of shape you are to begin with. I wasn't terribly out of shape when I started but in about two months had lost about 20 pounds and was physically "in shape". Two months later and I've lost another 8-10 pounds (I'm probably too thin at this point). But I don't think I'm even close to the cardiovascular shape I was in as a kid. I swam my first meet about a month ago and my times bear that out. I might look great (relatively speaking, of course :o), but I still have a long way to go. To get fully back into shape, I'm guessing it'll take over a year or more, if ever. Everyone says not to compare yourself you your younger self. Just set a new baseline and improve from there!
