Help with pool temperature

Funny, you're swimming in a pool that is warm, yet here it seems our pool is a bit on the chilly side. The coach claimed this morning that it was 81 F, but I'm tempted to bring in my home pool thermometer tomorrow for a 2nd opinion. Then he gave us sendoffs starting with 100s on 1:50, which was way too long to be idle in cool water. The 3 of us in my lane lane self-adjusted to 1:40, but it was challenging to keep taking 5 sec away, ending with 5 100's on 1:15. Last summer, our head coach suggested (no joke here) that a few of us each bring a block of ice to help cool the water. I don't think anyone did, but it may be worth trying. In summer, our pools (outside) can easily get to 90 F or higher. The facilities people try to help as much as they can, running aerators overnight, but by Aug that doesn't help much.

On one swim the temp is usually about 21C/70F... :eek: Don't worry about it. That's about perfect for an open water swim. To BillS I'd say I agree with geochuck. You will adapt. One pool I swim at (probably 75% of my total yardage) is around 80, the other is about 85. I don't swim as fast in the 85 degree pool, but it doesn't bother me like it used to when I first started swimming there. I'd say give it a try for a while and see if your body can adjust. Now, if it's over 85 then I'd be probably complain.

Be very careful training in warm/hot water. I swim in Arizona and the University team likes to keep the pool at 82. The problem is that us old fat dudes (and dudettes) have a hard time dissipating the heat. I am just beginning my return after taking 4 years out of the pool. I ended up getting really really hot during an 800 LC swim in 1997 when it was 110 degrees outside and 84+ in the pool. Got out of the pool, tried to cool in the shower, got ice bags on my head, and continued to sweat profusely. I ended up having a heat stoke and lost my vision for about 30 minutes. My threshold for the heat went down continually and by 2003 it got to be that I couldn't get my heartrate above 80 bpm without migraines that would last for days. It was to the point I couldn't finish a 500 warm-up. So, I quit all together. My comeback has been difficult as I gained another 40 lbs over the condition I was in when I quit. So, at 260+ lbs, I make sure I am well hydrated before workout... and throughout the day. If the pool water is warm/hot, then it just becomes a recovery/drill/technique workout. I've been doing lots of those, but as my weight has come down, so has my times, and my tolerance for the warm water. Whatever you do, adjust your effort for how you tolerate the heat. Everyone is a little different.

I train in two pools (both 25 SCM) and one is held at approx. 80F and the other at 87F. I have no problem swimming in the warmer pool (especially this time of year) and love the feeling of heating up while swimming. When I am in the 80F pool I need to keep moving constantly. I am concerned about the water temp. at a couple open water swims (no wetsuit) I plan to do this summer. On one swim the temp is usually about 21C/70F... :eek: I realize many swimmers like BillS don't like the warmer temps though... (You could bring a pool thermometer to check the temp yourself.) I hate winter (this one has been brutal here in S. Ontario) and love summer and am one of the few that enjoy hot weather, heat waves, and humidity. I freeze below 70F air temp and I'm stuck in Canada, which means I find it cold/freezing 8 months of the year. I envy you all who get to live in South Florida.... "This was no boating accident..." ~Hooper (Great movie)

Our pool director just jacked the pool temp up. He said he is responding to complaints from the aquarobic folks and because the local schools are bringing kids in for lessons. He said it was 82 today, but I don't believe it. It's usually between 80 - 82, and it was a whole bunch warmer today. We couldn't really work out at all, and ended up just going back and forth. I ditched my cap for the first time in maybe 6 months, but it didn't help. We all got overheated anyway. Bill, First, search the old threads. I recall commenting in previous threads. We had this issue where I used to swim. The pool manager argued that to be "certified" by the Arthritis Foundation, they had to keep the pool warm. I did a little research and found that the Arthritis Foundation requires a minimum of just 83 degrees. That's tolerable for working out, in my opinion. So a pool doesn't need to keep it any higher than that. Second, you need data. You can't just tell the pool manager, "it's a whole bunch warmer." You have to be able to give him numbers. I bought a pool thermometer, which I carry in my bag. At one point in time I was checking the pool temperature every time we swam, and recording it in my handy USMS Planner (free from USMS; see the home page today to order yours). This is the thermometer I bought. Note that it's a "kid magnet" in the pool, so keep an eye on it while it's floating around.... www.swimoutlet.com/.../5127.htm If your pool has their own thermometer, check it and record its temperature in your Planner, too, for comparison purposes. After a month or so you will have enough data to see any trends. (Does the temperature fluctuate, overshooting and undershooting? Does it stay constant during the week when the regular manager is there, but then vary on the weekend when the assistants are in charge?) If the temperature has been consistently high, or if it's been seriously overshooting, you will have good data to present to the pool manager. Personally, I've never had to compile and present the data to anyone. What I've found is that when the pool staff sees that someone is checking the pool temperature, they suddenly start paying a lot more attention to keeping it where it should be. Another thing we learned from my measurements is that a lot of our comfort depends on the relationship between the water temperature and the air temperature. Our pool is an outdoor pool in the summer; in the winter it's covered by a fabric, air-supported dome. It's difficult to maintain the air temperature inside, especially when it's 20 degrees outside. 83-degree water can feel great if the air is somewhat cold, but it can feel too warm when combined with 92-degree air. Anna Lea

Bill we must adapt and accept. I have trained in some very warm and very cold water. Our coach used to lower the pool temperature for swim meets and waterpolo games to 75. It was always 82 at other times. In my swim school it is 90 degrees.

I've never read anything about this, but my experience tells me that the determining factor is the combined air and water temperature. I can swim in the ocean at 70 degrees when the air is 90, but I can't swim in pool at 70 when the air is 60 degrees. On the other end of the scale, at my Y, which is usually around 84, I do okay in workouts as long as the air temperature is reasonable. On hot summer days (90 and above), the 84 is hard to tolerate, even in an indoor pool. I need to start a log (a good use for my USMS planner) and record the air and water temperature and my reaction during a workout.

In a purely subjective way: I like it warm (water and air). I find it easier to warm up from the first dive and easier to glide for the duration of the swim or workout. If the water's cold, I can't warm up slowly and if I do it fast enough that I don't shiver, I'm too tired and just too tense to relax. Just as there are Polar Bears (whose clubs are greatly admired when they take a dip in freezing waters in January) there are also Equatorial Sharks. (I know, Egypt is Tropical but still.............)

The water temerature reading from the pump and from the middle of the pool (depending upon the size and surrounding air temperature) can vary significantly. Water temperatures above 84 degrees are commonly refered to as therapy pools and learn-to-swim pools (young children). Mary Riley Magee (owner of a learn-to-swim pool / program in San Antonio) keeps her pool in the 90's). She successfully attracts hundreds of families to her program because she knows it's all about comfort. Warm water is indeed more comfortable and acts as an attractant to it. We all need to be concious of the need to promote one of the wonderful life-time sport / activity in the universe. With that being said, coaches can get more work from their swimmers when the water temperature is between 78 and 82 degrees (a prerequisite for competitive high school pools in Michigan). It's also very easy to cool down a pool for competition. Practicing in 83 and 84 degree water may draw a few complaints from some die-hard competitors but let's look at the greater good (attracting little ones). I know that when the water temperature is below 80 I have a more difficult time getting in the water and I can imagine what it must feel like to a skinny little kid. When I have a choice between training in our 84 degree therapy pool and our 81 degree competition pool and I'll pick 84 everytime. If find yourself in water over 84 degrees, simply reduce high intensity sets and religiously monitor your target heart rate (220 minus your age). You can get a safe and productive training session in warm water. P.S. If you have an outdoor pool and the water temperature pool is between 84 and 86 I'd like to train with you. We'll get a bunch of swimmers, We'll make some Margarittas (one per hour), we'll train under the stars. Sounds cool to me! Look at the next Thread ( The perfect training session).

I've never read anything about this, but my experience tells me that the determining factor is the combined air and water temperature. I can swim in the ocean at 70 degrees when the air is 90, but I can't swim in pool at 70 when the air is 60 degrees. On the other end of the scale, at my Y, which is usually around 84, I do okay in workouts as long as the air temperature is reasonable. On hot summer days (90 and above), the 84 is hard to tolerate, even in an indoor pool. I need to start a log (a good use for my USMS planner) and record the air and water temperature and my reaction during a workout. That explanation makes sense to me. On Friday night I swim with a group in the YWCA pool, which always seems freezing, even though the lifeguards keep it at 28C (about 83F). I seem to be part polar bear when it comes to outdoor swimming, but shiver whenever we stop in this pool.