All,
I have decided to get back into swimming primarily for fitness, but also for a hobby and competition. I turn 36 in July and really haven't been back in the water since I was 18.
I began competing at 5 and continued through my Sr year of high school. I can't believe that I have been out of the water longer than I was in the water. That is dissapointing to me.
I am in good health at 5' 10" 165 lbs. I have done spurts of exercise my entire adult life. Most of which were 4-6 months of cardio work either on a treadmill or in spin classes. But find myself getting bored and lose focus.
Swimming has always been in the back of my mind and I feel that for me to stay committed to exercising, I need extra motivation. Therefore, I am determined to compete in a SCY meet in late February.
My initial focus will be on conditioning and stamina. My last attempt at swimming was somewhat shocking at how little I could do. I thought I would be able to jump right in and do 1500 yds on day one. Didn't happen. In fact, the most I could go without stopping was a 150. I ended up doing a set of 6 x 75's sloooow and then 2 x 100's.
This was 3 years ago and I did build it up some, but my commitment wasn't there and I only last about 3 months.
Now that you know my background, I have some qustions on how I should start.
What should I do to build up my stamina, endurance, and conditioning? I figured that I would spend about 2-3 months focusing on conditining and then be in a position to focus on training for events. Is that a good plan? I f so, how do I go about it?
Any advice would be great. I plan on leaning on you guys for answers and support. This seems like a great community.
Thanks in advance.
Nathan
Like others, I was out,.. burned out, for 15+ years, then it took another 5 to get semi serious about it again. I started with a masters team, and that helped keep the momentum, and it became a nice social network as well . When I started with the team, would lightly do the workout for about 30 mins, then add 5 - 10 mins or so each time (sometimes I'd rewind a bit if I missed a few days), until I could feel decent in the 90 minute workout. Then I'd start cranking on one set, then tanking on the next one, until I could go pretty hard for most of the workout. The other thing, at least for me, that may worth some extra focus as you get back in, is take extra time, and slow it down, on technique. Swimming seems to me to be much more technical than it was in my day (late 70s), so its a good time start off with some new and good habits. I'm still fighting lazy distance turns that I developed from overtraining 30 years ago... but still can't slow down to learn to do them right. Old habits die hard, even after a long layoff.
Like others, I was out,.. burned out, for 15+ years, then it took another 5 to get semi serious about it again. I started with a masters team, and that helped keep the momentum, and it became a nice social network as well . When I started with the team, would lightly do the workout for about 30 mins, then add 5 - 10 mins or so each time (sometimes I'd rewind a bit if I missed a few days), until I could feel decent in the 90 minute workout. Then I'd start cranking on one set, then tanking on the next one, until I could go pretty hard for most of the workout. The other thing, at least for me, that may worth some extra focus as you get back in, is take extra time, and slow it down, on technique. Swimming seems to me to be much more technical than it was in my day (late 70s), so its a good time start off with some new and good habits. I'm still fighting lazy distance turns that I developed from overtraining 30 years ago... but still can't slow down to learn to do them right. Old habits die hard, even after a long layoff.
