Hi all - I have an odd post for you to ponder :)
Recently I've decided enough is enough and it's time to shift some unwanted poundage. Over the past few months through exercise and eating much better I've dropped about 15% of my original body weight, going from 207lbs to 175lbs. At the same time I've been swimming a bit and making an effort to keep on some muscle too.
I know it's a very very hard question to answer but am looking for people's estimates on what this sort of weight loss would do to your swimming time over longer distances if I was able to keep everything else static (stroke, flexibility, strengtht etc). The only difference if possible would be there would be less body weight, and hopefully a better shape for moving through the water.
I know that due to water being denser it's not as easy to say as it would be in relation to running etc, but say over a 5km open water swim, what would people guess the % improvement would be as a result of this?
Cheers
GC
I also lost a bit of weight last year, but I didn't do any formal swim meets for several years before, and haven't done any since, so there's no true way to measure. But I do notice that I'm able to hold faster intervals in practice. Holding 1:15 per 100 used to be something I was capable of only on a good day, now I can do that on nearly any day (and below 1:10 on a good day). My faster swims in practice have also dropped somewhere around 5-7 sec per 100.
Some of those drops I'd place on improvements in technique and overall fitness levels too. One reason I dropped weight was increase in running, which probably helped my overall aerobic capacity. I also got more serious with weights, which also helps swimming. I've incorporated dolphin kicking into my freestyle, and my coach has also worked with me on many other corrections.
If I had to put a percentage to my improvements since weight loss, I'd estimate 5%. But those other factors also play into it.
I also lost a bit of weight last year, but I didn't do any formal swim meets for several years before, and haven't done any since, so there's no true way to measure. But I do notice that I'm able to hold faster intervals in practice. Holding 1:15 per 100 used to be something I was capable of only on a good day, now I can do that on nearly any day (and below 1:10 on a good day). My faster swims in practice have also dropped somewhere around 5-7 sec per 100.
Some of those drops I'd place on improvements in technique and overall fitness levels too. One reason I dropped weight was increase in running, which probably helped my overall aerobic capacity. I also got more serious with weights, which also helps swimming. I've incorporated dolphin kicking into my freestyle, and my coach has also worked with me on many other corrections.
If I had to put a percentage to my improvements since weight loss, I'd estimate 5%. But those other factors also play into it.
