Apologies if this makes me sound like a troll.
In all my experience of indoor swimming pools, despite all the swimming I do to warm up, the pool seems cold.
At the pool I visit every week, there is an electronic LED board with the temperature and the pool I swim in (for average swimmers who can't tread water - deep end about 5ft to 6ft, shallow end suitable for a youngster of 4+ years) is 27 or 29 degrees celcius. This swimming pool is local to where I went to school and I remember having to use the baby pool (when I was young enough!) which was 31 degrees celcius and this was warm enough to not shiver.
I try to tackle this by always keeping my shoulders below the water and always keeping on the move at pace to keep warm but I can't help but find the water is cold. This is a real shame as it takes away my enjoyment and satisfaction that I am benefitting my health because it prevents me from covering some real distance and pushing myself (within reason).
To make things worse, I have looked at other pools on google local to where I live and for the ones with websites and which state the temperature, it is 27 degrees celcius which seems to be the norm so it looks like I won't be able to find the right pool (all pools mentioned in this pool are indoor). :(
What can I do?
Maybe I'm a toughie but I've always believed that if you are cold while working out in 80+ degree water, then you are not working hard enough. Have you tried speeding up your pace or working harder intervals to get your heart rate up? Your body should get warm from the exertion.
We had a very thin swimmer with us for a while but the 82F water temps were too cold for her. She was very low fat and only lightly-muscled with a tiny body frame. Not sure if that was just her genetics or if she was anorexic. She ended up getting a full-body lycra bodysuit, which helped a bit but her hands and particularly her feet still would get painfully cold.
Her circulation was impaired by the cold so she was building up lactic acid during her warmup, which forced her to slow down ... and then a workout with long-rest intervals made things even worse. She was a triathlete and had a good work ethic and had good conditioning, just no cold tolerance. I am guessing she was very good as a long-distance runner.
Maybe try getting one of the sun shirts to keep you warmer.
I sometimes use a neoprene surf shirt in cold water. Good for extra resistance too! Wearing multiple swim caps also helps. Why not go to a surf store and try something like this?
www.oneill.com/
Anyone feeling cold in 29deg C must have reptilian tendencies.:D
The pool I swam in the summer was at a consistent 70-72F. It was nice after a full day of work out in the sun and only was cold until I got to swimming a bit.
Kick sets always warm me up since I work hard while doing them.
To me, 27-29 would be way too warm to train in.
You sure? The vast majority of (lap) pools are in this range. That's 80-84 in Fahrenheit. 80 can definitely feel pretty cool unless you are working hard.
To answer the OP's question I think the best advice is to keep moving. If you stop you will get cold. Work hard and your body will produce lots of heat to keep you warm. A warm cap and ear plugs can help, too.
Hello Blade, Do you wear a cap when you swim? Caps trap a lot of heat and may be of help to you. Try a long hot shower befor enterng the pool. Also, try swimming a very fast first lap if you can or a first length. If I feet too cool that gets my heart rate up and I feel nice and warm. Then I slow down for a proper warm-up.
The three of four public swimming pools here in France all stay at between 27-28 degrees Celsius. I assume that is the accepted norm. Sometimes I feel cool when I first get in but am good and warmed up after the first lap.
Good Luck,
Elizabeth
I seem to swim fastest in about 77-78˚F. Unfortunately the pool I train in is 86˚F (set by noodlers), which even though I can tolerate, makes it shocking to jump into faster pool's. My coordination goes south if I'm not used to it.
The biggest problem I have is getting into the pool at 6am when the water is 72-74 degrees. When I first started swimming, May 2009, it took me 15 minutes to get up my nerve to get in and just swim to warm up. Now it only takes me 5-10 minutes to get in. I question sometimes why I do this shock to my body so early in the morning, but once I get going I love it and would not change anything. I am running into the same thing. I live in florida and when it starts to get cooler, will I be able to get into the pool? This will be my first winter swimming. People tell me that the water will be warmer than the air, but I have to admit, I get cold in the summer in the water. Just inspiring words would be great!!
:cheerleader:
I would recommend doing something like jumping jacks or toe touches or vigorous arm swings or running in place to warm up your body before you immerse yourself in water. :)
The biggest problem I have is getting into the pool at 6am when the water is 72-74 degrees. When I first started swimming, May 2009, it took me 15 minutes to get up my nerve to get in and just swim to warm up. Now it only takes me 5-10 minutes to get in. I question sometimes why I do this shock to my body so early in the morning, but once I get going I love it and would not change anything. I am running into the same thing. I live in florida and when it starts to get cooler, will I be able to get into the pool? This will be my first winter swimming. People tell me that the water will be warmer than the air, but I have to admit, I get cold in the summer in the water. Just inspiring words would be great!!
:cheerleader:
