Just wondering if anyone had experienced this:
Started 2nd swimming life in fall 2007 and have been hard at it since. For the first 9 or 10 months, I was just swimming long and slow until I could go no more. I began throwing in some sprint sets after a good 1600 or so for the next few months. During this period, say a year or so, I dropped 40 lbs, from 235 to 195 (I'm 6'3"). Breaking 190 was my goal, though 190 is probably where I should be.
Throughout 2009, I could no longer stand the long swims and did more and more sets, 400's, 200's, 100s & 50's between a warm-up 500 and a warm down 500. My goal is 3000 - 3200/day and try to get as close to 16k per week as I can by doing some variation of the sets above.
Over the last year of doing this, I've noticed more muscle I think, and my clothes all still fit right, but the scale is alarming me. I'm hovering around - and some weeks over - 200 again.
I think I've slipped in my eating habits (definitely did over the holidays), but I was wondering if anyone has seen this before? Are these sprints where I'm constantly trying to improve my times putting muscle on me that are causing me to fret over the weight gain? Or do I just need to stay away from the fridge? Or what?
Blue
PS> I know all the sites regarding weight loss & swimming, I just want the answers from the horses' mouths. Thanks!
Parents
Former Member
I reckon over the last month I have lost 1-2% of BF through hard twice a day training - but I am not swimming any quicker - in fact I am probably slower!! But of course I look great in my Speedo's! :blush:
I am in the military and although I get perverse enjoyment from looking fat and swimming fast, I need to lose some BF and build an endurance base. It looks like I will have six months to focus on not much else besides work and swimming (I'm deploying to Kuwait). How many yards are you putting in each day? How many hours? How many rest days do you take each week? I'm trying to figure out a reasonable goal for myself. I'm 50 years old and right now I'm swimming 5-6 days a week, up to 3,500 meters/day.
Hi Swimrocket - I'll tell you what - you tell me how to swim like a rocket and I'll tell you how to shed a few LBS! :D
As rightly pointed out shedding BF is mostly about the kitchen and not the sports hall - however you asked specifically how much exercise I have done to drop the two % (also 2KG). Well over the last month I have been training twice a day most days with one swim and one other activity. Swim mileage from 6 sessions is 18KM so 3KM on average a session and then on top of that I have rowed on a Concept 2 30-35km in two sessions and run once or twice around 16 km in total. The rest of the workouts are in the gym either lifting, circuit or core work. In hours this adds up to 12-14 hours in total.
On the diet front I eat plenty of calories but restrict my carb intake as I believe that we eat far too many carbs. So apart from my post workout high GI bread I have low carb/low GI until the evening when I will have a portion with my evening meal. I beleive strongly in plenty of health fat - so oily fish, avocados, seeds are a staple with loads of vegetables, salad, fruit (moderation) I also think that taking flaxseed oil helps to stoke the metabolic machine and so take a tablespoon of Udo's Oil every day. I eat plenty of protein including the fish, chicken, eggs and also up to three 25g shakes a day.
All in all my goal is to increase endurance and speed while building muscle, shedding fat and probably weight. But as I said previously I need a bit of a re-think because the volume of training is making me slower in the pool :confused: and that is not good. I have a swim meet in two and a half weeks time and so the focus from tomorrow is to build speed for swimming and drop the longer low intensity endurance rowing....
Phew - need a rest after all that!
Nick
Twitter: uknick
Facebook: Nick Ballard
Facebook Group: Competitive @ 50
I reckon over the last month I have lost 1-2% of BF through hard twice a day training - but I am not swimming any quicker - in fact I am probably slower!! But of course I look great in my Speedo's! :blush:
I am in the military and although I get perverse enjoyment from looking fat and swimming fast, I need to lose some BF and build an endurance base. It looks like I will have six months to focus on not much else besides work and swimming (I'm deploying to Kuwait). How many yards are you putting in each day? How many hours? How many rest days do you take each week? I'm trying to figure out a reasonable goal for myself. I'm 50 years old and right now I'm swimming 5-6 days a week, up to 3,500 meters/day.
Hi Swimrocket - I'll tell you what - you tell me how to swim like a rocket and I'll tell you how to shed a few LBS! :D
As rightly pointed out shedding BF is mostly about the kitchen and not the sports hall - however you asked specifically how much exercise I have done to drop the two % (also 2KG). Well over the last month I have been training twice a day most days with one swim and one other activity. Swim mileage from 6 sessions is 18KM so 3KM on average a session and then on top of that I have rowed on a Concept 2 30-35km in two sessions and run once or twice around 16 km in total. The rest of the workouts are in the gym either lifting, circuit or core work. In hours this adds up to 12-14 hours in total.
On the diet front I eat plenty of calories but restrict my carb intake as I believe that we eat far too many carbs. So apart from my post workout high GI bread I have low carb/low GI until the evening when I will have a portion with my evening meal. I beleive strongly in plenty of health fat - so oily fish, avocados, seeds are a staple with loads of vegetables, salad, fruit (moderation) I also think that taking flaxseed oil helps to stoke the metabolic machine and so take a tablespoon of Udo's Oil every day. I eat plenty of protein including the fish, chicken, eggs and also up to three 25g shakes a day.
All in all my goal is to increase endurance and speed while building muscle, shedding fat and probably weight. But as I said previously I need a bit of a re-think because the volume of training is making me slower in the pool :confused: and that is not good. I have a swim meet in two and a half weeks time and so the focus from tomorrow is to build speed for swimming and drop the longer low intensity endurance rowing....
Phew - need a rest after all that!
Nick
Twitter: uknick
Facebook: Nick Ballard
Facebook Group: Competitive @ 50
