I am a returning swimmer after taking 30 years off from the sport. I am swimming for fitness primarly. I have lost 180 lbs through diet and exercise but decided to start swimming to finish my weight loss. I still have 80lbs to lose.
Typically I swim 2000-2500 yds per workout. The coach gives the team intervals that are very tight for me. Often times I get only 5-10 seconds between sets. I am having trouble catching my breath when doing freestyle. I do not have this problem if doing breaststroke or backstroke. Should I be concerned? I have been swimming for 4 months.
As a side question, I still have 80 lbs to lose, plus lots of excess skin that needs to be removed. Would this be causing drag that is slowing me down?
Thanks
Parents
Former Member
Excess skin will slow you down. Tight swimwear and consider wearing men's jammers and/or a sports bra under your swimsuit for compression and to control any flappage. Surgery to remove excess skin can be serious biz.
Make sure you are doing a full exhale on your freestyle. Sometimes on really hard sets I would hyperventilate between repeats, I would continue breathing too fast too long. Breathing into a cap helped me with that. Talk to your coach about adapting the set to accomplish the same purpose but more in line with your abilities.
Excess skin will slow you down. Tight swimwear and consider wearing men's jammers and/or a sports bra under your swimsuit for compression and to control any flappage. Surgery to remove excess skin can be serious biz.
Make sure you are doing a full exhale on your freestyle. Sometimes on really hard sets I would hyperventilate between repeats, I would continue breathing too fast too long. Breathing into a cap helped me with that. Talk to your coach about adapting the set to accomplish the same purpose but more in line with your abilities.
