Swim Milestones for a Beginner/Intermediate

Former Member
Former Member
Hi everyone, I'm looking for ideas for near/medium/long term goals to set for myself. I'm 28 and got back into swimming about 5 months ago. Previously I swam for a club team when I was 12. I swim by myself and get in to the pool 4x a week and run 2-3x a week (on off days). A typical workout for me is 3x500 freestyle and then a couple hundred in kicking. I would like to get a lot faster and swim a lot farther. Swimming as fast as I can, I manage a 34 second 50. I swim a 500 in ~11 min. I can breathe bilaterally and do flip turns in my freestyle sets (it took me a few months to get those into my workouts because I didn't have the cardiovascular system to handle both for a long time). What are some milestones that you've set for yourself? What skills/times should a beginner be able to accomplish? How about an intermediate swimmer? Thanks, Nick
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    It's awesome to hear about where everyone started from and how you got to where you are. For me, as a beginner, it keeps me motivated. Some days I get in the pool and swim and feel really beat up and slow. Those days are hard because I feel like I'm not getting any better. Then other days, I get in and I feel like I can keep going. I think the general trend is upwards though. I'm just getting bored with doing 500's. I think I'm going to set some interval goals. I will try 10x100's. I've found that I can't sustain a high pace for a very long time. Today I did 1x500 then 5x50's just for fun and mustered about a :54 but felt really winded/tired by the end of the set. I think my cardio system is still lacking. I wish I could improve it faster. I think I will shoot for 10x100 with 20 sec rest to figure out a conservative send off time and work with that. On filming: 1. Any suggestions for filming swimming underwater? 2. What angles are most useful for critique and if the person stays stationary, will they be able to film enough of the stroke? 3. Should I film when I'm fresh (best form) or when I'm midway through my workout and my form is getting sloppy? You guys are amazing. PS: couldbebetterfly, congrats on the sub 30 50. That's fantastic.
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    It's awesome to hear about where everyone started from and how you got to where you are. For me, as a beginner, it keeps me motivated. Some days I get in the pool and swim and feel really beat up and slow. Those days are hard because I feel like I'm not getting any better. Then other days, I get in and I feel like I can keep going. I think the general trend is upwards though. I'm just getting bored with doing 500's. I think I'm going to set some interval goals. I will try 10x100's. I've found that I can't sustain a high pace for a very long time. Today I did 1x500 then 5x50's just for fun and mustered about a :54 but felt really winded/tired by the end of the set. I think my cardio system is still lacking. I wish I could improve it faster. I think I will shoot for 10x100 with 20 sec rest to figure out a conservative send off time and work with that. On filming: 1. Any suggestions for filming swimming underwater? 2. What angles are most useful for critique and if the person stays stationary, will they be able to film enough of the stroke? 3. Should I film when I'm fresh (best form) or when I'm midway through my workout and my form is getting sloppy? You guys are amazing. PS: couldbebetterfly, congrats on the sub 30 50. That's fantastic.
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