Hey, solo swimmers! :wave: Welcome to the thread for all of us who train solo. Whether you train on your own due to a lack of a Masters team in your area (or for any other reason), this is our virtual locker room. Please post training tips that you think would be helpful, or anything else you would like to share with the rest of us. Have a rant? Go ahead and vent here! :rantonoff:
I'll start with a tip:
The most frustrating thing for me training solo is not having a coach on deck to evaluate my stroke and keep me on track, so I bought a waterproof camera and enlisted the help of my husband to periodically shoot video of all four strokes. Shooting underwater video became a knee/back buster, so I bought a camera mount and attached it to PVC pipe, so my husband could stand up straight to shoot underwater video. The camera gets dunked underwater, and he twists the pipe to pan the camera as I swim by.
Today, I bought a 2-pack of 12-inch "Gear Tie" reusable rubber twist ties (available at Home Depot), so I can tie the PVC pipe to the pool ladder (located in the corner of the pool) and shoot video myself. (If I angle the camera just right and keep it on wide angle, I can video me coming and going.)
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After each video session, I upload the videos to my desktop computer and compare my stroke to my favorite Go Swim stroke videos to see what I'm doing well (or not). I also post them on the Forums for feedback.
Ok, solo swimmers, what's your tip?
Hi, Michael: I am recovering from an inflamed trapezius caused by over use after having shoulder surgery last year. I think she just wants me to take it easy until the inflammation goes down. She says I can do *** stroke but I swim it like a one-legged frog.
A question for those of you who may have experience swimming in less than optimal conditions. Our over 55 community has a 50' pool and that means I'll have to swim 1 1/2 lengths to equal one lap of a 25 yard pool. I think it's going to mean an awful lot of wasted time turning (don't do flip turns) and I won't get optimal exercise. Anyone have experience with swimming in a shorter pool? Do you find you don't get a good workout? There's a standard size pool about 20 min. away, but I'm thinking in bad weather I'll have to stick closer to home. It seems this is the way they're building in the over 55 communities nowadays, calling them a "lap fitness pool." Unless you're in a big community (like yours, ElaineK), which they're not building in the Washington, DC area.
If you don't want to do breaststroke you can do dogpaddle with a snorkel. I did a lot of that when my shoulder was hurt. It is a good way to practice EVF.
As to the short pool; if it is OK on your shoulder, short pools are great for working on turns. Even if you only do open turns they can get better. Doing a turn without pushing off will give you more strokes/length. You can do vertical kicking,which is especially good for dolphin kick and breaststroke kick. When your shoulder is healed you can do 50' sprints if you like,that can be a very good sprint set.
Hi, Michael: I am recovering from an inflamed trapezius caused by over use after having shoulder surgery last year. I think she just wants me to take it easy until the inflammation goes down. She says I can do *** stroke but I swim it like a one-legged frog.
A question for those of you who may have experience swimming in less than optimal conditions. Our over 55 community has a 50' pool and that means I'll have to swim 1 1/2 lengths to equal one lap of a 25 yard pool. I think it's going to mean an awful lot of wasted time turning (don't do flip turns) and I won't get optimal exercise. Anyone have experience with swimming in a shorter pool? Do you find you don't get a good workout? There's a standard size pool about 20 min. away, but I'm thinking in bad weather I'll have to stick closer to home. It seems this is the way they're building in the over 55 communities nowadays, calling them a "lap fitness pool." Unless you're in a big community (like yours, ElaineK), which they're not building in the Washington, DC area.
If you don't want to do breaststroke you can do dogpaddle with a snorkel. I did a lot of that when my shoulder was hurt. It is a good way to practice EVF.
As to the short pool; if it is OK on your shoulder, short pools are great for working on turns. Even if you only do open turns they can get better. Doing a turn without pushing off will give you more strokes/length. You can do vertical kicking,which is especially good for dolphin kick and breaststroke kick. When your shoulder is healed you can do 50' sprints if you like,that can be a very good sprint set.
