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?
Hey, Solo Swimmers!
Since we train by ourselves, we need to rely on various resources to learn stroke technique, dryland exercises to stay healthy; and, how to write workouts to suit our particular needs and goals. I find videos to be very helpful; however, I also have a few books I continue to use for reference, even after I read them cover to cover. Here are my favorites:
Mastering Swimming, by Jim Montgomery and Mo Chambers
Swimming Past 50, by Mel Goldstein and Dave Tanner
Swimming Anatomy, by Ian McLeod
My favorite instructional videos for stroke technique are from https://www.goswim.tv/home
Sign up for a free subscription, and they will send you a video each day.
My favorite videos for dryland exercises to keep my shoulders (and everything else!) healthy are on YouTube from physicaltherapyvideo . The intro to their videos is really cheesy, but these guys are good and know their stuff.
I also recommend McKenzie Technique exercises. In the YouTube search box, type in "McKenzie Technique," and you will see the various options available. DeniseMW recommended this to me, because her physical therapist used this technique successfully on her. The exercises are very good. Treat Your Own Shoulder is a McKenzie Technique book I purchased on Amazon, and I do the exercises regularly.
What resources (besides this website) have you all used that you can recommend? Are there any particular books or videos that you find yourself referring back to over and over?
Hey, Solo Swimmers!
Since we train by ourselves, we need to rely on various resources to learn stroke technique, dryland exercises to stay healthy; and, how to write workouts to suit our particular needs and goals. I find videos to be very helpful; however, I also have a few books I continue to use for reference, even after I read them cover to cover. Here are my favorites:
Mastering Swimming, by Jim Montgomery and Mo Chambers
Swimming Past 50, by Mel Goldstein and Dave Tanner
Swimming Anatomy, by Ian McLeod
My favorite instructional videos for stroke technique are from https://www.goswim.tv/home
Sign up for a free subscription, and they will send you a video each day.
My favorite videos for dryland exercises to keep my shoulders (and everything else!) healthy are on YouTube from physicaltherapyvideo . The intro to their videos is really cheesy, but these guys are good and know their stuff.
I also recommend McKenzie Technique exercises. In the YouTube search box, type in "McKenzie Technique," and you will see the various options available. DeniseMW recommended this to me, because her physical therapist used this technique successfully on her. The exercises are very good. Treat Your Own Shoulder is a McKenzie Technique book I purchased on Amazon, and I do the exercises regularly.
What resources (besides this website) have you all used that you can recommend? Are there any particular books or videos that you find yourself referring back to over and over?
