For the last couple of years I was extremely active. I was jogging about 10miles a week, lifing 4 times a week, and well as playing soccer every Sunday.
Last month I had some lower back pain and visited the doctor. I recieved horrible news that I can no longer jog, play soccer, or lift weights because of a herniated disk as well as some other things. She told me that if I want to maintain my fitness I should swim.
I feel great now and the doctor said that if I went back to my normal routine I may be ok for a while, but the problems would re-occur. I am not interested in ruining myself. But want to keep the fitness level I was at or increase it if possible.
I am not a swimmer like most of you are, but I have enjoyed recreational swimming all my life, I am 27 years old 5'7", 170LBS, and 12%BF. What kind of fitness workout would you guys recommend. The strokes I am capable of are *** & freestyle. I feel very awkward doing the others.
What kind of things would you recommend for me. I can swin 6 days per week for 50 minutes each time. I really want to burn fat and maintain (or improve) my body.
Parents
Former Member
Keep in mind that if you are going by heart rate, I believe that target heart rates for swimming are lower than for running or other aerobics. You might want to check on that to be sure.
Don't worry about other strokes. You can get a great workout just doing freestyle. Start out slow. (I wouldn't even try to start with 55 mins at first.) First day, get a feel for what you can do. How many lengths can you do before you are totally out of breath? (I'll bet it is two or three at most, initially.) Measure how long it takes you to do that. Rest about the same amount of time. Do it again. Rest. Do. Rest. etc., and be content if you can keep that up for 20 minutes.
Next day, try to extend 20 minutes to 22. Maybe see if you can do 4 lengths once in a while instead of 3. See if you do your repetitions faster than yesterday. (You probably won't at first.)
Over time, extend the number of lengths in each rep. Extend the overall length of your workout. See if you can do each length a little faster over time. See if you can shorten your rest time between reps.
Eventually you might find that you can do 10 lengths in 5 minutes. And after that, you'll improve to where you can do 10 lengths in 5 minutes INCLUDING YOUR RESTS. When you are there, you'll be doing 3000K in an hour, and most people can only dream of doing that. If you are starting out from "beginner", it would be quite an accomplishment if you achieve 3000K/hr within a year. Slow and deliberate. There is no rush. If you only reach half that much, ever, you still should be proud of the progress.
Keep in mind that if you are going by heart rate, I believe that target heart rates for swimming are lower than for running or other aerobics. You might want to check on that to be sure.
Don't worry about other strokes. You can get a great workout just doing freestyle. Start out slow. (I wouldn't even try to start with 55 mins at first.) First day, get a feel for what you can do. How many lengths can you do before you are totally out of breath? (I'll bet it is two or three at most, initially.) Measure how long it takes you to do that. Rest about the same amount of time. Do it again. Rest. Do. Rest. etc., and be content if you can keep that up for 20 minutes.
Next day, try to extend 20 minutes to 22. Maybe see if you can do 4 lengths once in a while instead of 3. See if you do your repetitions faster than yesterday. (You probably won't at first.)
Over time, extend the number of lengths in each rep. Extend the overall length of your workout. See if you can do each length a little faster over time. See if you can shorten your rest time between reps.
Eventually you might find that you can do 10 lengths in 5 minutes. And after that, you'll improve to where you can do 10 lengths in 5 minutes INCLUDING YOUR RESTS. When you are there, you'll be doing 3000K in an hour, and most people can only dream of doing that. If you are starting out from "beginner", it would be quite an accomplishment if you achieve 3000K/hr within a year. Slow and deliberate. There is no rush. If you only reach half that much, ever, you still should be proud of the progress.
