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[bibliothecula]

I know The Fiona and a bunch of you are swimmers, and I have some questions as a beginner lap swimmer....these might seem really basic, but I'm not being a troll.

I currently swim a half mile several times a week, for general fitness and to continue rehab on a bad knee. It takes me anywhere from 25-35 minutes. As it gets easier, should I be trying to get faster, or add more laps, or both? Should I add a kickboard to my routine? I normally swim all backstroke (knees can't take frog kicks, back doesn't like freestyle) but could probably use a kickboard. some people at my pool use flippers. Others use snorkels. One swims with a foam thing between her knees. Should I be using these accessories?

My swim cap irritates the skin on my forehead. It's a cheapie, and I see a lot of options on swimwear sites. What material is best?

Do any of you listen to music while you swim? Do you use otterboxes for an ipod or use that through-the-skull player? Also, do you use a counter to keep track of lengths and laps, or just keep it in your head?

Thanks!

[pandora]

If you want better cardio workout, try doing more freestyle.  It shouldn't hurt your back unless you've got improper form or perhaps an injury.  About 80% of the people I see in the pool swimming freestyle have terrible form and it makes them very slow (although they're still getting a good workout!).  You could just ask another swimmer or the guard about what to do more effectively.  The most common mistake I see is people who submerge their heads in the water entirely and nearly drown themselves everytime they need to breathe.

I would say skip the flippers if you've got a tender knee -- those will likely put more stress on the joint.  A pull buoy (that foam thing that you can hold between your thighs) would by contrast relieve stress on your knees, but then of course, you're not really working your leg muscles at all.  Skip the snorkel to get better breathing and cardio exercise.  You can probably buy either a thicker latex cap (the ones that are like balloons completely tear my hair out) or even just a nylon one, if you don't mind getting some chlorine in your hair.

No music accessories -- that looks super dorky.  And I count in Italian which helps to prevent me from losing track since my Italian is lousy and I actually have to think of the numbers.

And now I must go do my own laps -- Happy swimming!

[swtrixie]

Biblio....

I would recommend using a kick board as part of your routine. It helps to hone your kicking when switching back to freestyle.

I started out very slowly and worked my way up to 50 lengths. 10, free, 10 kick, 10 free, 10 kick, 10 free.

I kick because it works on the leg and hiney areas.

I also started to breathe after every stroke. It helped with me timing and I didn't get as tired. This allowed me to swim longer and gradually faster.

I also recommend goggles if you aren't using them yet and also silicone ear plugs. The ear plugs obviously keep the water out of your ears but it also helps in creating the "Zen" experience. I don't use the pull buoy because I really do need to focus on my lower body and the pull buoy works on your arms and shoulders.

I love to swim. I swim every other day. Now that school's out I'm shooting for 1 mile workouts.

[crazybatlady]

If you have back problems, though, the kick board might exacerbate them--especially if you use it like a training aid with your hands at the far end, the close end near your arm pits, and your head out of the water.

If you are not doing flip turns, you can move a lane line float each time you finish a lap and count them when you're done.

I'd recommend you try fins, because using them properly exercises the hips, ankles, and calves more than it stresses knees. Proper form = barely any bending at the knees.

Caps are something you have to work out on your own, but I wonder if you are wetting your hair before you get in the water? A quick shower lets the hair follicle fill up with clean shower water instead of chlorine water, and it reduces the pull from the cap when it's on.

Have fun!

cbl

[octoprof]

If your back doesn't like freestyle, then your form needs work, most likely.

My back doesn't like kickboards, so I do a lot of my kicking on my back, actually.

I wouldn't worry about speed, unless you plan to enter a swim meet. Go for distance and increased endurance (or more total time in the pool each time).

Freestyle breathing is very individual. I mostly breathe every fourth stroke.  That's a bit weird, but when I breathe more often (except perhaps when sprinting hard) I have a tendency to not exhale enough air. If you don't exhale enough, you won't be able to inhale much. :o)

I like fins but fins are also very individual. I have to have very floppy fins, not stiff ones or I get weird pain in the kneecaps (i'm old and my knees are ancient).  Fins come in all manner of types and lengths, so experiment (with fins that belong to other people, if possible) to find what you like best. The fun of fins is you can go a lot faster - it's good for your ego. :o)

Caps always leave red lines on my forehead, but they go away in half an hour or so.  Make sure your cap isn't too tight, of course!

I swim mostly freestyle, do a lot of kicking (flutter and dolphin) and a bit of backstroke (it's pathetic) and butterfly (using fins so I won't drown my fat self these days).  I do not do breaststroke kick but do occasionally do breaststroke pull with dolphin kick for a change of pace. Even with a back injury, such as a herniated disc like mine, you can get a very good swim workout and strengthen your core and your cardio systems, as well as some muscles in various parts of your body.

[zoelouise]

Hey Biblio-

Welcome to the swimming society!

I do not count laps at all- I swim for a time. No music, no counting; it's a time of meditation for me. No toys either, just stroke, stroke, stroke. If I am feeling strong, I speed up or go longer, if I am feeling weak, I slow down or go shorter. I let my body tell me how I feel.

I breathe once in the middle of the pool and at each end.

Enjoy it. I love to swim (and do not enjoy much other exercise, save walking the dog and riding my old bike to work, but they don't soothe like swimming does).

Ditto what someone else said- it helps to get your hair wet before you put on the cap. I find the nylon ones wear out too fast.

Congratulations on being a swimmer.

[swtrixie]

I breathe once in the middle of the pool and at each end.

Wow. I think I'd die if I did that.

I too have a question  for y'all:

Do you think there is a difference in resistance from say, the 4ft (deep)lane as opposed to the 6ft (deep) lane?  I often wonder about that as I swim.

[octoprof]

I breathe once in the middle of the pool and at each end.

Wow. I think I'd die if I did that.

I too have a question  for y'all:

Do you think there is a difference in resistance from say, the 4ft (deep)lane as opposed to the 6ft (deep) lane?  I often wonder about that as I swim.

As you move your body through the water it creates waves that go out from it in all directions (well, except up, I suppose).  This includes towards the bottom of the pool. Those downward moving waves hit the bottom and bounce back, creating turbulence.  This is why really good competition pools are DEEP. :o)  There's no "shallow" end in a pool used in the Olympics these days!

The difference from 4 ft to 6 ft in depth isn't that pronounced. However, a trained swimmer can feel the speed of swimming in a 12 foot deep lane if he's used to swimming in a 4 or 5 foot deep lane.

[fiona]

I do not count laps at all- I swim for a time. No music, no counting; it's a time of meditation for me. No toys either, just stroke, stroke, stroke. If I am feeling strong, I speed up or go longer, if I am feeling weak, I slow down or go shorter. I let my body tell me how I feel.

I breathe once in the middle of the pool and at each end.

Enjoy it. I love to swim (and do not enjoy much other exercise, save walking the dog and riding my old bike to work, but they don't soothe like swimming does).

Ditto what someone else said- it helps to get your hair wet before you put on the cap. I find the nylon ones wear out too fast.

Congratulations on being a swimmer.

I'm most like Zoelouise: low equipment, low stress. I wear goggles, but no cap--just get my hair completely wet with shower water first. Then I swim for half an hour, not counting laps, not listening to music, not worrying about strokes or form. I do freestyle, breast stroke, side stroke, back stroke, and pool walking, but with no fixed order or discipline. I swim to relax, not to have another item to check off. What I love best is when the endorphins take over and your body's gliding and so is your brain.

The Fiona

[ufo_tofu]

Wow - this thread has really made me realize how much I miss swimming!  My old uni has a huge, beautiful pool.  I went all the time.  My current uni is much, much smaller (like 1/7 of the size) and I don't work out at the school gym because I'm self-conscious when I exercise.

That zen feeling is awesome . . . I've been trying to get into running, but it's not the same.  Maybe when I get better at it and I'm not expecting to keel over cluctching my chest at any moment, I'll enjoy it more. 

[yemaya]

I just took up swimming again for the first time in ages and love it.  It's nice to see so many other swimmers.  I do 3/4 mile work outs about every other day, alternating between kick and freestyle.  (Though I'm reaaaaalllly slow at this point.)  I'm already starting to see small changes. 

[mzunderstanding]

You all are inspiring me. I'm hoping to take an aquafitness class starting in June. I may have to add some swim time to that.

I love the idea of the ear plugs.

[testingthewaters]

I'm another swimmer without toys, though I used to do the toy thing back in the dark ages when I swam competitively. For me, no toys = relaxation, toys = competition and crazy training, which I'm not looking for these days, so that's probably just my hangup. Toys can be very helpful.

As most of the people here, I'd say if your back isn't liking freestyle then you need to work on your form. This is stuff that is really hard to do on your own, without someone to give you tips. Sometimes it is really small stuff but you'll never see it on your own. If there is a swimming club of some sort around, you could see if they do training groups for adults. I've done some of these, and even if you just do it a few weeks, you can get enough pointers to keep you going for a while. Or, it could be fun and you might stick with the group.

Oh, and I use silicone caps- less ouch than latex, less prone pull your hair or to dry out and snap just when you needed it (both of which latex does), less chlorine let through than nylon.

Enjoy!

[voxprincipalis]

I'm also a swim-for-fitness girl. Unlike the rest of you, I do mostly breaststroke. This is because I can keep my head out of the water and therefore not wear goggles -- and also because it's really good at working the muscles in the arms and back that I need to be in good shape for playing my instrument. I also have very mild exercise-induced asthma, so in addition to using an inhaler before swimming, I also swim in intervals: 4 lengths and then a 30-45 second rest. I do about 50 lengths in about 40 minutes -- I'll get a little faster eventually because I wasn't swimming enough during the school year to stay in decent shape.

(I recently had my hair highlighted and asked my hairstylist about whether I'd need to wear a swim cap -- she said that it wasn't really necessary and that showering before getting in the pool as CBL mentioned earlier is the best thing to do. I do use a chlorine-removing shampoo afterwards; not really sure if that makes a difference.)

Anyway, this brings up a question for me as well: I'm a strong swimmer with good breaststroke form, so my head-out-of-the-water-ness is not because I'm afraid of the water but because I have an extremely narrow bridge of the nose and have had a horrible time finding goggles that fit and maintain a seal. Suggestions of good goggle brands for the hard-to-fit?

VP

[geophile]

I also have a bad knee and do some training at the pool to help---my university has a lazy river which is like a irregular oval of water with a mild current--I walk against the current forwards, backwards and with side stepping on each side and it does wonders. 

If you don't have a lazy river--treading water or just walking in the shallow end can be beneficial.  My physical therapists suggested it because I hated working with the resistance bands so much--the water is like mild resistance in all directions and there's no annoying band ripping at your skin or digging into already sore muscles.  I do many underwater leg lifts in all directions (think swinging your leg forwards and backwards and from side to side).  It's relaxing and a lot more pleasant.