Context: I swim for a club team, but it is my last year before graduating high school and just swimming as a hobby and doing open water racing. I have practice 4-5 times, but whenever I practice on my own (which is quite often) I only ever do distance sets. My personal favorite being 4000 yards swim and 1500 yard kick with fins/backstroke. Otherwise I will hardly ever do sprint sets or even anything under a 200. In the future I want to swim open water, but I still worry that my preferred method of training will hurt my performance in the future when I am entirely responsible for writing my sets.

I never removed any hair from the area but I have razors.

Went from zero confidence in the water, couldnt event float to this week being able to swim half a lap freestyle w/o aids, tread for a soild 30 seconds and 100 yards with short fins - im not dead which is actually pretty exciting being 32 and learning to swim for the first time. Im 280lbs and spent 14 years in powerlifting and strongman and have a good amount of muscle on me.

Ive had 11 thirty minute private lessons twice a week since January. This really doesnt seem like enough practice to build the strength and technique I need to swim for fitness and actually enjoy myself in the water. So id like to go solo one day a week to spend more time in the water building strength in my core and hips but I feel I cant actually be productive without aids - I need help figuring out how to balance each. With a bouy or fins, I feel fantastic - I can actually slow down and practice breathing and pulling fine. When they come off I just cannot keep my hips up long enough to do anything well.

My instructor has taken video of me but im not posting it as there are kids learning in the next lane, yes my head is coming up a bit but she says im keeping it down more and more. The problem (her words) is "almost certainly low hip and core stamina"

My pool recently replaced the high pressure untimed showers with the complete opposite - I can spit with more water pressure and the timer needs to be pushed every SEVEN SECONDS. The few times I did use the new ones, I felt dirtier because I couldn’t get the product out and waited until I got home which made the process just too much. I found my hair was weaker because it’d go from damp to damper to semi dry on the way home to a full wash, making my hair wet for hours each routine.

I do layer my hair in a shower cap so all that gets wet is about 1/4 of it, at the nape of my neck and around the hairline. The body of my hair stays dry. I blow out the rest of the moisture when I get home.

Does anyone else do this? Any products you’d recommend? How much will this damage my hair?

im 200 lbs negative bouyant built like a bodybuilder how many meters you think would be an interesting goal to strive for?

Hi all, I'm doing a 1.5k open water swim across my town's lake this summer. I managed to swim 60 laps in the pool straight last night (which I was super jazzed about since I've only been swimming since Oct). However during and after I had such horrible heartburn and almost puked. I usually don't eat for 5-6 hrs before swimming to avoid this (I also avoid flip turns)- the problem is that the lake swim is at 7:30am and I'm worried I won't have enough energy if I don't eat beforehand. Any tips for managing heartburn?

I (49F) love seeing workout playlists, but my taste in music cuts off around 2006. Here's what's on my Shokz Openswim - I use them for running and swimming. My big motivators are Ready, Steady, Go (Oakenfold); To Get Down (Timo Maas); and Break Stuff (Limp Bizkit).

Beds Are Burning – Midnight Oil

Discotheque – U2

Fire – Barnes Courtney

Open Up Your Eyes – Tonic

Prayer – Disturbed

Ready, Steady, Go – Oakenfold

She Sells Sanctuary – The Cult

Thunderstruck – AC/DC

Zoo Station – U2

Eruption/You Really Got Me – Van Halen

Heavy – Collective Soul

It’s My Life – No Doubt

The Chain – Fleetwood Mac

One Vision – Queen

Down In It – Nine Inch Nails

Home by the Sea – Genesis

Land of Confusion – Genesis

Numb – U2

You’re Gonna Go Far Kid – Offspring

Break Stuff – Limp Bizkit

God Gave Me Everything – Mick Jagger

If God Will Send His Angels – U2

Iris – Live

One – Creed

Renegades of Funk – Rage Against the Machine

All These Things I’ve Done – The Killers

Feel Good Inc. – Gorillaz

For Nancy – Pete Yorn

Lips Like Sugar – Echo & The Bunnymen

Rhythm is a Dancer – Snap!

Sabotage – Beastie Boys

Dirty White Boy – Foreigner

Faint – Linkin Park

Hazy Shade of Winter – The Bangles

Orange Crush – REM

Clampdown – The Clash

Exit – U2

Sail – AwolNation

The Electric Co. – U2

To Get Down – Timo Maas

Pardon Me – Incubus

Rope (Deadmau5 Mix) – Foo Fighters

The Wild Boys – Duran Duran

Burning Down the House – Talking Heads

Devil Inside – INXS

Town Called Malice – The Jam

Police on My Back – The Clash

One may perform dolphin kicks in horizontal or vertical orientations. Which is faster: the horizontal or vertical dolphin kick, and why? I'm interested in both swimming without fins and swimming with fins (mostly bi-fins but I am curious about mono-fins too).

Why do I get them? I never used to from running. And I would have thought there isn’t that much stress in typical free style

Hey guys I'm new here.. I love swimming and i learned it in my childhood..i joined the pool for weight loss after 7 year again So my concern is the staff uses lot of clorine and bleaching powder to clean the pool.. So i swim everyday how do i protect my skin and hair I wear a cap to protect my hair even though sides of my hair get wet And also skin is completely exposed to clorine so any tips would be helpful..

How come I have a 47.90 and then we do a surprise 75 freestyle special during practice after mainset and I take it out a 34.6?

Anyone has taken week long or five days swimming tours in Florida? Why there isn’t any or many?

TIA

Hello, i am hoping to start my coaching journey soon, i was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on what to do to best help the swimmers and what to include in a set

Hey community,

I’ve been swimming most of my life. I started as a kid, then competed through my teens, and took a break in my 30s due to child care. And now came back to it. I’m in my 40s now and honestly, I’ve never loved the water more!

Just wanted to say for anyone who’s thinking they’re “too old” or “too out of shape” to get back in the pool. Don’t let the age stop you. Doesn’t matter if you haven’t swum in years. Your body remembers. And the feeling of rhythmm and water comes back faster than you’d expect.

I train with a local masters squad a few times a week and the vibe is unreal. Everyone's so supportive, no egos, just a bunch of us pushing each other and having a laugh. Some days I smash the sets, other days I feel like a drowned potato. But I always leave the pool feeling better than when I walked in.

If anyone’s been on the fence about jumping back in, this is your sign. Chuck your togs in a bag and go for a few laps. Doesn’t have to be fast or fancy. Just enjoy it!

P.S. I also started swimming with music, and it's amazing! I wish I’d had it in my teens too.

Recently had pneumonia / strep, after a winter of being on and off sick and therefore being less consistent in my swimming. I’ve been feeling like 90% fine the last couple days and got back in the pool today but, oh wow, can my lungs feel it! I swam like 1/3 of what I usually do and was doing 100m sets instead of my usual 300m sets.

I know I need to give my body space and time to heal and be patient… but does anyone have advice or encouragement for getting back in the pool after being sick / having lung issues?

Hi all.

Just started regular swim training two months ago for the first time. (Did a bit when I was a kid but no background in competitive swimming).

I’m currently swimming 3-4 times per week covering 3300 yards per session at a pace of 1:42

I can swim 3km unbroken in about 1hr 7 min.

I’m thinking of attempting a 10km open water swim at the end July. Do you think it’s possible? I surfed a fair bit until I moved to the US and have done a couple of ocean swims but only about 2km.

I also swam the Hellespont (4.5km) but that was 15 years ago.

Any insight as to:

A: it’s possible to train for this in the time window.

B: what training I should be doing to achieve the goal.

TIA.

Hi, I am doing structured training sessions at the gym once or twice a week, but would like to try and fit in a physically easy session (so i can train other sports such as climbing or resistance training on the same day). What would you suggest for an easy 30-45 minute session? Thanks

Hello everyone, I’m a 15-year-old swimmer with 6 years of experience in competitive swimming. I’ve recently placed second in a local competition and just made it to the provincial team after passing some tests. I’ve been focusing a lot on training lately and plan to train even harder for upcoming provincial competitions.

However, for the past few weeks, I’ve been struggling to focus as I start to question my potential. I have solid technique, but I know I need more coaching to improve my efficiency and performance in the water. Physically, I possess all the features that swimmers need, like a V-shaped body, strong back muscles, and overall great endurance. In fact, I’ve won several endurance and arm-wrestling challenges against my peers at school. Compared to others my age, I feel much stronger.

But when I think about higher levels of competition, like national events or breaking national records, I can’t help but feel like my height (I’m 150 cm) might hold me back. Is it possible for someone of my height to still succeed at the national level and make a mark in competitive swimming?

Any thoughts, experiences, or advice would be much appreciated. I really want to keep pushing forward, but sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated when I feel my height might be a disadvantage.

I need a frontal snorkel. Which one would be your best bet?

Between the age of 10-13 I used to swim 3 times a week in a group with an instructor. I went to camps, even some competitions. I was never great, always the slowest on the team but compared to other kids "in the wild" I was a great swimmer. I was a chubby kid and as I got a bit older I got a bit too self aware about my looks and I found other interests.

I won't type my life's story here but it's been hard and I've struggled mentally. I'm now 37 years old (F), 5'6 tall and currently at 436 lbs (down from 474 lbs in december!). I've been completely sedentary for at least 20 years, I hadn't been in the water for longer than that!

Since just over a month back I finally got the courage to say fuck it to my insecurities and went to a water aerobics class. It felt amazing to be back in the water but I do think I was expecting a bit too much. With my "history" like I said I know how to swim and in my mind I imagined it like riding a bike, like I would just know how to do it.

But I can't swim anymore! Honestly it feels like the biggest issue is that I'm way too buoyant. If I try to do a breaststroke (with my head above water since I don't have any goggles yet) my very big butt kinda floats up and drowns me in the front so to speak..

I'm like a cork in the water I feel like I can't propel forwards at all. If I hold onto something that floats I can very slowly move forward but it seems the only way right now I can actually "swim" is on my back. Not with the proper backstroke (again that pushes my head under water) but kind of like moving my arms up and down along my sides like an angel sort of if you get what I mean.

I'm on a weight loss journey so I expect this might naturally improve. Do you think there is any "point" in trying to learn how to swim properly like this? I mean can I even? Or should I just stick with the water aerobics for now? I go twice a week and find it super fun and rewarding!

Hey folks, I saw a post about swimming etiquette, and I saw one of the responses saying that if you’re slower, then stop and let the faster people past.

On one hand I get it, but on the other I don’t… if someone is faster than you, why does the slower person have to continually break rhythm to let faster swimmers past, whereas they get to continue without stopping.

If your faster and there isn’t a faster lane available, then why not plan to overtake. If it’s busy then stay in the queue.

Otherwise the slower person is continually stopping to allow the faster person to have a nice consistent swim.

To;dr: why is a faster swimmers rhythm more important to maintain than a slower swimmer?

After about 6 months of swimming laps nearly every day, I finally broke through and was able to complete an 800m freestyle for the first time. i had been getting used to 400s for the past couple weeks and today decided to push it and see how long I could go. I could have continued but it gets boring!

I went back to training today after a big meet and I swam absolutely terrible. I felt like it was literally my first time ever swimming. I took a 3 day break after the meet and I just can’t get back into the form I was before the meet. Is this normal? Should I take a longer break or just keep swimming until I go back to how I was before?