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Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!!
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 2010-10-25 10:43 PM |
Member 23 Lexington, KY |  Subject: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!!OFM here wanting to participate in triathlons...only problem is, can't freaking swim!! Currently taking lesson through a local tri shop (this week is number 5 of 10). Today did 1600 yds of breathing drills with a kick board and fins, but can't swim freestyle 25 yds. I completed a duathlon and loved it, but want to go on to triathlons. Any suggestions? Anyone else start out in a similar situation? Clyde Guy |
| 2010-10-26 8:15 AM in reply to: #3171914 |
Regular 105 fayetteville | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! wish i could be of some help but i'm having the same problem, only no local tri shop for lessons. i'll be following this thread! |
| 2010-10-26 8:29 AM in reply to: #3171914 |
Pro 4838   | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! I feel your pain. I'm a clydesdale, 6'4 265lbs, as well. I have done a couple of sprint triathlons abd felt like I was actually going to drown in all three tris. I have no problem running or biking but I struggle so bad with the swimming. Let me know how this lessons go becuase that is something I was considering this winter because as it goes now, I hate swimming. |
| 2010-10-26 8:31 AM in reply to: #3171914 |
| New user 7 Far away | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! Yes it is difficult, I got some training from an old pro. Only problem is he has been doing sprint (100 m). My questions regarding breathing was answered with " I only do it twice in a race"... So I got hold of a DVD, it actually works to split up the swim into smaller parts and then put it together. Only problem is patience... |
| 2010-10-26 8:56 AM in reply to: #3171914 |
Champion 5376 PA | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! My best suggestion would be to start by simply relaxing and floating horizontal in the water with your arms straight out. You must learn to relax and trust that you can float first. Once you have that, you can trust yourself to keep straight and horizontal in the water. From there, just understand that you rotate your body left or right to breath instead of lifting your head. For me, that was very basics I had to grasp before working on any propulsion. |
| 2010-10-26 11:24 AM in reply to: #3172311 |
Expert 1075 Champaign Area, IL | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! Pector55 - 2010-10-26 8:56 AM My best suggestion would be to start by simply relaxing and floating horizontal in the water with your arms straight out. You must learn to relax and trust that you can float first. Once you have that, you can trust yourself to keep straight and horizontal in the water. From there, just understand that you rotate your body left or right to breath instead of lifting your head. For me, that was very basics I had to grasp before working on any propulsion. X2 I know it sounds simple enough....but learn to "RELAX" in the water......don't fight the water....don't kick hard to keep you horizontal.....relax to keep you horizontal |
| 2010-10-26 11:59 AM in reply to: #3171914 |
Extreme Veteran 375 Middleville, MI | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! I have to say that a wetsuit really helped transform me as a swimmer, not that I am really all that fast. Before the wetsuit, I felt like I was floundering, working hard just to stay afloat. With the wetsuit I felt so much better, using my arms for propulsion instead of bouyancy. This in turn has helped me become a better swimmer even without a wetsuit. The one caveat to that is that I live on a lake so OWS training with a wetsuit on is very easy for me. The other thing I would suggest to you is that swimming has a very steep learning curve. In the beginning it is possible to make a huge amount of improvement just by changing 1 or 2 things. Unlke running where it seems like it takes months or even years to get faster. |
| 2010-10-26 12:04 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
New user 433 | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! Lessons are the best way to go in the beginning. Believe it or not, you are probably executing the wrong form in some fashion. Lessons will provide you another set of eyes of what is bad and what you need to do. Also, lessons will answer any question that may come up, specific or general. I thought I knew everything, in theory and from videos/books, the problem was I had no clue on what I was doing right or wrong. Lessons gave me this insight, also gave me tons of new information that I didn't know about. 1v1 are the best but should be focused on one style of swimming at first. Patience is the key for learning how to swim. Don't think of swimming, in the beginning, as fitness..you are learning form first, fitness will come later. Also, I would go with a swim coach vs another swimmer, in the beginning. Once you know the form its hard to rethink of how to explain it to others. I paid for six weeks of lessons 2x30min workouts and they were worth every penny. I'll pay next year for a swim form review video sessions to tweak my form even more, but this is getting into average to above average to expert level stuff. Other tip..less is more for learning swimming..hammering out many bad form laps is counterproductive vs fewer quality laps.
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| 2010-10-26 1:38 PM in reply to: #3172938 |
Expert 844 | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! Check out the total immersion program. It is very good at a gradual progression. Us bigger folks actually are more bouyant in the water and that is an advantage. In addition, swimming doesn't pound your joints as much as running, so in theory you can do it more. In reality I know its hard |
| 2010-10-26 5:16 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
Member 11 | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! Just had to jump in. I just finished my first tri over the weekend at 6' 4" and 392 lbs. It was Pumpkinman Sprint Distance here in Las Vegas and I am not a swimmer. I currently lack the coordination to breath and stroke at teh same time. My swim took 27 minutes, but I made it and didn't kill myself in the process! I did a lot of backstroke and a modified breast stroke keeping my head out of the water, but I kept moving forward the entire time. I know lessons will help me to improve my technique and therefore my speed on the swim, but this was the fastest I had ver done this distance so I felt good. I took the advice of some other swimmers I know who said its just important to get in and get comfortable in the water. It certianly helped. |
| 2010-10-26 7:20 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
Member 32 Portland | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! I'm a swimmer, and I am usually cursing the run for being so @*?! hard! Ok, my advice: swimming is all about form. I can whoop so many of those guys with all muscles and 3% body fat because I have good form. *Slow yourself down, and STRETCH out every stroke. Your whole form should be extended and long. *Practice with a pull bouy- many beginner's kick slows them down rather than help. This will also help you get your butt where it needs to be and get you parallel to the bottom of the pool *Make each stroke count. Just like when you run you get power from your legs and your stride, the power should come from your hands under the water. I see so many limp-noodle arms in the water, and they just wear themselves out because their strokes aren't propelling them forward Not being your coach I'm not really sure what else to advise- maybe post a YouTube video and we'll be able to give more tailored advice to your specific issues. Just keep at it, you'll get therre CG! |
| 2010-10-27 11:54 AM in reply to: #3171914 |
Regular 147 | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! I started swimming only 5 years ago. I found learn to swim classes at the local college pool and I've been there since. You definitely need lessons and I highly suggest TI --go online and watch videos and they have forums too. Just keep with it and relax. |
| 2010-10-28 11:44 AM in reply to: #3175495 |
Champion 10018 , Minnesota Bronze member | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! I did Total Immersion with a one-one coach. That, and reading the TI book, got me to the point that I understand what I was supposed to do. But even in those sessions, I could not get to the end of the pool without chugging water. Then I bought a nose clip. This helped because I am generally a nose plugger and taking out that very hard element helped me a lot mentally. Finally I had the revelation to try swimming with a foam dumbbell (at the pool for water aerobics) in-between my thighs. I was too naive to realize I had "invented" the pull buoy. The first day I used the dumbbell it was a revelation. I could swim! Now I could work on form, breathing, etc. I did not kick with it. I later bought a real pull buoy and used that for all of my long swims leading up to my first Oly. I am sure "real swimmers" are crying to read this, but it honestly got me to progress when I didn't think anything else would work. It's essentially the pool substitute for a wet suit. If you know you will be able to wear a wet suit during your first tri, I think the pull buoy is okay to use for a while as a crutch. Later down the line I ditched the pull buoy (other than for specific drills) and have learned to swim better. I do a lot of races and have yet avoided any race where I couldn't wear my wetsuit, so I am ok with my mediocre swim abilities |
| 2010-10-28 2:27 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
Member 32 Portland | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! BikerGirl- I'm a "real swimmer" (or at least was one 30 lbs ago) and I think that is great advice. Most people's kicks do them more harm then good while learning how to swim. Once you get your pull down and learn how it feels to keep your hips straight and butt up, your legs will instinctively kick-in (no pun intended) when you try to turn on the gas. |
| 2010-10-28 6:35 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
| Member 23 Lexington, KY | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! Thanks for all the advice. I am not willing to give up on this and will stick with it. Will let you all know how it goes. |
| 2010-10-29 11:35 AM in reply to: #3171914 |
Extreme Veteran 605 Centennial, CO | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! I was in a similar situation but did not have that many lessons. Relax in the water. Breath. Focus on what they are teaching you in lessons and you'll see that it will just "click" one day. I went from struggling to swim 50M to doing 2k in a few weeks once I "got it" |
| 2010-10-29 2:33 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
Veteran 209 Northern Ohio | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! When I started training in March 2010 I could not swim 25 yards without my heart beating so hard it made the water at the local Y ripple. I struggled for about 4 weeks until I got two simple pieces of advice the first one from Mr Swim Smooth. The second from my wife. Breat continuously. Keeps CO2 from building up in lungs giving the panic effect. I breath every stroke. Don't limit yourself in workouts. I spent 4 weeks not being able to swim more than 50 yards at once. The day I "broke through" I went from 50 yards to 500 continuosly. I simply decided to have no expectations on distance. I was limiting myself mentally. Since then I have swam over 78,000 yards, completed 7 Tris including 5 sprints, 1 Oly and 1 HIM. If I can anyone can. By the way I am 6'2" and 235 pounds. Best wishes to you. Edited by Tkimble01 2010-10-29 2:34 PM |
| 2010-10-29 2:50 PM in reply to: #3173953 |
Champion 5376 PA | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! LilyB - 2010-10-26 8:20 PM I'm a swimmer, and I am usually cursing the run for being so @*?! hard! Ok, my advice: swimming is all about form. I can whoop so many of those guys with all muscles and 3% body fat because I have good form. *Slow yourself down, and STRETCH out every stroke. Your whole form should be extended and long. *Practice with a pull bouy- many beginner's kick slows them down rather than help. This will also help you get your butt where it needs to be and get you parallel to the bottom of the pool *Make each stroke count. Just like when you run you get power from your legs and your stride, the power should come from your hands under the water. I see so many limp-noodle arms in the water, and they just wear themselves out because their strokes aren't propelling them forward Not being your coach I'm not really sure what else to advise- maybe post a YouTube video and we'll be able to give more tailored advice to your specific issues. Just keep at it, you'll get therre CG! I think this is sound advice. I did a set of 8 100's today to get my average (part of my current training plan.) I found that when I tried harder on a couple of sets I was actually slower! My HR was up, I was breathing heavy and I knew I put a lot into it. My next couple of sets I just concentrated on keeping myself like a "needle" as I reached further and pulled with "high elbows." I was around 12 seconds / 100 faster with much less effort. |
| 2010-10-29 9:28 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
| On your right | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! I think the advice about relaxing is a great thing to remember as well. In the end, we're doing this because it's supposed to be fun, and we should enjoy it. Go to the pool and just enjoy the feeling of floating. Swim a few lengths, swim a lot of them, swim one, just have fun. Heck, have a beer then go swim, maybe it will take the edge off and you can relax a bit and "feel" the water. Once I quit treating my tri hobby like it's a job, it got a lot more fun and I started improving more. |
| 2010-10-30 4:32 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
Master 2538 Albuquerque | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! You'll get there, just keep plugging along. Everyone starts in the same situation, it'll come. |
| 2010-10-30 6:49 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
Member 47 Memphis, Tennessee | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! I swam as a kid and in high school. I stopped and when I started again in my early 40' s I was almost 300lb's and could barely do 3 lengths. I had to relearn how to swim. I still have to concentrate and work on relaxing and breathing well. The total immersion and You Tube videos have really helped me. I now swim a lot every week, did a 5k a few weeks ago, and I have to really work on my running now so I can do a triathlon in May. Good luck with the swim, I had to really work on technique, keep showing up, and realize that most of swim is mental and technique. Phillip |
| 2010-11-07 4:35 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
| Member 23 Lexington, KY | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! Just as an update, started working on some new drills. Had an excellent time in the pool today. I actually think I see a little glimmer of light now. Thanks for the support and suggestions! Clyde Guy |
| 2010-11-09 12:41 PM in reply to: #3199588 |
Regular 147 | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! Had an excellent time in the pool today. Clyde Guy Congrats!!! That's what it's all about! |
| 2010-11-29 8:26 PM in reply to: #3171914 |
| Member 23 Lexington, KY | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! Small celebration here!!!!!! I know this will seem over the top, but I actually got 2 links today without fins. Almost got 4 total. Relaxing in the water is still not totally there but coming. Weird thing is, I am a right handed person, but links happened breathing to the left. Started working on open turns also. Only uphill from here! |
| 2010-11-29 8:31 PM in reply to: #3175495 |
| Member 71 | Subject: RE: Why is swimming so @*?! hard!!!!! nanners5888 - 2010-10-27 12:54 PM I started swimming only 5 years ago. I found learn to swim classes at the local college pool and I've been there since. You definitely need lessons and I highly suggest TI --go online and watch videos and they have forums too. Just keep with it and relax. X2 on the TI Total Immersion is awesome. http://www.totalimmersion.net/ |
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