Short background: I got into swimming when I injured my hips 2.5 years ago and I couldn't run anymore. I'm completely self-thought with the help of Youtube, of course, what else. I aim for two sessions per week, 1500meters each. I average 2:10/100m freestyle, and I'm quite happy with it. I'm 46yo, short woman.

Up untill today, I found swimming being not just the physical workout but also mental too. There's so many moving parts to co-ordinate, you know what I'm talking about. I'd finish my swim with my head buzzing from the intensive mental workout it's just gone through.

But a couple days ago stumbled up on this video by Eetu Karvonen https://youtu.be/7kK_yw9j6mo?si=m039m4CygiYq6SOt and it changed everything. Today in the pool I applied what he's talking about for the first time and I had that Eureka! moment. I stopped thinking what my hands, arms, hips, legs, whatever are supposed to be doing in the water. It's just one thing: your arm at the back is to push your arm at the front, that's it. Both arms are connected through the torso and are working together. Boom! I left the pool with a big smile and a clear, rested mind for the first time ever. 2:02/100m without any extra effort, just like that. I just wanted to share it, thanks for listening (reading).

Hi!

I'm curious to hear if others have this experience... So, I LOVE swimming, specially long distance, but I panic at meets - therefore I dont join them. I train with an academy (unsure of how to put it in English, is like a group that teaches, trains, and has a small team for competitions), and I'm used to training with some of the members of the team... I just dont care for joining a meet, but every single day my trainer will give me a sort of pep talk about joining a competition, and I cant seem to get the point across that I just train for the love of it, they (both trainer amd others from the 'academy') tend to ask me what's the purpose of doing it, and Im just like "because is fun".

I honestly train like I'm going to join them on a meet because is fun, and I swim because I love it and for health 😅

He just went 45.11 in 100m free short course. And he went 9.83 in the first 25m.

His training method still defies expectations and shocks coaches.

We lap swim together and compare data from our Apple Watches. So are my calorie figures bogus because I’m older and fat or do I actually burn more calories?

Hi All, I am extremely beginner just into 4 classes and I have been practicing hand movements along with my legs, seems like yesterday i did lots of wrong hand movements, and since then i have sharp shoulder pain and having hard time lifting my shoulder? How long will it take to heal and how should I be cautious in future?

Or - is it just in my head and all due to improper technique ?

Context: a combination of some city swimming / training growing up, a few years in water polo with very loose swim sets / now mid 30s and pursuing it seriously again as I always loved it but had other commitments through high school / college.

About 2 months back into it 4-6 sessions a week , using the Y , indoor and outdoor pool facilities. Technique has been improving steadily. My shoulders aren’t hurting anymore , incorporating structured workouts / sets. Starting small … but good lord my breathing is inconsistent.

There are 2 situations I’m struggling with and it’s all breath related: 1.) one bad , poorly timed or executed flip turn and my breathing is near trashed and I have to rest for like 2 minutes at the wall when my body is no where near tired.

2.) Indoor pools : this situation my lungs just feel tightened , like I can’t get a quality breath in. Is this some type of bad ventilation induced asthma?

Sorry if this is too many topics in one post ! Just curious what the pros and avid swimmers have done to work through this ? Thanks in advance

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Im a beginner and trying to learn freestyle swim. But my problem is when taking a breath and rotating my body, i heard that you want to be as straight or streamline with the water right? so i learn to not over rotate like look up the sky too much. I've seen proffesional swimmer barely turned their face when taking breath. But my problem is when i did this why my other half nostril is underwater when taking a breath with mouth, is the water kinda goes in that lower nostril make makes tingling/uncomfortable feeling up my sinuses. So how do you this? or you should actually turn so that both of your nostrils is above water when taking a breath?

Usually, video of men doing high number of pull ups or weighted pull ups are light men with short arms.

High level swimmers would be long arms and more heavy so pull ups would be harder for them.

And I heard pull ups aptitude are linked to swimming speed.

So I would like to see that, that would be rather impressive.

If anyone has a video like that, thank you!

I do swimming as hobby and just to stay active, yet I noticed that I can’t float. I’m confident in the water, yes, and I can keep my head above the surface pretty well, however floating just doesn’t work.

What I do: take a biiiig breath, jump a bit until I’m lying on my back, my arms and legs spread. I can stay like that for some time… until I inevitably feel my hips sinking.

Then I decided to try another thing: with lungs full of air I dived a bit and…

Just sank straight to the bottom.

I am on a more muscular side. I’m a girl yet I have abs definition, plus toned legs and arms. I think that maybe my body composition has something to do with it, but also maybe I’m overestimating its impact and it’s just a skill issue (lol).

How do I fix this?

I joined a masters swim team and have had two practices so far. I plan to go Monday through Thursday but also want to step it up in the gym. Past two months I only do shoulder external rotations, plank, RDL and Bulgarian split squats.

Schedule:

I get off work at 6pm, swim practice is at 7pm, then straight to gym. Then wake up at 6am next day for work. My friend who is a gym rat but not a swimmer thinks it might be too much lol. Guess I'll find out after this week but just curious what swimmers who have a real gym program think. Don't think I can do PPLPL because of tight schedule. Today i only got 6 hours of sleep.

Stats:

- 5'9" , hovering around 141-143 lbs (weigh first thing Monday morning after restroom)
- Eat around 2k calories/150g protein
- 4x100 @ ~1:55 (2 weeks ago)
- 110 lengths of 25yd pool in 1 hour (1 month ago)
- History: swam competitively in grade school. Fast forward 20 years, started swimming again in March (7 months ago). been swimming 2600-2700yards 3 days a week, 1 mile in the ocean on Fridays, then 1 - 2 hour recreation lap swim on Saturdays

Almost three years ago, I was diagnosed with type two diabetes. I was pushing 250 pounds. At 5'10" that's pretty gross! After the diagnoses wife said "We're joining the Y." Our diet is now much better, I've lost about 50 pounds! I swim 4-5 days a week and at the least a half mile.

My daughter didn’t know how to swim, and we wanted to enroll her in her school’s swim team (not really for competition, just to learn swimming). But the coach said that students should know the basics, like floating and treading water.

So, we enrolled her in one-on-one swimming lessons for 8 sessions. She has finished all 8 sessions, and she has improved a lot! We’re confident that she already knows the basics.

To all the swimmers here, do you think we should enroll her in the school swim team now, or should we continue with one-on-one lessons for another 8 sessions before joining the team?

Would love to hear your advice. Thank you! 😊

EDIT:
I’m sorry guys! I forgot to tell you tht my daughter is just 6 and we are not expecting her to join competitions in the near future. The school doesn’t force also, but she can train with them as long as she can swim by herself which she can already

I returned to swimming about 6 weeks ago and after my third swim I started to feel an ear infection (outer ear/swimmer's ear) brewing. Which was the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life, may I add.

Anyway, I finished the 7 day course of antibiotics about 3 weeks ago. I've had no pain since, though my hearing still isn't what it was in the affected ear. It feels as if I have lost 5% of my hearing. Had no problems getting it wet in the shower or bath though.

My question is do you reckon it's safe to go swimming again now? How long do you guys usually wait before getting back in the pool after suffering an ear infection?

Additionally, I think I will get some ear plugs as I'm terrified of having to go through this sort of pain again. What are your thoughts on their efficacy? Are there better alternatives (e.g. ear drops)?

Edit: Damn autocorrect for altering my title.

I always hear/read people talking about using the "large muscles" in your back when you swim, which will help you swim farther more efficiently.

I have been swimming for about 2 months now. And one of my current issues is tired arms, rather than tired lats, traps, etc. I can't tell if this is a general fitness issue or a swimming specific one. I don't have issues with mind-muscle connection when lifting, but I just cannot feel my back while swimming.

Anyone have cues you use to make sure you're using larger muscles and avoiding tiring yourself out?

Maybe it’s a thing that happens elsewhere I’m not sure.
I grew up in Australia and if you placed yourself in the wrong lane a life guard would suggest you move or sometimes a faster swimmer will just tell you ‘get out of my way’ or sometimes they would just grab your foot and pull you back as they overtake you. But over here it seems that someone could be walking in the fast lane and the lifeguards seemingly do nothing about it.

Pools are bigger in Australia etc I get that but lanes can definitely be controlled better.

Rant over

One of my coaches tells me to look forward when swimming freestyle. Any among you that do this on purpose?

I have heard so many times you have to look tat the floor or slightly forward. One of my coaches wants me to adopt Ian Thorpe’s technique.

I read that Ian Thorpe looked indeed looked forward and it created quite some drag. He was however so strong that he simply powered through.

I was now thinking, does it make sense for some individuals? For instance when you have a forward arching neck and a big chest? I can imagine it streamlines you then and pushes your chest in the water.

Beginner swimmer here, started over a month ago and really starting to enjoy it. But I had a "painful" last lesson where I was told to swim a lap for the very first time, front crawl, using a float and flippers.

About 3/4 of the way through, I felt absolutely exhausted. And panic set in, my first time in the deep end and I was thinking I can't finish this. The breathing technique became harder but I'm unsure why I felt so tired at the end, panting to finish. My instructor wanted me to go again, but I was really struggling with stamina.

Is this common? I kept thinking am I really out of shape? Am I rushing it (it felt like that)? How can I do one lap without feeling tired by the end?

Hoping for some tips. I was swimming with my club and we were doing some 25m sprints. I am really old. So old that my old school start is two legs on the edge, pull down, and look up in the air. I was doing new school with the leg back and head down and winding up a half body length back and deep. Old school I was a touch ahead and I just felt faster and not as deep. What makes the modern positioning faster?

Hi!

I recently put my 8 year old in swim lessons and he's having difficulty learning. I think the main reason is that he isn't quite catching how to breathe and has difficulty moving his arms. He likes to move his arms backwards for some reason. He is a great floater but doesn't have great coordination in general. I'm not sure what to do because he absolutely loves being in the water but it's difficult for me to watch him struggle. It feels like he drinks half the pool every lesson. He's currently enrolled in small group lessons. Any advice or words of encouragement would be great.

I’m back to swimming.. been consistent and I noticed how the cuts in my upper body are much more visible I don’t know if doing laps consistently also helped me to somehow developed certain muscles.. did it developed certain areas/muscles around your body? Like in general how did swimming physically change you?

Sorry if grammar lapses or spelling not from an English country.

Heya
m(22) here, who used to swim high level but has since turned to coaching.
I am quite the slender and tall guy (2 meters) with not a lot of muscles and I have been dealing with my back annoying me for a while.
So I was hoping to find some good dry-lands exercises I can do at home and similar to strength my back.
I can always elaborate further if needed be and appreciate any help given =)))

I’m 29 and have torn labrums in both shoulders from years of wrestling. I had my right shoulder repaired about 10 years ago but unfortunately reinjured it shortly afterward.

I’ve recently started getting back into swimming laps after not doing much since middle school. I’m a decent swimmer but by no means advanced, and I’ve been doing around 1,000–1,500 yards per workout primary freestyle and breaststroke, 2–3 times a week.

Lately, I’ve noticed some discomfort around the top/outer part of my shoulders during the pull phase of freestyle, along with some increased instability. Interestingly, wrestling was really the only thing that bothered my shoulders before, and I’ve generally avoided any positions that make me sublux and been fine since quitting although it still does happen occasionally. I really want to avoid surgery if possible, so I’m planning to see a sports medicine physician, but I’m also curious about others’ experiences.

For anyone swimming with labrum tears or shoulder instability, have you found any technique modifications, drills, or ways to build endurance that help? Are certain strokes easier on the shoulders, and have you been able to swim consistently without making things worse?
Appreciate any advice!