robaday Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 Ive finally started doing exercise on regular basis (was extremely unfit). But there is a swimming pool in my complex - its only 10 metres long but ive been swimming every day for a month and feel great. Im looking for advice on how to build it up. Im doing 500 meters a day (its a tiny pool so its a lot of laps;) - was not a strong swimmer, but Im improving and can feel myself getting stronger. Can I build muscle swimming? Do I just swim longer distances? Or should I be trying to speed up my laps? Ive been switching between breast stroke and freestyle. Any advice appreciated! Link to post Share on other sites
thehead Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 If you have PM privileges contact Cerridwen. She was a competitive swimmer. I think she has threads about it. Link to post Share on other sites
FitChick Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 I think swimmers have the sexiest bodies of all athletes. A friend of mine was constantly dieting but wouldn't go to the pool because she was embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit. Finally, she said screw it, I want to swim, I like swimming, no one knows me at the YWCA, etc. So she went everyday after work when fewer people were there. The first day she could only do one lap and was exhausted. For a couple of weeks she fell into bed without eating dinner, so that kickstarted her weight loss. This went on for weeks, she kept adding laps. She wound up losing fifty pounds, started eating healthier again and she kept increasing her mileage. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author robaday Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 So 5 months later after initially posting this Im back and the answer to my question was yes you can build muscle swimming. Im now doing 1 km a day (2 sets of 500 metres). Still not much at all compared to say the average Australian, or athlete, but wow its made a difference! my technique seems to have improved on its own - simply swimming every day I think my body has sensed the best way to swim more efficiently without any lessons. Mostly mentally. I "feel" better, more focused, sharper, stronger and happier. In terms of my build, still probably weigh the same, but am way more toned all over. Im getting pecs for first time in my life at 32! was always really skinny, and my arms while not much bigger are more in proportion (something to do with doing a lot of pressups when I was younger - but not building other muscles). Upper body looks different than it used to. Looking to double my daily swim in a month. Its great because its not like running where youll likely damage your knees, or ankles by doubling your run in a week. So far, swimming has been the only exercise regime Ive kept consistently for more than 5 months straight (had spells of jogging for couple months but couldnt keep it up). Guess reason Im writing this is that Im not a swimmer, nor an athlete. And I havent really been swimming large distances at all. But the change has been pretty amazing both mentally and physically. So I would highly recomend it to others, wary of exerting themselves too much and looking for an easy way to get fit. Link to post Share on other sites
Imported Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Try to find a bigger pool. I hate turning. Got too use to swimming in open water in Hawaii. I mostly breaststroke and went through swimming lessons given at the local junior college in my area. I thought it was pretty helpful. You will learn somewhat on your own, but it is best to have a coach watch you swim and see if he can improve your stroke. Mine took video of me and showed me how I was slowing down and working against myself at some points simply because of my timing. I corrected the stroke and cut through the water a whole lot smoother now. I only swim for fitness. It is my favorite part of working out though. For a more muscle building workout, I like using large to very large hand paddles. Amazon.com: Tyr Catalyst Paddles: Sports & Outdoors I just do arm pulls with them mostly. Link to post Share on other sites
Author robaday Posted December 12, 2012 Author Share Posted December 12, 2012 Cheers imported - Im aiming to get some technique coaching after New Year - open water would be so much better in terms of workouts! Kinda using swimming as a base (from no fitness to consistent fitness) to build on. Started playing soccer once a week, two months back (first time since I was 21!), and started boxing two weeks ago.... But swimming has been a great spur to do more exercise. Its the way I feel that has really amazed me - so much sharper, so much happier, and has prompted me to really get into fitness for first time in my life. Anyone done stair running? am very high up in a block of apartments, thought of running up and down a few times to build stamina? Link to post Share on other sites
Emilia Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Anyone done stair running? am very high up in a block of apartments, thought of running up and down a few times to build stamina? A little bit. Make sure you run up but walk down. Better for the knees Link to post Share on other sites
JoeyPalmer Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 I'm also getting very worried about my body. I'm gaining a lot of weight day by day. And due to this tension and depression, I eat even more But thinking to start exercise and especially swimming. Coz I've heard it too from many, that swimming is one of the best thing for your body. Its a great exercise. So, I'm thinking to start it in a week or two time. Link to post Share on other sites
Author robaday Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Get onto it mate!!! its great for lazy people like me cause you can adjust your pace, and it can be relaxing......main thing Ive noticed is, without over exerting myself my whole body is firmer....if your like me and cant keep up a running regime swimming is the best fit!! Link to post Share on other sites
Cutiepie1976 Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 (edited) Love swimming! Great workout and one of the best ways to clear my mind and relax. Have you tried doing butterfly stroke, now that you've been at it a while? It will take you to a completely different level of fitness, especially if you've plateaued and swimming is getting routine for you. Glad you were able to build muscle from swimming alone. Maybe it's because I'm a woman, but I needed to strength train, not just swim, to get toned. Otherwise, I was just lean. Love doing stairs as well! As someone else mentioned, going down stairs puts significant stress on your knees. Something like 4x or 7x your body weight is exerted against your patellae when you run down stairs. It's a lot of wear and tear over the years if you use it as a key part of your regimen. I use a stair mill instead of running stairs. It's like a never-ending, steep escalator in reverse with adjustable speed. As you get fitter, just increase the speed. I try to mix up my workouts, but this is one of the only things that will get me to work up a good sweat and one of the few things that has me struggling not to quit before my time is up. With regular stair running, you tend to slow down as you get tired. A stair mill helps you maintain your pace to the bitter end! So it's part of my workout almost every day. You've picked some fun choices. Enjoy! Cheers imported - Im aiming to get some technique coaching after New Year - open water would be so much better in terms of workouts! Kinda using swimming as a base (from no fitness to consistent fitness) to build on. Started playing soccer once a week, two months back (first time since I was 21!), and started boxing two weeks ago.... But swimming has been a great spur to do more exercise. Its the way I feel that has really amazed me - so much sharper, so much happier, and has prompted me to really get into fitness for first time in my life. Anyone done stair running? am very high up in a block of apartments, thought of running up and down a few times to build stamina? Edited December 25, 2012 by Cutiepie1976 Link to post Share on other sites
Eternal Sunshine Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Why not add some resistance training? You will build muscle much quicker. I have been working with heavy weights/fewer reps for some months now (only about 3x week) and I got amazing results. I also eat mostly protein. I keep getting compliments on my body from people that haven't seen me in a while. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Austyn8100 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Swimming is a sport that is not natural to everyone. Walking, running, biking, all of these are quite easy to master, however, it takes some coordination and stamina to learn how to swim and to top it all off, before we improve our swim technique, we all have a different swimming style based on our physical ability which makes it that much more challenging. Link to post Share on other sites
Treasa Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I LOVE swimming, but I don't swim as often as I'd like to because I'm worried about what it would do to my hair (the chlorine), even when I wear a swim cap. I remember hearing something about putting conditioner in your hair before putting on a swim cap, but I'd love to hear anything else about it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
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