![1445561405717[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/LRbAzag.jpg "1445561405717[1].jpg")
Who here on /fit/ does Swimming for cardio?
Any pros with advice?
Op is total beginner who went swimming to the first time in 4 years today.
There's a couch to 5k program for swimming. Use google, not gonna link on my phone.
Get a decent pair of goggles, learn new strokes so you don't get bored, find a not disgusting pool.
>>35030504
Sup anon.
Let me start with my [short] story to show that there is hope for everyone.
I first wanted to get into swimming because I wanted to enlist in the Navy. I watched a Navy documentary that got interested. However, there was a problem. I didn't know how to swim properly. So I thought about enlisting in the Army as a Ranger instead but I kept telling myself - "Hey, I'm quitting before I even start. How am I going to make over there I can't even start over here?"
So I taught myself how to swim. It took about three months going from being able to swim 2 or 3 strokes of proper free style to being able to swim 3,300 yards. I actually was never even able to completely master free style. 3 months into swimming I taught myself the Navy's combat side stroke and started at only being able to do 25 yards to being able to do 3,300 yards 3 weeks later using this routine:
http://ruthkazez.com/ZeroTo1mile.html
Granted I went EVERY single day though. If it helped me, it can help you. My current swimming routine is more focused on building speed though ( each on a different day ):
5x100y
10x50y
900y tempo swim
1800y LSD swim
>>35030542
>wanted to enlist in the Navy
>didn't know how to swim properly.
I think you'd have been OK without teaching yourself to swim
I have two buddies who joined the Coast Guard. One couldn't swim at all, and the other is super seasick. Both made it just fine.
Sorta. The seasick buddy spend three months doped out on Dramamine. But now he's a heli mechanic, so that's cool.
>>35030759
I went SEAL - I had to become excellent in the pool before I even got in due to the PSTs required.
>>35030542
Will vouch for Ruth Kazez routine. I swam as a kid, but then basically didn't for 15 years (of course I swam around a bit at the beach but no real fitness stuff). I started swimming in that plan, kept going, less than a year later I did two 2.4 mile open water swims (after a 1.1 mile and a 1.6 mile swim). Open water, in the ocean.
Amazing shit and I recommend it to everyone. The ocean is awesome.
>>35030504
Best all around exercise. However it's hard to get to the level where it becomes enjoyable. Get fins, paddles, swimming snorkel (not the kind for snorkeling reefs)
>>35030803
ya ok bud
Swimming for a couple of months now (4x a week). Thanks to God-given genetics, my chest absolutely opened up. I now have a 1.66 shoulder-waist ratio. Also, dem cannonball shoulders. My legs have always been fine, so I'm not too worried about that.
Question: Does swimming make you taller? I'm 5'10'' and my growth plates aren't completely closed. Will I make it /fit/?
>I wish I was gary hall
>>35030504
Man i get the biggest hardon when women wear those swimming singlets. I just want to fuck them so hard and cream all over them.
>>35033206
>Does swimming make you taller?
Here is how every swimming thread on fit goes
1. OP starts thread as a general
2. A few dumb questions are asked
3. One guy asks for a 'swimming routine', which is akin to asking for a 'running routine'
4. A few pics of women in one pieceswimwear
5. Dies with less than 20 replies
>>35034990
C'mon man, it's literally the first thing to show up when you look up "does swimming"...
>>35035116
I guess /fit/ looks down on us because swimming is technically cardio. Although you can end up with a killer body.
>>35035560
>>35035827
What the fuck is wrong with his torso?
At least he has nice arms and shoulders.
>>35035560
Yeah, but swimming will leave you with a completely different body than for example long distance running, which will make you gravitate towards hungry skeleton. Swimming utilizes the whole body and provides more resistance.
If you were to 'swim a mile', how many lengths of a 25m pool would you swim? I keep hearing and reading different answers.
>>35035875
he's over 50 anon
>>35030542
Can I swim every day and run a program like Greyskull LP?
Also, does anyone here who swims have moderate excema? I want to start swimming daily, but I have pretty shitty skin.
>>35035964
>>35035964
Anon, what is math?
>>35035560
I don't like swimming but swimmer girls are hot
>>35035986
>>35035991
If you look at the link posted here >>35030542 the first line says
>A swimmer's mile is 1650, not 1760. It is the equivalent of 1500 meters
I would say a mile is 64.36 lengths.
>>35035996
>swimmer girls are hot
Yeah, never mind the fact that they have man bodies.
Oh wait, this is /fit/, nvm, man torsos are a good thing.
>>35035975
He looks extremely gay for man after 50 imho
>>35036318
I bet her technique is awful, look at her scrawny chest.
>>35036349
I've been wondering, how do busty women even swim? Large ass and big tits don't help too much, they cause traction.
>man bodies
>posts an image of a woman on testosterone
Well no shit m8. That's kinda what happens if a woman takes testosterone.
>>35036354
Lol, mods removed the jailbait. As if we'd fap to women on this board.
>>35036212
>He looks extremely gay
surprise surprise
>>35036378
fat is light, buoyancy effect increased
do their vagina's get fucked up from all the chlorine?
>>35036378
Im fatasfatass and swim with no problems.
>>35036349
hhooooollllyyyy fuuuuccckkkk
>>35030513
>he cant link using his phone
pleb af
prob useless nokia or ishit top kek
>>35037413
Does your urethra get fucked up from all the chlorine?
I swam on team leagues since I was 5, I stopped doing it because of time constraints but IMO it's one of the best forms of cardio you can do
My advice would be to focus on technique above all else as that will improve the efficiency of your workouts. I would also switch up your strokes; butterfly, for instance, can serve as rotator cuff prehab and also functions well as an HIIT tool. Freestyle is good for both sprinting and distance and should probably be your main bitch. All of the strokes target slightly different muscle groups so keep it varied as not to overwork one movement pattern.
>>35037826
Oh, one more thing, swimming is an incredible way to improve lung capacity and VO2 max so if you want to get the most out of it try not to breathe on every stroke like a little bitch. If your lungs are burning then they're growing because you will inadvertently force a fuckton of air in on each breath. This has the added benefit of making you way faster in the water.
>>35037766
>he doesn't know that women have urethra's.
>being this virgin
You think piss just falls out of their vagina's?
Men don't anything like a vagina. Notice your taint has a line down the middle. That's where your pussy used to be and closed up in foetal development.
>>35037909
Yeah, but the only exposed part of your genital is the urethra. The rest of the penis is just skin, it won't get irritated from water. Same thing with women, the outer labia prevents the inside from coming into contact with water, only the urethra does. So That answers the other guy's question. He shouldn't have asked weather or not vaginas can handle chlorine, but if urethras can.
>>35037826
>>35037851
You seem to know you're shit. One Question pl0x. When I'm swimming freestyle, my head is underwater for three strokes until I breathe. During those three strokes, do I just hold my breath, or do I gradually let out air through the nostrils? I've been doing the latter.
>>35037909
maybe you used to have a pussy m9, not me
>>35036124
nice thumbnail you fag adorer
>>35038013
When I swim, I maximize my useable air by holding it as long as I can while my face is submerged. Then, I cheat a little bit by releasing air through the nostrils while I go for one or two more strokes. This way I stay underwater as long as possible, increasing my speed, and I can also reduce time out of the water because I can intake air as soon as my mouth comes up and I don't have to waste time breathing out.
>>35038071
Damn, that sounds intense. Do you do that for all the strokes? Every time I hold in air I feel like I tired quicker.
>>35038071
>holding it in
I've tried this and it kills me. I have to release it almost straight away. How many strokes between each breath?
>>35038137
Yep. Your lung capacity will increase as you continue to swim so you'll eventually be able to do 7 strokes without breathing without much effort. At my peak I was able to swim a full lap (50 meters, 25 down and back) of freestyle without taking a breath when I was fresh. This made me decently fast (I swam a sub-24 50 meter freestyle my senior year of high school).
You might feel like your lungs are exploding but as you get used to it you'll realize that you're actually fine and are only really holding your breath for like 5 seconds at a time.
>>35038071
good for sprints, not so good for distance. for competition for freestyle you breathe on every third stroke, alternating left/right.
>>35038167
It depends on where you are in your training. Like I said above, good swimmers can do 7 strokes no problem and keep that up for 100 meters, but if you can only do 1-2 right now that's fine. Just keep pushing your limits and you will improve.
Keep in mind that when I say push yourself I don't mean kill yourself though, gauge your breathing intervals based on the continuous distance you're going. so if you're doing 4 sets of 100 meters, you should plan for completing that 100 meters and not kill yourself in the first 25.
>>35038013
The latter is normal
>>35038071
This seems like an overcomplication of increasing lung capacity but more or less how it works. In simpler words, just slow your exhalation gradually.
>>35037413
http://www.bustle.com/articles/86983-why-is-my-vagina-itchy-after-swimming-how-chlorine-can-affect-your-ph-balance
>>35038001
wrong
>>35038208
Right now I do 4 strokes. I cant breathe to the right for some reason, it doesnt feel natural at all.
Only swimming for 6 weeks though. Hoping to introduce kicks to my front crawl. I can swim with just arms and have done 2 miles, but introducing kicks kills me after a few lengths, but im really unfit and fatasfatass so I think I just need time.
>>35038180
Depends on the distance. I don't think 3 is a very good rule of thumb, except for maybe the 500 meter. It's a little too low to aim for for a 100 or 200 meter race IMO. Even then, most people who swim the 500 have to drop to 2 by the end of the event.
>>35038253
Kicks used to be my bane too, but when you get them down you get a lot more mileage out of your arms.
As for breathing to the right, try forcing yourself to do it by taking a final odd stroke so you have to come up for air on the right side because you can't hold your breath long enough to switch.
To the anon from last thread who was asking yes I did 300m nonstop butterfly on the 1200IM wich is 300m fly, 300m back, 300m breast and 300m free.
>>35036349
looks like he spotted the camera guy
What would you guys consider to be a respectable 1 mile time for a casual swimmer?
>>35038780
How much is a mile in meters? about 1500m or something? I would say about 30 to 40min going at moderate peace for someone who swim but not on a competitive level. If its for a serious swimmer I would say between 15min to 25 min.
>>35038868
When I swim a mile I normally do 66 lengths which is 1650m. A mile is about 1610m I believe.
>>35038868
Im pretty happy if 30-40 minutes is a reasonable time. My pool is in a gym and there arent that many swimmers there, but a few of us go at about that pace. Im 200lbs heavier than they are though.
>>35037413
Does your asshole get fucked up by the chlorine or just by your boyfriend?>>35037413
Does anyone know if chlorine in swimming pools messes with tattoos? I want to try swimming again but don't want to mess up my tattoos.
>>35039672
You asking for asshole bleaching tips?
I've been a swimmer since the age of 5, competitively since age 10. I'm 18 now, open to answer all questions about stroke techniques and best gains through daily swimming routines.
AMA
>backstroke is the devil's stroke
>>35040089
how do I tread water?
is butterfly hard? have never been taught it
>>35040210
Tread water by moving your legs like a frog underwater and moving your hands and arms around up near your chest. There are info graphics better than pic related, but it's the basics.
Butterfly is the most exhausting of the four strokes, unless you are gonna be competitive it's not worth it to learn tbqh
>>35037656
No, I just didn't fucking care to.
>>35040089
what kind of basic routine would you recommend for a beginner, like what kind of intervals/sets/distance should I do?
I plan on signing up at a gym and using their pool a couple times a week
also I'm 6'3" just wondering how much that would give me a natural advantage when swimming
>>35040433
If you are just starting, make sure you stretch before and after you swim. It's often overlooked but it's a extremely important part of any workout. In terms of actual workouts:
>warmup
2x 300 freestyle, broken up into 3x 100s with rest of about 15 seconds in between each 100, and a minute in between each 300
>pre-main set
Get a kick board and do some 50s kick, about 10 or so. Give yourself 20-30 seconds rest in between.
>main set
This is the hardest part of the workout, where you get the most important muscle and endurance growth. For beginners just do a solid 1000 yard freestyle and try to breathe every 3, work on flipping during your turns, keep your stroke lengthy and don't take more than 20 strokes per lap. You can do more after the first week or so but keep it simple to start.
>cool down
400 straight freestyle, nice and easy. If your muscles hurt more than your joints after this, you had a good workout. If you feel like you have pain that isn't that "good pain" feeling, stretch out a lot and make your next workout shorter.
This should take an hour or two, and will benefit you a lot to start, less moving forward. Just stay with it and maybe consult a masters coach or something for technique so you don't fuck yourself up with repeated stress injuries.
>how will your height affect you?
It's mainly about wingspan but being tall definitely helps on long distance.
>>35040089
Why is backstroke the devil's stroke? I heard it makes you taller.
>>35036349
noice
>>35042526
god damn that picture I could whip my weiner out and cum right now.
>>35030513
Total Immersion Swimming
Read this book. Very helpful.
I could not front crawl at all. I read this books months ago and first time in pool last week I was swimming lengths. Not even exaggerating.
>>35036349
fucking damn
Fattie here, started swimming in my free time a few months ago to pass my one mandatory p.e. class. I chose swimming, because that's all I ever wanted to do as a kid, but my mom wouldn't let me take it on as a hobby because in short, she hated me. Anyways, after the first few times, I've always swam a bit over 3km/2h, 2-3x/w and never strayed from it. Sure it's not that much, but just the joy of doing something I used to love, and the little feeling of success have had a huge impact in my all-around wellbeing. I don't feel like binging and my willpower has improved.
If you're a fattie like me with high reservations against exercise, I strongly recommend swimming. It's just fun and liberating.
>>35038071
I do that too, haven't considered it anything special. It's just fun.
Anyone got advice about how to swim in a coverall on your back with your ellbows above the surface?
I tried today in swimshorts but it was already hard as fuck
What technique should I use to do this?
>>35042392
I've never heard anything like that, the reason I hate it is I've hit my head one too many times on the wall and other people. My preferred stroke is breaststroke, I'm not really made for backstroke so I can't swim it very fast.
>>35043575
>I've hit my head one too many times on the wall
My swimming pool has those flags above the pool, so when you see them you stroke about 4 more times then do the olympic flip.
>>35044530
Not that part of the wall, the side of the wall.
>>35044729
do you swim outdoors?
>>35045818
Depends on the season, but yeah on the occasion of me hitting my head it's been outdoors where I can't look at rafters or the ceiling or something to stay straight
>>35044729
thats lame
>>35033206
I could see a logical argument here about deloading and flexing the spine, and back muscles, reducing their overall tension and allowing for stretching. contributing to an environment where tall genetics could be better expressed
but there are no studies, and I've known short swimmers.
>>35046100
Hurts too
Water polo player here, if your goal with swimming is to both do some good cardio and try and work on them shoulder/chest gains, then you need to keep your swim routine short but powerful.
What I do is:
>1 x 200 warm-up
Swim at a very low pace
>10 x 100 meter: alternate between a 100meter composed of 75meter freestyle and 25 meter butterfly, and 100meter composed of 50 meter freestyle and 50 butterfly
20 second rest in between every 100 meter. I swim this at 80% about (faster than casual, but not yet sprinting)
>8 x 25 freestyle sprint
Leave every 30 seconds, give it your all
>100 cool-down swim
Very slow pace again.
This entire routine takes me about 30 minutes, and I do it three times a week. It's a great work-out, really develops your shoulders, triceps and chest.
>>35044729
Oh, that me too. Usually happens when the pool gets crowded and I have to share a lane.
>>35047009
>short but powerful
This is what I aim for. Power swimming takes care of gains. But you have a pretty vanilla workout man. What do you think about using pull buoys, chutes and paddles? That makes swimming less of a cardio and more of a work out.
Btw, my routine is very similar to yours. But instead of 10x100, I do 10x50. The other 500 is a mix of chutes, pull buoys, ondulation, legs only, etc.
>>35042526
tan lines are sexy af
>>35047403
this.
>>35040356
I played Water Polo for several years, and that pic is just baffling.
Hey, question here,
I'm not in the best shape, but I wouldn't consider myself unfit. Run about 5k every other morning, but eat enough to have a fair amount of flab. I was thinking of starting swimming to get to the place where I want to be, can't do any of the SS routines since I live in the middle of buttfuck nowhere, and the only things near me are a pool, and roads to run on. Any thoughts on routines?
If it helps, I can swim about a mile without issues
>>35047502
That's y I said it's not the best infographic out there
>>35047606
Funny, I went from swimming to running. I can run a 26 min 5k, and I have no trouble swimming. So I'm sure you won;t have any trouble.
This guy's>>35047009
routine is pretty good if you're only looking to do it as a second source of cardio.
How do you guys deal with ear pain / infection? I dont want to start using earplugs on every session but lately I've been getting a bit of a internal pain in my left ear but this didnt happened before and I've been swimming for over a year now..
>>35040498
>>35047009
Thanks for these two routines. Going to give them both a try. Just what I need to move to having been doing slow and steady distance (for me at least) swims for a month.
>>35042776
Good work man. What stroke are you using? Im fatasfatass, but managing to swim 3km now which is nice.
>>35049785
Hnnnnnng.
I don't know anon, go see a doctor. Internal pain is a serious thing. Especially in your head/ears. It could well be beyond an infection.
>>35049897
I will, hope its nothing serious.
>>35039728
New tattoos yes. If youve had them for a couple months at least you are set to go.
>>35049785
Could be nothing. Could be a brain tumour. Ignore it and see if it goes away. If it doesnt, continue to ignore it until it does.
>>35049785
See a doctor. Could be a ear infection, probably have to take a break for a week or two.
>>35047502
Took me a while to figure it out, but I guess it does look correct after all. Doing eggbeater correctly is just something that 90% of all people will never be able to do
![12967781_s[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/MdJXPp1.jpg "12967781_s[1].jpg")
Op here again. Went to the pool and the most serious of swimmers seemed to be using swimming caps. Is there any real reason for a casual swimmer to use these?
>>35052296
Getting water in your ears is a bitch whether you are a pro or not
>>35052296
If you have long-ish hair swim caps are a good idea because hair in general makes you swim slower, bigger difference than you might think
>>35052296
>>35052309
>>35052312
Chlorine is bad for your hair
![narwhal-swim-cap-720x500[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/LdJIdj3.jpg "narwhal-swim-cap-720x500[1].jpg")
>>35052309
Didin't think of that. If it prevents water in ears that's enough reason alone to get one.
>>35052312
>>35052354
these too.
Thanks for the info.
Not sure if this is the place to post,
But I'm skinny fat/bloated/hard gainer.
Because of an injury, I can't do any weight bearing exercises on my feet, but my doctor says swimming is good.
Will starting a swimming program and doing bodyweight upper body exercises help me with my condition?
>>35052430
Depends on what your goals are.
>>35049835
Dog paddling for warm-up (yeah, I know), then alternating between breaststroke, freestyle and backstroke.
>>35052296
>>35052309
Water still gets in my ears with swim caps. I thought that people used it so they would 1)Protect the hair 2)Less traction 3)Not get hair in the pool .
>>35052740
It might be the type of swim cap (not all caps are as good and high quality + after a while the cap wears out) or you don't know how to properly put it on?
>>35049785
Take a break man, if its nothing too serious it'll clear itself up.
Public swimming pools are some of the most unhygienic places you can imagine, so ear plugs wouldn't be a bad shout for the future.
>>35052457
I want to build muscle and not have a belly.
I don't necessarily want to bulk atm, but I'd like to be fit and not be a slump.
>>35052740
This is correct
>>35033206
Calm down Ron.
>>35052604
What's your reason for alternating stroke? I was doing this too, but I was doing it because I couldnt maintain front crawl, which is my fastest stroke. I would mix in some backstroke too whilst I recovered from front crawl.
I actually found I go quicker by doing a slower front crawl that I am able to maintain without problem, rather than a fast front crawl followed by a different stroke.
Although if you are mixing up stroke to target different body parts etc then thats good too. Probably better than just doing the one stroke, but i personally wanted to see my times get faster.
>>35055492
Except I'm not Ron. I'm 5'10'' and ron is 5'4''. My dad is 6'1'' and my mom 5'3'', so I hope I get to grow a bit more.
Back to the frontpage with ye.
>>35052430
Will doing laps until you push your limit help with belly fat loss? Say, if you do 20-25 of intense rotations then next session doing 25-30 every other day.
