[Mr. Cameltoe]

(06-10-2014 10:37 AM)saeta119 Wrote:  

Swimming is not so good if you're looking to lose weight, but quite nice to build muscle and work on stamina.

Swimming is excellent for loosing excess fat unless you're swimming in a hot tub. Have you ever heard of the thermogenic effect? Spending prolonged periods of time in cold or moderately cold water forces your body to heat itself in order to keep the body temperature up.

[Hallasan]

Considering starting swimming again, burning calories/cardio/much less impact on joints than traditional HIIT.

(06-11-2014 03:04 AM)Mr. Cameltoe Wrote:  

(06-10-2014 10:37 AM)saeta119 Wrote:  

Swimming is not so good if you're looking to lose weight, but quite nice to build muscle and work on stamina.

Swimming is excellent for loosing excess fat unless you're swimming in a hot tub. Have you ever heard of the thermogenic effect? Spending prolonged periods of time in cold or moderately cold water forces your body to heat itself in order to keep the body temperature up.

Source? Personal experience?

[Mr. Cameltoe]

There are numerous sources out there which corroborate this theory. For instance, there is a TED Talk by NASA scientist Ray Cronise, extensive treatment of this topic by beloved and hated Tim Ferriss in his book The 4-Hour Body and even a study on PUBMED carried out with mice in rather warm water. Basically, cold showers, cold baths or swimming in cold water are known to stimulate brown adipose tissue and activate regenerative processes within the body. You will find a plethora of information when you google this stuff.

Personally, I always felt amazing after having swum in a cold river or lake.

[Rah]

My grandpa swam every day until he died at the age of 93. Unless you're a competitive swimmer who pushes your limits every day, I think swimming is one of the lowest impact forms of exercise you could ever do. No matter what you do or don't do, your body is always bound on a course straight toward guaranteed catastrophic failure in the long term. Before that eventual certainty, what matters is what's least bad and most good -- not what the theoretical downside of any individual act could be.

After all, the downside begins accruing the minute you are born. Tick tock.

[puckerman]

I swam a lot as an adolescent. As I look back, I realize that you'll never find a sport with more fat kids. I guess I'm just not that big a fan now because it never worked for me.

[Coldfire]

I love swimming but I haven't had a chance to do it regularly. When I get to college I'll probably get into it regularly.

[Mufasa]

There are a lot of misconceptions about swimming on here. Lemme help y'all (Texas) straighten this out.

It's definitely something that will produce nothing but positives so I'm going to try to paint a more accurate picture of the benefits.

Just so y'all know I'm credible: I've swam competitively damn near my whole life including wining 4 NCAA titles.

Swimming is probably the best exercise in terms of aerobic exercise bar none. But to get the most benefit out of it you need to be hitting about 3-4k yards a workout maybe 3 or more times a week. I hit about 12000 a day doing it professionally so I think 3-4k is a good number for someone who is trying to get some work in that will give you some results.

The more frequent your workouts the higher jump you will see in your metabolism. One thing that swimming is notorious for is eating everything and drinking (alcohol) at an unbelievable amount despite their physiques--due to the extremely high metabolism. If you can get your yardage up and get that metabolism firing (but im not sure how long that takes..) you'll start seeing the benefits quickly

Shoulders, lats, and chest: if you're trying to get those lats, shoulders, and chest to blow up really focus on swimming by using your lats along with your arms to propel yourself. I never touched weights till college but still had wide shoulders and that whole swimmer physique thing going on. Swimming builds lean muscle so it's also a great complement to heavy lifters as it will allow you to keep your range of motion--muscle mass sinks so that's why some of you bulkier guys may feel like an anchor in the water .

Be mindful of your posture because as you get more proficient you will develop a poor unmasculine/unalpha posture (slouched over hardcore) so be aware man. It's due to the overdevelopment of the lats and chest

Masters programs: these could be very beneficial to you. They typically consist of older folks with careers that use swimming for the aerobic value. Typically every club team has one so do a quick google search for swim clubs in your local area. It usually helps to have people to work out with in swimming

Hope this helps y'all out. There's a lot of value in swimming regarding physique and overall fitness and I just wanted to provide y'all with a more in depth picture. Hopefully this helps you make a more educated decision. ??

If you have any questions shoot me a message im happy to help if I can.

Peace

[The_CEO]

Mufasa:
Congrats on all those NCAA titles!

I have a question.. do you have experience about training for distance events (like 1500m+)?

[Beyond Borders]

Bump.

There are a bunch of swimming workout progressions here. http://swimming.about.com/od/trainingpla...Yards_.htm They start light but if you look at the other links on the page, they workouts work you up to 3000 yard swims.

I've been swimming in the ocean a lot now that I'm down on the coast - usually morning and evening. Fucking love it. Anyone have tips on estimating yardage in open water?

[The_CEO]

(10-27-2014 10:42 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

I've been swimming in the ocean a lot now that I'm down on the coast - usually morning and evening. Fucking love it. Anyone have tips on estimating yardage in open water?

Some ocean swimmers use a Suunto or Garmin watch with GPS.

http://www.suunto.com/sports-watch-collections/

Or the old fashioned way: if you're swimming somewhere that has landmarks, like So Cal beaches, you can easily calculate if you're swimming say pier to pier. You could also calculate via other landmarks on shore such as buildings.

[Mufasa]

Yea shit is crazy.
I was teammates with some ridiculous guys who were swimming the mile (1650 yards; 66 laps) in 14 minutes. I remember one day they did a 100 100s freestyle on a minute, if you try it you see how crazy that shit is.

With that said most of their training is around fast swimming on tight intervals with the sets being around 200 yards and up.

Adjust it for what you need but a good way to judge is to have a pace that you can maintain at a high level for 10 minutes at a time. With about 10 seconds per 100 yards for rest. (For those guys doing the 100 100s on a minute they held 55 seconds and were getting about 5 seconds rest). Find a pace that you can hold for a long period without falling off as your workout progresses.

Hope that helps CEO

[Chaos]

I go to swim every now and then but I'm having problem witch the breathing technique when I'm swimming crawl. I always end up out of oxygen and have to pause and catch my breath after 50 metres. I see other swimmers are able to swim a few hundred metres before they need to catch their breath.

Any tips with this Mufasa.
What do you think is the best swimming style for a decent cardio workout?

I always swim 1000m as fast as I can and then I'm done.

[Mufasa]

word chaos
I dont know if you do this or not but with the kids i coach lone of the largest detriments to effective breathing is not exhaling under water (blowing bubbles). By getting half breathing process done under water when you turn to breath youre only action becomes inhaling.

Scientifically speaking you weigh more out of the water than in the water--breathing by lifting our head out of the water creates more weight on your body and causes you to sink. try turning your head to the side as if you had a metal rod running down the back of your head through your spine. breathing should almost be like if you are just looking over your shoulder. Rotating to your side when you breathe makes this easier as well.

if your face is in the water but you are looking up (think if youre standing on land and you tilt your head back till youre looking at the ceiling) youre causing your hips to sink which makes for more difficult swimming. if youre looking down when you swim (think head in a neutral position on land) then youre body will float a lot better and it will be a lot easier to take that side breath as well.

If you can put all these things together it should make your breathing and endurance a lot better.

as for the 1000 as fast as you can im not sure if you mean youre "in-and-out" when you swim or youre swimming "all out" for a grand. If the later back off the intensity and take it a 100 at a time without stopping and focus on your breathing and head possition. then work on building up your speed as you improve.

Ideally to burn fat and carbs you need to hit about 2 grand at the least with about 5/8 of it being 70-80% of your max effort and them maintaining that effort for the duration.

hope that helps

[Engineer]

(11-04-2014 02:00 PM)Mufasa Wrote:  

word chaos
I dont know if you do this or not but with the kids i coach lone of the largest detriments to effective breathing is not exhaling under water (blowing bubbles). By getting half breathing process done under water when you turn to breath youre only action becomes inhaling.

Scientifically speaking you weigh more out of the water than in the water--breathing by lifting our head out of the water creates more weight on your body and causes you to sink. try turning your head to the side as if you had a metal rod running down the back of your head through your spine. breathing should almost be like if you are just looking over your shoulder. Rotating to your side when you breathe makes this easier as well.

if your face is in the water but you are looking up (think if youre standing on land and you tilt your head back till youre looking at the ceiling) youre causing your hips to sink which makes for more difficult swimming. if youre looking down when you swim (think head in a neutral position on land) then youre body will float a lot better and it will be a lot easier to take that side breath as well.

If you can put all these things together it should make your breathing and endurance a lot better.

as for the 1000 as fast as you can im not sure if you mean youre "in-and-out" when you swim or youre swimming "all out" for a grand. If the later back off the intensity and take it a 100 at a time without stopping and focus on your breathing and head possition. then work on building up your speed as you improve.

Ideally to burn fat and carbs you need to hit about 2 grand at the least with about 5/8 of it being 70-80% of your max effort and them maintaining that effort for the duration.

hope that helps

Seconding the keep your head down. I stare straight down toward the pool bottom or even slightly toward my belly to try to get the muscle memory going and hopefully align more horizontal instead of dragging my legs low in the water.

Was advising a very lean (less than 8 or 10% body fat) person who had trouble floating - told her to keep her lungs filled with air as much as possible, and exhale quickly, forcing the air out as fast as possible right before a huge breath in. That way she was floating high on average which makes it easier to breath.

My breakthrough came when I eventually realized I was never going to drown, and even getting a little water in my lungs was no big deal, so I could stop worrying about breathing "perfectly" and focus on the rest of the swim stroke.

[Carlos100]

(11-04-2014 07:12 PM)Engineer Wrote:  

Seconding the keep your head down. I stare straight down toward the pool bottom or even slightly toward my belly to try to get the muscle memory going and hopefully align more horizontal instead of dragging my legs low in the water.

Was advising a very lean (less than 8 or 10% body fat) person who had trouble floating - told her to keep her lungs filled with air as much as possible, and exhale quickly, forcing the air out as fast as possible right before a huge breath in. That way she was floating high on average which makes it easier to breath.

My breakthrough came when I eventually realized I was never going to drown, and even getting a little water in my lungs was no big deal, so I could stop worrying about breathing "perfectly" and focus on the rest of the swim stroke.

For some reason I can't find the sweet spot in my bow wave, so I end up turning my head way out of the water to make sure I don't ingest any water when I inhale. I think it throws my entire stroke off.

[Phoenix]

+1 on swimming being amazing for fitness. My opinion is nothing beats it.

If you do fast laps, you will put full load on your cardiovascular system and burn out your upper body muscles.

If you go real hard it can feel like your heart is going to explode. When you finish a session all the muscles in your upper body are swollen.

I'm going to be getting back into this as soon as I can find a lap pool in my area.

[Mufasa]

@carlos100 try rotating your body/shoulders more when you breathe--the breathing shoulder should be out of the water.

There will be some lift even at my level it's something I'm still constantly cognizant of so don't stress too much--just make sure you control how much you lift

[Isaac Jordan]

Listening to Music/Audiobooks While Swimming: A Mini-Datasheet

I started swimming 3x/week earlier this year after switching to a gym with a pool, and it's done wonders for my physique/body fat levels in addition to my cardiovascular endurance.

The one downside I've found to swimming laps, though, is that it can get rather monotonous after a time. I prefer a leisurely breaststroke (I get in my HIIT sessions while lifting/sprinting), and while I certainly enjoy the meditative aspects of swimming in a cool, quiet pool, after ~15 minutes I just get bored.

So, out of curiosity this past weekend I did a bit of research to see whether it would be possible to listen to music or audiobooks while swimming.

It IS possible, as it turns out-and it's even easier than you think.

The bad news is, Bluetooth signals can't be transmitted through water like they can through air, so it's not as simple as finding some waterproof Bluetooth headphones to pair with your existing phone/mp3 player. You're going to need to buy an entirely new device.

The good news is, there are several companies that specialize in precisely this sort of thing.

The one I chose, Underwater Audio, makes a waterproof iPod Shuffle that can be bought here on Amazon, currently at $125 (with Prime shipping, if you have it).

I was skeptical at first, but with over 1500 reviews and an average 4.7/5 star rating I felt comfortable risking my money. They have a 2-year warranty and multiple reviews praising their customer service, so that helped.

(Note: I am in no way related to the company. I'm not even using an affiliate link here.)

Their Shuffle comes with a basic set of underwater headphones, but the reviews unanimously bashed them, so I spent an extra $50 on a pair of Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Headphones (again, no relation or affiliate link). (They're listed as $70, but you get a $20 discount if you purchase them through Amazon at the same time as the Shuffle.)

Now, I'm sure some of you are thinking: an iPod? You mean I have to use iTunes/buy music/rip CDs?

Not necessarily! Personally, I'm on that Spotify grind, and was able to find a website that converts Spotify playlists to mp3s, FOR FREE.

It's not 100% perfect (some tracks only get half-converted, and it doesn't like longer playlists; try to keep each under 50 tracks) but it's surprisingly quick, and it sure beats the hell out of paying for a bunch of music I already have access to. Ideally you've got some tunes on a hard drive somewhere, or perhaps you've been riding the iTunes train all along.

I haven't tried adding an audiobook yet, but according to Audible's FAQ it's a pretty straightforward process (and I highly recommend Audible if you're into audiobooks).

I've hit the pool with this setup several times, and in each instance it's worked like a charm. The ear buds provide a perfect watertight seal, the cord is short enough to loop under my goggles so it doesn't get stuck on anything, and the Shuffle clips on nicely to the goggle strap (it's roughly the size of a postage stamp).

The only issue I've found is that at depths past ~5 feet the increased air pressure causes the volume to drop, but if you're just swimming laps that's really not an issue.

I'll update this sheet as I go along, but even only after a couple days I can declare it an absolute game-changer.

If anyone has any suggestions or improvements please don't hesitate to add on!

[Adonis]

Ive been using these headphones for everything since about Jan of 2015.

Sony Walkman NWZW273S 4GB

They are very tight to the head and hold right below the goggle strap while swimming, and don't move around at all while doing lifts or sprints. No cord to worry about. Held up well to swimming (fresh water only!), sweat (used them in Guam), and wearing in the shower. I use them about everyday and recharge them so not sure how long the battery lasts without charging. I click and drag files from iTunes, haven't tried an audiobook but now that you mention it Ill look into it.

[TheMaleBrain]

@Isaac Jordan

I go to the gym and swim afterwards 80 laps (=2 km). Takes me about an hour.
I alternate styles: breaststroke, freestyle and backstroke (could never get the 4th style).
If you alternate you will have less "monotonous feeling".
Although I completely agree with you. I use this time for semi-meditation and thinking about my day ahead (my time is early in the morning)

[stugatz]

When I lived near a pool, I'd usually do laps three days a week for my cardio days. I've always been naturally good at it, and I want something fun to do on cardio days (since cardio usually bores the shit out of me).

It was great - the time went by seemingly quickly, and as soon as I'd get out of the pool, I'd notice my muscles were sore.

[Don's D]

When I was young I remember I knew how to swim, for some reason I let school and work get in the way and haven't been in the water since. It's been about 20 years.

Early this year was my first time going to the beach since and I felt stupidly out of place because I had no idea how to swim.
So after reading this thread I have decided to quit being beta and learn this shit.
So gentlemen, what is the best and fastest way to learn?
Should I start with learning to tread water and then learn the strokes?
Should I do it on my own or just pay for a trainer?
This is very embarrassing since I'm in my late 20's

[CleanSlate]

^ Pay a trainer. Don't try learning to swim on your own.

[stugatz]

I hadn't swam in over a decade when I started again in late 2014 - I started with treading water and moved on to the front crawl and breaststroke.

but I've always been an unusually strong swimmer, and those two I just listed are very simple strokes. get a trainer. I'll need one when I relearn the butterfly

[Isaac Jordan]

Does anyone have any suggestions on soaps or shampoos for post-chlorinated pool swimming?

I haven't used shampoo in years (I spray and rub in an apple cider vinegar tonic after I get out of the shower), and all I use for cleaning is Defense Soap after I get back from the gym or if I have to borrow a community yoga mat.

Unfortunately I don't have access to non-chlorinated pools, and I can't quite seem to get that chlorine stench all the way off with my bar soap. I also don't know enough about the subject but doubt the constant chlorine exposure is good for my hair.

Thoughts/suggestions?