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I'm just wondering how any here actually swim for fitness or perhaps competitively. I started lap swimming for fitness in my twenties. However in recent years I've slacked off and every winter I tell myself I'm going to start swimming regularly but then after a few swims I stop going to the pool. However I've been swimming more during the past year due to the fact that I joined an athletic club with pools which I enjoy a lot.

I took a Masters swim class quite a few years ago. What a workout! There was 3 of us that wore speedos, and the other guys just wore shorts. I can't understand why you would want to wear anything but a speedo for a Masters swim class.

I started lap swimming for fitness last fall. I've been pretty good at getting to the pool no fewer than 4 times a week. It is rare that I see anyone else in a speedo. I see a few square cuts, and jammers.
It is a little disappointing that I seem to be the slowest swimmer. I just need to keep telling myself that I am doing this purely for exercise, and not to win any competitions...

electric2010 wrote:I just need to keep telling myself that I am doing this purely for exercise, and not to win any competitions...

And, of course, a chance to proudly display yourself in a speedo. But maybe that goes without saying.

And, of course, a chance to proudly display yourself in a speedo. But maybe that goes without saying. [/quote]

Yes, of course.
I am nowhere a good enough swimmer to compete but enjoy a swim for fitness and feel it stretches and loosens muscles

I'm trying to swim 3-4 times a week, in addition to riding my bike at least 3 days a week, in order to tone up and lose a few pounds prior to a trip with my wife later in the year. I'm doing the 0-1650 training plan (Google it) and it requires regular swims- and public wearing opportunities, of course- to build endurance. It's a win win!

52dno98 wrote:

electric2010 wrote:I just need to keep telling myself that I am doing this purely for exercise, and not to win any competitions...

And, of course, a chance to proudly display yourself in a speedo. But maybe that goes without saying.

I've been thinking that I'd like to find a suit with a little less coverage in order to display a little more of myself. I'd like very low rise with about one inch sides but good seat coverage.

I'm also swimming for increased endurance. I'm up to swimming a mile if I have the time but if I don't I swim harder for a shorter distance. I can't imagine swimming for more than a mile because of how long it would take me. However if I can get my speed up I could swim a longer distance.

I swim at a health club so people are here doing all sorts of things. A guy in the locker room asked me about my swimming routine today when I came in from swimming. I think my physique caught his attention.

I can't say this without sounding boastful but while I'm not as muscular and defined as I'd like to be, it feels good to be one of the extremely few men at out health club pool with a good set of abs and a good physique overall.

BJE wrote:

52dno98 wrote:

electric2010 wrote:I just need to keep telling myself that I am doing this purely for exercise, and not to win any competitions...

And, of course, a chance to proudly display yourself in a speedo. But maybe that goes without saying.

I can't say this without sounding boastful but while I'm not as muscular and defined as I'd like to be, it feels good to be one of the extremely few men at out health club pool with a good set of abs and a good physique overall.

Looking at your avatar picture, I'd say you look fine as it is. Lean and muscular and with nice abs. 'Athletic' if I'd need to describe it in one word. You should post some more pictures of yourself.
People who become too muscular can ruin the 'overall picture', because then the different dimensions of the body do not fit together anymore .... at least that's my humble opinion

Looking at your avatar picture, I'd say you look fine as it is. Lean and muscular and with nice abs. 'Athletic' if I'd need to describe it in one word. You should post some more pictures of yourself.
People who become too muscular can ruin the 'overall picture', because then the different dimensions of the body do not fit together anymore .... at least that's my humble opinion [/quote]

Perfectly put!

Here's another picture. Probably no what you were wanting to see however.

BJE wrote:Here's another picture. Probably no what you were wanting to see however.

I took tai chi when I was younger, and as time went by, the instructor introduced me to some basic martial arts. Then I stopped when I moved out of the area. I wish I'd pursued it further.

ear

Latestarter wrote:Certainly not up to competing but do like to get in the pool a couple of times a week at least. Tend to stick to square cut trunks in local pool though and a wetsuit is essential for the sea in Scotland most of the year

My family is from Scotland. I want to go there some day. They were from Cortachy, Forfar. When looking on google earth it seems it is a very sparsely populated area.

My family is from Scotland. I want to go there some day. They were from Cortachy, Forfar. When looking on google earth it seems it is a very sparsely populated area.[/quote]

I know that area, pm me if I can help answer any questions. It is quite sparsely populated but just on the south side of the Highlands it is a beautiful area. I used to go walking and cycling in there.

I always considered myself a decent swimmer. I life guarded as a summer job in college. Got back into swimming when an injury prevented me from from doing any more extended high-impact cardio activities. I've been swimming regularly about 4 times a week at a gym in the winter and at outdoor pool in the summer. I also take a masters swim class when I can fit it into my schedule. Work & family... it doesn't happen as often as I like but I still get a session in about once a year.

I'm on a Masters team and swim 5-6 times/week. I'm biased, obviously, but I think it's one of the best ways to stay physically active. It's low impact, you can do it well into old age, and everyone likes a swimmer's physique.

I've made the decision that I'd like to be the best freestyle swimmer at my athletic club. I don't think there are a lot of good swimmers there but it has been my observation that the main improvements I need to make to do this is increased speed and endurance which basically go hand in hand. The reason I'm not faster is because I run out of breath if I set my pace too fast then I have to stop and rest. My form is pretty good but of course there's always room for improvement. I think one key to speed and also to impress is flip turns. I'm terrible at them. After swimming a mile yesterday I didn't really feel like doing a lot of swimming this morning so I spent my time practicing flip turns. I'm still lousy at them but I did get in a couple of them that weren't too bad.

I guess it's just my competitive nature, but I want to be the swimmer people notice at the pool and not just another guy they see swimming. I want to "own" the pool so to speak.

Interesting that some of us have Scotland in common, I spent eighteen months in Dunoon. Cool place, and they had a great indoor pool I used often.
I started swim team at age 11. I still swim nearly every evening, and love to check out new pools when I travel. I wear a brief competition suit only, no matter where I am.
There are rarely any masters meets around here, so it's hard to compete. Everybody at my rec center knows I'll race anybody anytime. Just for fun... I only do 50 and 100 free any more. Twenty seven seconds in the fifty and fifty eight in the hundred. Not bad for an old timer, huh? On a good day I could be close to the state record in either event.
So the key to getting fast is lots of practice, and a coach. Swimming is all about technique. You have got to have a coach watch you and point out what to improve. If you have a local masters team, get on it! Otherwise, an advanced swim instructor, which most pools have around, will help you a lot, too.
At any pool you can count on me to offer tips to people trying. I've done my time as a certified coach and know just how to explain it. Yes it all starts with the kick. It has to be right in order to keep your body aligned right. Anything less causes your butt to sink. With that your head comes up and you're so out of line you lose all hope for efficiency.
Yes, I encourage people to swim. I demand all kids get lessons. I push them to take it farther than just lessons, if even just a season of swim team to get pretty confident about his or her ability to actually be able to safely swim across that river.
There is no better way to stay in superb physical condition, you know. If you have the technique right and just ten minutes of pool time a day, you can swim fast and hard with your heart rate near max and come out of the pool absolutely pumped. Just doing hundred yard and fifty yard sprints with rest time in between. And every turn is a flip turn, always, without fail. Every pushoff is in perfect streamlime and dolphin kick. Every stroke is right and every recovery just so. It's like a choreographed dance. Eventually muscle memory takes over and it all happens naturally, the repetitive motion is automatic. Practice, practice, practice.

Swimmy, thanks for your comments. I'm continually working on technique. I took an adult swim conditioning class in April to get some coaching. There is an adult swim class every Tuesday morning at 6:00 at my club that I could attend. Currently what holds by me back most is my aerobic fitness level. I get tired too quickly and have to either slow down or stop and rest. I'm hoping with time I will improve my endurance so that I can swim faster without having to rest. Sometimes I will swim long distance at a slow pace and other times I will do sprints and rest. I did my best swimming in my thirties then stopped for quite a few years. I'm still working to regain the fitness I had then.

BJE wrote:I don't think there are a lot of good swimmers there but it has been my observation that the main improvements I need to make to do this is increased speed and endurance which basically go hand in hand. The reason I'm not faster is because I run out of breath if I set my pace too fast then I have to stop and rest. My form is pretty good but of course there's always room for improvement. I think one key to speed and also to impress is flip turns. I'm terrible at them.

I guess it's just my competitive nature, but I want to be the swimmer people notice at the pool and not just another guy they see swimming. I want to "own" the pool so to speak.

I try and swim four or five times a week, mainly to improve my technique. A lot of what BJE says sounds familiar. The pools I've swum at have tended to be the "Home" pools for quite a few elite athletes, simply because of being in a big city. The times I swim there is often a few lanes sectioned off for triathlon training and I regularly see a couple of famous faces and they are fast swimmers but there arm recovery looks messy ['Cos a smart swimming style is so much more important than winning. Obviously!]. When I'm on form I can do front crawl with barely a ripple because I've learnt that "Placing my hands" in the water makes a massive difference and somehow when I give myself time to do this it makes me faster.
I can do a full 25 metre pool length without drawing breath either. That helps with streamlining because it means I don't need to turn my head, I can just breath out slowly, so I tend to be pretty fast at this. Don't think I'll ever be able to sustain it in a full 50m pool like Ponds Forge but I like to think it ticks the "Cool as fuck" box!
My flip turns are rubbish too. I can do them but in the wrong plane, so sometimes they are almost horizontal. They do the job but if it was a competition I think they'd be a disqualification.