Before and After
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Breathing patterns
Bilateral Breathing: Breathe every 3, 5, 7 for Speed, and Efficiency
If you're not breathing to both sides, it's never too late to start. It helps balance your stroke, creates symmetry in back musculature, helps eliminate cramping and increases your oxygen intake, resulting in a more efficient, faster stroke. Plus in a race, breathing bilaterally helps you keep an eye on your competition.
The key to doing this correctly is proper rotation. If you're whipping your head around to breathe on your weaker side, your hips will drop and throw your balance. Here's how to make bilateral breathing easier:
Practice rotation drills. A great one to start with your body on its side, with the bottom arm extending out in front and the top arm resting on your side. Point your nose to the bottom of the pool. Slowly kick to keep your hips up. Roll and stroke until you are lying on the opposite side. Breathe freely and check your balance. Then turn your head so your nose points to the bottom, and stay on your side for 10 kicks. Repeat the motion for the length of the pool.
Try a set where you breathe to your right side on one length and to your left on the next.
On sets of 75s, breathe every five strokes on the first 25, every three strokes on the second length and every stroke (right-left-right-left) on the last length.
Breathe to your weak side in all warm ups, cool downs and slower swimming sets, and to your strong side on main sets. Gradually make the shift to bilateral breathing on main sets.
It doesn't matter if you practice bilateral breathing per lap or per set. What matters is staying balanced and symmetrical so you can breathe easily on both sides. Once you begin regular bilateral breathing, it gets easier with every practice.
Stay smooth and fluid while breathing every third stroke. Eventually with practice, breathing every cycle with no interruption in your flow should be easy. Your goal should be to breathe evenly to both sides in all your practices and races.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Looking for a Christmas gift??
I like the idea of having a go-to water bottle. I've tried several, all of which had their strengths and weaknesses. But all of them, with time, ended up getting a little funky at the bottom. Enter, the Clean Bottle
The 22-ounce bottles are available in retailers and on Clean Bottle's website for $9.95, with 10% of proceeds going to eco-friendly charities. For a problem I've encountered for years and years, it's the best kind of solution: an incredibly simple one.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Top 10 reasons to be a distance swimmer
Top 10 Reasons to be a Distance Swimmer!
10. More swim for my money
9. During my race I have more time to sing to my self
8. Distance swimmers can count higher
7. Lap counters kneel down for me
6. Plenty of time to go to the bathroom before my heat
5. I can name all the swimmers who compete in my event
4. People cheer for me longer
3. I can still win after a cannonball start
2. I’ll have the best chance of survival if my ship sinks
And the #1 reason to be a distance swimmer...
1. I’ve got GUTS!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
7 Quick swim fin tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser!
(1) Muscle Builder
They're not only for your legs. Swim fins help condition your legs as much as they do your arms. Think about it. You swim faster with swim fins, so your arms need to move faster to keep up. Your arms don't have to pull as hard to move your weight through the water, your legs are doing that with the help of the fins. Your arms need to slice through the water, learning better technique.
(2) Charlie Horse
Ever had that tight, ball-like cramping in a muscle known as a Charlie Horse? The more you use swim fins, the more likely you are to get an occasional Charlie Horse. Want to avoid it? Stretch your calves a lot. Stretch calves before and after you swim. Stretch them while standing in line at a store. Stretch them all the time! Also try eating bananas. Bananas have potassium in them and potassium helps keep your muscles from cramping.
(3) Kick With and Kick Without
With or without? Practice breaststroke kicks without swim fins, yet both with and without a kick board. Practice the flutter kick and dolphin kick both with and without swim fins, and with and without a kick board. Practice each of these kicks on your stomach and on your back. Practice kicking on your back with your arms in a tight streamline position and no kick board. For beginning swimmers learning the backstroke, try holding a kick board across your stomach as you lie on your back and practice flutter kick.
(4) Now you have to keep your knees together.
I hold those things how?! In between your thighs, just above your knees. Pull-buoys. They adjust to fit between your legs, one buoy in front, the straps in the middle, and one buoy in the back. Use pull-buoys to help your legs float while you don't kick and pull yourself through the water. It's a strength workout for your arms. It's worth it, try it. Your stroke will get better, more efficient, and stronger. It's like using swim fins, only opposite.
(5) Isn't That Backwards?
Why kick on your back when you swim on your front? Swimmers can often get into bad habits. Some of those habits can be fixed by practicing the correct body movements in a different way. For instance, breaststrokers may get in the habit of dropping their knees toward the bottom of the pool when trying to swim faster. To help your muscles remember not to do that, practice breaststroke kicks on your back where you cannot drop your knees. Then, flip over and see how it feels. Flutter kicking on your back in a streamline position helps keep your body in an elongated position, the best position to be in while swimming, and a position that swimmers may forget to emphasize when tired. You have to stay long while on your back in order to float.
(6) Equipment Essentials
There are three pieces of equipment that are a must for swimmers in training, and swimmers who are learning. The first is swim fins. The second is a pull-buoy, and the third is a kick board. Most pools have both pull-buoys and kick boards for you to use, however, you may not like the type of pull-buoy they have available, so this is something you may like to purchase on your own. They are not expensive and will fit in your bag. Buy the adjustable kind so you can make them fit your body.
(7) Both Tall and Small Win the Race
Short or long swimming fins? The answer is both. You don't need to buy both, but you should try both, and you can purchase and use either one. You will move your legs faster when flutter kicking with short fins, but long fins will give you a greater push when dolphin kicking, making it easier to work on your butterfly arms. Regardless of which type suits you best, fins are a must.
They're not only for your legs. Swim fins help condition your legs as much as they do your arms. Think about it. You swim faster with swim fins, so your arms need to move faster to keep up. Your arms don't have to pull as hard to move your weight through the water, your legs are doing that with the help of the fins. Your arms need to slice through the water, learning better technique.
(2) Charlie Horse
Ever had that tight, ball-like cramping in a muscle known as a Charlie Horse? The more you use swim fins, the more likely you are to get an occasional Charlie Horse. Want to avoid it? Stretch your calves a lot. Stretch calves before and after you swim. Stretch them while standing in line at a store. Stretch them all the time! Also try eating bananas. Bananas have potassium in them and potassium helps keep your muscles from cramping.
(3) Kick With and Kick Without
With or without? Practice breaststroke kicks without swim fins, yet both with and without a kick board. Practice the flutter kick and dolphin kick both with and without swim fins, and with and without a kick board. Practice each of these kicks on your stomach and on your back. Practice kicking on your back with your arms in a tight streamline position and no kick board. For beginning swimmers learning the backstroke, try holding a kick board across your stomach as you lie on your back and practice flutter kick.
(4) Now you have to keep your knees together.
I hold those things how?! In between your thighs, just above your knees. Pull-buoys. They adjust to fit between your legs, one buoy in front, the straps in the middle, and one buoy in the back. Use pull-buoys to help your legs float while you don't kick and pull yourself through the water. It's a strength workout for your arms. It's worth it, try it. Your stroke will get better, more efficient, and stronger. It's like using swim fins, only opposite.
(5) Isn't That Backwards?
Why kick on your back when you swim on your front? Swimmers can often get into bad habits. Some of those habits can be fixed by practicing the correct body movements in a different way. For instance, breaststrokers may get in the habit of dropping their knees toward the bottom of the pool when trying to swim faster. To help your muscles remember not to do that, practice breaststroke kicks on your back where you cannot drop your knees. Then, flip over and see how it feels. Flutter kicking on your back in a streamline position helps keep your body in an elongated position, the best position to be in while swimming, and a position that swimmers may forget to emphasize when tired. You have to stay long while on your back in order to float.
(6) Equipment Essentials
There are three pieces of equipment that are a must for swimmers in training, and swimmers who are learning. The first is swim fins. The second is a pull-buoy, and the third is a kick board. Most pools have both pull-buoys and kick boards for you to use, however, you may not like the type of pull-buoy they have available, so this is something you may like to purchase on your own. They are not expensive and will fit in your bag. Buy the adjustable kind so you can make them fit your body.
(7) Both Tall and Small Win the Race
Short or long swimming fins? The answer is both. You don't need to buy both, but you should try both, and you can purchase and use either one. You will move your legs faster when flutter kicking with short fins, but long fins will give you a greater push when dolphin kicking, making it easier to work on your butterfly arms. Regardless of which type suits you best, fins are a must.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Swimming and the Common Cold
Exercise and fitness can fend off the occurrences of the common cold. People that exercised 5 days per week had 46% less sick days over a 12 week period.
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