Pool workout advice, please

[Nemrod]

I can use a lane in the community center's pool 2 or 3 times a week for 30 minutes while my kids are in swim team, and I'd like recommendations for swim workouts that will benefit my diving.

I'm fairly fit, though working to lose a bit of weight. I did a 10k in January and am training for a half marathon in June. Left to my own devices I would just swim slowish laps, though that seems to mainly be an arm workout. I don't know any strokes other than freestyle and back stroke.

Should I put on fins & use a kickboard (they have them there)?
Should I focus on legs more?
While I'm at it, any out-of-pool recommendations I could do on the pool deck? (squats? lunges? a practiced flick of the wrist offering my credit card for once I've decided on dive gear?)

I swim, bike, run and weights. Since breaking my femur very badly in a dog attack while cycling I substitute elliptical for running. Though I am back running now on the Y indoor padded 1/6 mile track. My swim workout is usually .5 miles at a moderate pace and then the second .5 mile I vary my pace, intervals, but unlike traditional intervals I never stop swimming, I just back my pace down for a lap, then pick it up for three etc. or I will do stair steps, one slow, one fast, one slow, two fast , one slow, three fast. By fast, I mean 90% or better, about a 20 min. mile and by moderate I mean (for me about a 30 minute mile pace) and slow about a 45 min. mile pace. The another .5 mile (1.5 total) at whatever pace it requires to beat this swim chick with triathlon tattoos all over her buxx. Your pace may be faster or slower, that is fine, just get your heart rate into the aerobic zone and then during your "faster" intervals push yourself a little anaerobic but not so much you cannot recover without stopping. Your distances and pace may vary.

First, however, build your core strength with weight lifting and long, slow distance until you can do a mile in under 45 minutes. Then begin the "interval" training. I also would recommend you do swim some laps occasionally with your scuba fins but first and foremost, your workouts should be without fins until you build your swim base.

Swimming is a great workout, but, I recommend, (faux) triathlon, even if you never compete, multi sport involvement produces a better all around fitness level. That means a balance of swimming, cycling, running and weights (machines). Vary your workouts, length, times, intensity. Go hard on one and back off on the others, rotate, but work out every day.

N

 

[Kevrumbo]

500 yds/450m easy warm-up Free-style (under 14 minutes --GUE Swimming Requirement)

50 yd resting Breast Stroke
200 yds Scissors side kick (alternate sides every 50 yd);
50 yd resting Breast Stroke
200 yds kickboard work Flutter & Frog (alternate every 50 yd);
50 yd resting Breast Stroke
200 yd kickboard work Dolphin & Frog (alternate every 50 yd);
50 yd resting Breast Stroke
200 yds kickboard work Backstroke Flutter & Frog -Supine (alt 50 yd);
50 yd resting Breast Stroke
200 yd Free-Style Sprint
50 yd resting Breast Stroke
100 yd Free-Style Sprint;
50 yd resting Breast Stroke
50 yd Free-Style Sprint;
50 yd resting Breast Stroke
50 yd Free-Syle Sprint;
50 yd cool-down Breast Stroke

Warm down stretches legs, back, shoulders & arms;
50 yd underwater swim (notify Lifeguard);
Tread Water & "Dead-man Float" back stretches.


Resting or Fun Days:
Run a mile;
Either 1500 yds easy free-style
or 200 yd medley (Butterfly, Back, Breast & Free-Style).

Circuit train in weightroom twice a week for endurance (no more doing five days a week power pyramid sets/max lift sets for me --I'm getting too old for that!)

My emphasis is endurance on the variety of kick styles (Frog, Flutter, Dolphin, & Scissors and surface flutter kick on back) that I would use during a recreational or technical dive. . .
​

 

[tphelps]

I can use a lane in the community center's pool 2 or 3 times a week for 30 minutes while my kids are in swim team, and I'd like recommendations for swim workouts that will benefit my diving.

I'm fairly fit, though working to lose a bit of weight. I did a 10k in January and am training for a half marathon in June. Left to my own devices I would just swim slowish laps, though that seems to mainly be an arm workout. I don't know any strokes other than freestyle and back stroke.

Should I put on fins & use a kickboard (they have them there)?
Should I focus on legs more?
While I'm at it, any out-of-pool recommendations I could do on the pool deck? (squats? lunges? a practiced flick of the wrist offering my credit card for once I've decided on dive gear?)

Outside of life guarding, I used to coach a high school swim team and swam the mile competitively in college. Good cardio is going to be extremely beneficial in diving. The somewhat obvious difference is when you are in better shape you are less susceptible to DCI. But also better cardio will mean better air consumption rates and ultimately, longer dives .

When you posted this I think you were looking for a "set," a work out to do. Since I haven't seen you swim before (and it would be creepy if I did! lol) it's hard to give you a good swim set but I'll do my best. First start out with a good stretch emphasizing the triceps, shoulders, forearms (as most of our power in the water comes from the upper body) and also stretch out the calves/quads that you use for kicking. Begin with an easy 100 choice (4 laps, very loose and easy doing whatever you want to do to get you loosened up). After you "pre-warm up" go into a 2x100s stroke (I'm guessing freestyle) build by 50 (2 laps) so you should start out at like a 50-60% effort then come back in a 70-80% in the last 50. Do this twice, give yourself 15-20 seconds rest in between. Also do more warm up if you need to before moving on to a "main set."

Couple things you can play around with. A "legs" work out would directly benefit your kicking in diving. If you do a "flutter" kick (as most recreational divers do) then backstroke and freestyle kick would be good for you. If you do a lot of "frog kicking" (which is what I use) then breast stroke kicking would be good. For a kick set, start out with a 100 easy kick - use a kick board if you want to. For your kick set, do a single 50 (2 laps) at about 80-90% and time yourself. If it took you 1:00 to do the 50, give yourself 30 seconds rest and then do 4 more 50s on the 1:15 (add 15 seconds to whatever your time was). This should get the legs burning a bit!

For a swim set you can do long and strong or short and fast. A mid-distance set could be like 4x200s (8 laps) give yourself 15-20 seconds in between. A sprint set could be something like 8x25s (1 lap) BLAST 90-95% effort, giving yourself about 30 seconds in between. Something else to think about is breath-hold. Although we don't hold our breath in SCUBA it goes hand-in-hand with swim cardio and helps your air consumption rate. I recommend breathing every 3 strokes, odd #s help you work out both sides of the body evenly. My favorite thing to do for my swimmers is make them do a sprint set and then go straight into an apnea set. For example, if you take an average of 6 breaths per lap (12 breaths per 50), you can make that into a reverse pyramid. 13 laps total, 6 breaths on the 1st, 5 breaths on the 2nd, 4 breaths on the 3rd, 3 breaths on the 4th, 2 breaths on the 5th, 1 breaths on the 6th and try to do the the 7th with no breath. Push yourself but no shallow water blackouts!! And then start coming back up after that. This one will vary to how many breaths you take but you get the idea. Find a range of numbers that challenges you. It should be difficult but not impossible.

I hope this helps, please let me know if you decide to use any of these!

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Swim like you mean it. If you don't care about what you are doing it will not do much. Join a masters group. You can find one here: U.S. Masters Swimming The pace clock is your friend, know your times and drive them down. But you have to do enough distance too. Most masters workouts are in the 2500-3500 meter range. Fitness will help diving, it really will.

 

[violamama]

Thanks so much, all! I love the generosity of this board and divers in general.

I am printing out some of these to try out at the pool. I'm also looking at some of those websites RJP posted and will try to learn the breast stroke and frog kick in particular. I could probably hire the kids' coach for a lesson or two.

I'd love to join a masters team, but for me the golden time is that half hour when the kids' classes overlap (and when the 5 year old graduates to swim team it will be a whole HOUR!). Not much free time for swimming at other times with other adults. Even my running is 90% treadmill-in-the-garage; just the season of life we're in.

The pool noodle workout is an interesting idea. I have no pride- I am a violist after all. I will try it if I get a nice wide lane to myself sometime.

These workouts all look vastly more interesting than just trying vaguely to swim better/faster/longer each time... thanks again! I'll report back.

 

[bracko]

ther than that, running is better cardio.

My background: swam and played water polo competitively in high school and college.

yeah, but simming is a better body workout. I'll take gym and swimming any day over running and gym for improving general fitness/wellbeing overall.

 

[RJP]

500 yds/450m easy warm-up Free-style (under 14 minutes --GUE Swimming Requirement)

I'm actually surprised it's that lax of a requirement for GUE. A 2m48s/100yd pace (14min = 42sec/length) would be indicative of someone being a weak/poor (non?) swimmer, fairly out of shape, or most likely some combination of both in my book. Consider that a pace that slow would only earn you a 2 out of possible 5 points on the PADI DM watermanship swim.

My experience - working with many people coming to swimming for exercise - is that with minor improvements in proper technique there's no reason someone of average fitness can't swim at least 36sec/length (2m24sec) for 500yds or more. That still only puts you on pace for 3 points out of possible 5 points on the PADI swim time.

 

[Nemrod]

500 yds/450m easy warm-up Free-style (under 14 minutes --GUE Swimming Requirement)

​

That pace for only 500 yards is relatively slow. Now, hold that pace for 5 miles and that is a bit better. Thirty minutes for a 1760 yards is a much better pace though still not particularly impressive, decent though.

Those who say swimming has no cross over to SCUBA just do not get it. It is the contribution to overall fitness, reduced SAC, water confidence, flexibility and aerobic stamina that are greatly improved. But swimming alone is insufficient for overall fitness.

N

 

[RJP]

But swimming alone is insufficient for overall fitness.

I think that depends. If you wanted to just pick ONE thing to do, swimming would be it. But that doesn't mean lazily doing some GUE swim requirements every once in a while. If you do it right (see what I did there?) swimming is the best combination of cardio and resistance training... with a bit of yoga/meditation brought in if you like.

At 5am I will hit the pool for 4x1,000yd sets. I will bang them out in alternating intervals of 1,000yd free (~14min30sec or so) and 1,000yd pull buoy (no leg) sets to "rest." I can assure you that doing that three/four days a week will get and keep you in pretty good overall fitness.

:d

 

[Kevrumbo]

I'm actually surprised it's that lax of a requirement for GUE. A 2m48s/100yd pace (14min = 42sec/length) would be indicative of someone being a weak/poor (non?) swimmer, fairly out of shape, or most likely some combination of both in my book. Consider that a pace that slow would only earn you a 2 out of possible 5 points on the PADI DM watermanship swim.

My experience - working with many people coming to swimming for exercise - is that with minor improvements in proper technique there's no reason someone of average fitness can't swim at least 36sec/length (2m24sec) for 500yds or more. That still only puts you on pace for 3 points out of possible 5 points on the PADI swim time.

That pace for only 500 yards is relatively slow. Now, hold that pace for 5 miles and that is a bit better. Thirty minutes for a 1760 yards is a much better pace though still not particularly impressive, decent though.

Those who say swimming has no cross over to SCUBA just do not get it. It is the contribution to overall fitness, reduced SAC, water confidence, flexibility and aerobic stamina that are greatly improved. But swimming alone is insufficient for overall fitness.

N

It's an easy warm-up . . .and a gauge for me if I haven't been swimming for awhile (just got over Shingles last month, and now got to start betting back in shape again to take UTD"s Rebreather Class later this year).

Actually for UTD's Rebreather mCCR 3 Class, AG's swim requirement is a "slightly more challenging" requirement for the beginning/novice swimmer:
Must be able to swim a distance of at least 60 feet/18 meters on a breath hold. Must be able to swim at least 400 yards/365 meters in less than 14 minutes without stopping.