I’m overweight and wanting to get into freediving

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Take swimming lessons. Even good natural swimmers benefit from a few professional coaching sessions to develop solid technique.

A couple of years ago I was teaching a mixed group of 5 OW students. 3 were young gym fit lads and 2 were a slightly overweight middle-aged couple. When it came to the swim test, despite my warning to pace not race, the gym bunnies set off like a herd of scolded cats, thrashing about with zero technique. In the meantime the older married couple set off with beautiful effortless freestyle strokes, eating up the laps without even breaking a sweat. Needless to say they were finished and chilling out in the shallow end way before the lads eventually came chuffing and panting across the finishing line.

Trust me on the swimming lessons. It'll not only increase your fitness, but also help you to achieve the goals in your other thread.

thank you I’m working on getting a YMCA pass, and looking to talking to a life gaurd and seeing if they could help me learn to swim better
 
I’m over weight and trying to loose weight, if you have any suggestions please help me thanks!

So I really love swimming and I can honestly only hold my breath for 5 sec how do I improve?

Find a USMS team near you and join. Then get serious about fitness and exercise. Great thing about USMS teams is that "Masters" range from very slow swimmers to former D1 and Olympian swimmers.

For example, my local team has 3 groups during the workout. Group 3 swims less distance on a slower time vs the other 2 groups. It is not uncommon for me to have people on one side of me in a lane that are just learning to swim and the other side a bronze medal winning Olympic swimmer. All are welcome, no ones judged.

https://www.usms.org/?gclid=CjwKCAj...rTAfyg0KI5b9DT7Gd395Uw9EKBkh-sNRoC0bwQAvD_BwE
 
Find a USMS team near you and join. Then get serious about fitness and exercise. Great thing about USMS teams is that "Masters" range from very slow swimmers to former D1 and Olympian swimmers.

For example, my local team has 3 groups during the workout. Group 3 swims less distance on a slower time vs the other 2 groups. It is not uncommon for me to have people on one side of me in a lane that are just learning to swim and the other side a bronze medal winning Olympic swimmer. All are welcome, no ones judged.

https://www.usms.org/?gclid=CjwKCAj...rTAfyg0KI5b9DT7Gd395Uw9EKBkh-sNRoC0bwQAvD_BwE

I have actually never heard of this I’m going to do research and see the link you showed me, Thanks!
 
I’m over weight and trying to loose weight, if you have any suggestions please help me thanks!

So I really love swimming and I can honestly only hold my breath for 5 sec how do I improve?

Adult learn to swim lessons are relatively cheap. Check your local YMCA for an instructor. Once you’ve got some strokes down, join the local US Masters club (also cheap) to find lap buddies. USMS is NOT full of former collegiate killers that will intimidate you - plenty of regular folks like you and me.

Log your yards and meters with a swim watch (e.g, Garmin Swim2) using an online account (e.g, Garmin Connect and/or Swim.com).

Watch the pounds melt, the confidence grow and the breath control improve.

You’ll step off into your freedive course ready to crush it.
 
...
Seal combat glide stroke

I am sure the SEALs have some reason for that stroke. But be aware, that has got to be the most inefficient swim stroke I have ever seen. The amount of drag they are creating is hard to grasp. Its like someone thought, "lets mix the worst of the breast stroke and front crawl..." I would never suggest that stroke to anyone.

And what is funny, he is discussing it in the context of doing a 500 yard swim.
 
I am sure the SEALs have some reason for that stroke. But be aware, that has got to be the most inefficient swim stroke I have ever seen. The amount of drag they are creating is hard to grasp. Its like someone thought, "lets mix the worst of the breast stroke and front crawl..." I would never suggest that stroke to anyone.

And what is funny, he is discussing it in the context of doing a 500 yard swim.

My bad. I was under the impression it was suppose to be more "efficient". I'll defer to your (and others) greater knowledge.
 
I am sure the SEALs have some reason for that stroke. But be aware, that has got to be the most inefficient swim stroke I have ever seen. The amount of drag they are creating is hard to grasp. Its like someone thought, "lets mix the worst of the breast stroke and front crawl..." I would never suggest that stroke to anyone.
Not splashing and thus getting shot are high on the list of reasons. See sealswcc.com for a deep discussion of their swim strokes.
 
Swimming is my desired cardio exercise. My gym has been closed since March. I made a stock tank pool. Google it. It measures 8 feet long, by 3 feet wide and 2 feet deep. I swim "laps" using a pool noodle, nylon cord and a c clamp attaching this tether to the end. Good luck.
 

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