Swimming

Thinking of starting up swimming for some general exercise.

It's good for cardio right? Advantages/disadvantages compared to running?

I assume freestyle and butterfly also give you a bit of an upper-body workout?

Anyone know any good pools/gyms in Auckland for swimming?

Swimming is great. It is good cardio workout, but dont expect being really fit for other types of workouts, running for example. They're two different types of cardio fitness.

Apart from that, it is a better exercise than running imo. Less joint impact etc.

Swimming is great and my preferred work out now that my old body aint so keen on being pounded by running

Swim freestyle and get a foam ermmm floaty_whatsit to jam betwwn your legs, it stops you from using them = better upper body workout

I go to the Mt Eden pools, I have an idea you might be in that area g? Not far from Two Monkeys. $5 casual and they have a steam and sauna room which is inclusive. Good value

don't just go up and down the pool. mix it up a bit. also make sure you wear speedos....

if you're serious about getting fit, consider joining a masters programme. swimming is WAAAAAY better training in a squad. you'll learn what kinda things to do whilst training too.

I think the answer is to do both. Each have their benefits – swimming especially for reducing the impact on your joints, running because you can just – go – out the door, listen to music etc.

Dude, even the Olympians have ditched the speedos... Mates don't let mates wear speedos.

LOL Jono!

agree. speedos. wtf. I wear my bordies. Ok I swim slower but its exercise not a race

Having said that...most the guys down there wear
speedos, and I dont really know what Im talking about when it comes to swimming, and I suspect speedcod does. So Im all ears on your reasons for waering them

they are much more comfortable for swimming in, you will notice a huge difference. if you are concerned about the cut, you can get long legged ones or ones which are similar to hot pants. try and get non lycra ones as they will last longer. speedo's endurance range are really good.

the olympians all wear speedos in training. the suits they wear at the olympics are especially made for racing in.

Awww dick togs :>

Attn again, swimmers.

Do any of uz doing anything to prevent water in your ears or is it not considered a problem? Earplugs? Swimming cap?

I'm going to start practising swimming in the hopes of building up to v.short ocean swim levels (500-1000m).

Ear plugs for sure.

Send in a pic of your swimming costume

best cardio there is

advantages to running: better cardio, lower impact
disadvantages: none

upper body? yes. look at the mid 90's chinese women swimmers hopped up on the juice.



pffffffft. weights? no. anything else cardio yes.



a pull buoy. best used with a band as well. band = rubber thing to tie your ankles together. cut up car innertube is the cheap way. stops your feet flapping around. requires good, low head position to get best effort.






also: speedos speedos speedos. 100x easier to swim.

If you are prone to ear infections, yes, use plugs and a cap. you can get silicone plugs that are the same size as cheap foam audio ear plugs, but fit way better and are waterproof. the cap helps ensure they don't fall out. silicone cap is way more worth it than rubber cap, even if it is 5 times the price.

if not prone to ear infections, then just rock out commando styles.

you just did the half marathon right? assuming correct technique, that is probably enough base fitness to swim that kind of distance. 1500m straight freestyle is what me and codpiece would have done as warm up at the start of a 5.30am weekday training session. in the sea, yes you have the current, but you are also way more buoyant in saltwater.





having taught swimming from 4 year olds to adults, from beginners to competitive coaching, people are welcome to hit me up if they need advice or tips. if enough are interested we could sort out a lane hire or something.

What I meant, that swimming fitness is different to running fitness. You can be a champion swimmer and be really fit, but that would not make you a good runner. Different breathing techniques involved in swimming vs running.

Like for example, I'm really fit when it comes to running sprints etc. But when it comes to pool, I feel like I'm the unfit as hell and only last couple of laps. It takes me around 3-4 weeks of regular swimming to get good distances out of swimming.

roman k is right. when i was training 25 hours plus/week for a while last year (i took time off work to prepare for a race), my swim training times were shocking, seemed to lose heaps of my speed AND endurance in the water for some reason.

plus your legs are always too shattered to kick too hard! heh

swimming is good for recovery for running AND cycling though...the kick is good to flush all the bad stuff from your legs.

plus you can go HARD in every single swim session if you want, recovery times are much shorter than for running and cycling. it's just a matter of how much hurt you feel comfortable with handling! swimming is a much better ab workout than running as well...

Hey PFunk,

I've just found the details of a guy who specialises in custom made silicone earplugs for watersports. I had a long chat with him when he did my custom inserts for my Shukes. Aparently the custom plugs don't even fall out when you crash into the drink on waterskis - but I wouldn't know, my balance is like a drunken elephant on a tightrope. But I can say that they are so comfortable that you don't know they're there, and he said that anyone doing swimming more than once a week (especially cold water swimming like the ocean) must have plugs or they'll get bone growth in the ears - exostossis or something like that.

Anyway, I left a message on a posting about custom made plugs for earphones a while ago but I have now found his details:

Dave Tayler, Wellington
Mobile: 027 378 9884

He seems to know his stuff - was a head audiology guy in the UK or something.

Good luck with the swimming - I can't advise you coz I swim like a brick!

Thanks FuzzBall and good timing as I have another question!

I went to Rebel on Saturday and found some suitable Speedo swimming shorts but the sizing is a mystery - the smallest they make are 32" and, holding around my hips, the 36" (smallest they had in stock) seemed to be about right.

I'm usually between a 30 and 32. What's the story?

Ohhhh this thread.

Cheers guys. Yeah Maestro - the Mt Eden Swimming Pool was my primary school's swimming facility so I'm more than familiar. Will re-join I think.