Swimming Newbie

Quoted message said:

I am new to swimming. It is embarrassing to admit that I am 45 and just
beginning to learn to swim. That is the truth though.

Hey, good for you! Don't be embarrassed that you are open-minded enough to
try something new. A lot of people don't even try!

Quoted message said:

I went and bought an aqua jogging belt that will help me float in deeper
end of the pool.

Why did you buy the belt? Anyone who can swim 4 laps (down to the end of the
pool and back) does not need a floatation device like the belt.

Today I did about 4 laps. On the 4th lap my toes were

Quoted message said:

getting cramped. Are toe cramps normal to swimmers?

I have never had a toe cramp. I have had the bottom of my foot cramp on the
arch, but never a toe cramp. So, can't help you there.

What type of cross

Quoted message said:

training exercises are good for swimmers?

One of the coaches here will tell you. I ride a bicycle, but I don't know if
that is a good cross training exercise for swimming. I just like to do it.
😉

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Apart from the above questions, I would appreciate if you have any advice
for a beginning adult swimmer.

Don't be afraid of the water. Understand that if you sink to the bottom, you
just push off from it with your feet as if you are springing upward, and
you'll come back to the top of the water. Trust the water to hold you up and
it will. Try to relax. Work with the water--don't try to thrash it or beat
it with your hands and arms. Stay calm and enjoy yourself. Oh--and don't
move your legs as if you were riding a bicycle. That'll just wear you out
quickly.

Pat in TX

Subba Rao said:

Hello,

I am new to swimming. It is embarrassing to admit that I am 45 and just
beginning to learn to swim. That is the truth though.

I went and bought an aqua jogging belt that will help me float in deeper
end of the pool. Today I did about 4 laps. On the 4th lap my toes were
getting cramped. Are toe cramps normal to swimmers? What type of cross
training exercises are good for swimmers?

Apart from the above questions, I would appreciate if you have any
advice for a beginning adult swimmer.

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Welcome to the wild wild wet 🙂 Never too late to learn, in fact, as
you get older, you'll find your time in the pool to be one of the best
ways to get your body to loosen up. It's rare for me to go to the club
and not have at least one retiree paddling back and forth, keeping
themselves limber.

On that jogging belt thing... lose it as soon as you feel safe doing so.
It'll seriously mess up your technique by adding bouyancy in places
it's not natural to have while swimming. They're great for the
previously mentioned older set who want to remain mostly upright while
working joints, but for any kind of workout beyond "down and back, catch
my breath, lather rinse repeat", it'll become more and more of a
nuisance (sorta like the radio earplugs I tried in high school... I was
too fast and they kept falling out). Are toe cramps normal? Can't say
I've ever had them. I'd often get arch cramps after swimming a race
(especially all-out sprints during championship meets), but given that
you're a new swimmer using muscles that probably haven't been called on
in quite some time, I wouldn't worry about it unless it persists a
couple weeks. Cross training? There's all sorts of stuff, but swimming
is a rather unique mode of transportation, so the best non-water
workouts are things that aid general cardio (hamster wheels, martial
arts), flexibility (yoga/pilates), or specific muscle groups (cords and
flex bands). For now, just get used to the water, and don't worry too
much about all the other training options.

Finally, don't get discouraged by the occasional swat by some of our
residents here. They seem to enjoy sniping at the most inane of things.

In message <3D4Kf.10070$2c4.2418@dukeread11>, Subba Rao
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I am new to swimming. It is embarrassing to admit that I am 45 and
just beginning to learn to swim. That is the truth though.

A friend, now 48 and quite overweight, learned to swim recently. When
young he'd had a near drowning experience, which left him with a fear of
being in water. However, on holidays at various villas over the past few
years, we encouraged him to use the swimming pools, and eventually he
learned to be more relaxed in water, though he confined himself to the
shallow end of the pool, keeping his feet firmly on the floor and his
head above the surface.

Then last year he took the plunge, so to speak, and enrolled for
swimming lessons at a local leisure centre. Shortly after the course he
was doing 50-60 lengths of the pool three to four times a week. In
recent months he has replaced some pool visits with tutored gym exercise
routines, and he is losing a lot of the weight too.

As for avoiding cramp - much of the advice I've found on the web
suggests drinking sodium or potassium based sports drinks, or even
calcium supplements, though I've also heard that eating bananas is
beneficial. It might help to look at your diet and increase the fresh
fruit and veg content.

--
congokid
Good restaurants in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com

Subba Rao said:

Hello,

I am new to swimming. It is embarrassing to admit that I am 45 and just
beginning to learn to swim. That is the truth though.

I went and bought an aqua jogging belt that will help me float in deeper
end of the pool. Today I did about 4 laps. On the 4th lap my toes were
getting cramped. Are toe cramps normal to swimmers? What type of cross
training exercises are good for swimmers?

Apart from the above questions, I would appreciate if you have any
advice for a beginning adult swimmer.

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Regarding the toe cramps, this will sound insulting but is absolutely
sincere--don't curl your toes when you swim, leave them loose and
relaxed and you won't get toe cramps.
Madelaine

I agree with Madelaine, just relax your toes. At the moment you must still
be nervous about the water and cramps in unusual places can be expected.
Learn to relax in the water and it will come to.
The rest of the cramps these guys are talking about will come if you decide
to train hard at it, which means doing a lot of lengths and working hard in
the water. Same as with running things like calve cramps will come and go
when you decide to push harder and harder, but I would not recommend that of
type of training for you at this moment, enjoy the water, it is very
therapeutic.
"Madelaine" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Subba Rao said:

Hello,

I am new to swimming. It is embarrassing to admit that I am 45 and just
beginning to learn to swim. That is the truth though.

I went and bought an aqua jogging belt that will help me float in deeper
end of the pool. Today I did about 4 laps. On the 4th lap my toes were
getting cramped. Are toe cramps normal to swimmers? What type of cross
training exercises are good for swimmers?

Apart from the above questions, I would appreciate if you have any
advice for a beginning adult swimmer.

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Regarding the toe cramps, this will sound insulting but is absolutely
sincere--don't curl your toes when you swim, leave them loose and
relaxed and you won't get toe cramps.
Madelaine

<snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Regards,

Regarding the toe cramps, this will sound insulting but is absolutely
sincere--don't curl your toes when you swim, leave them loose and
relaxed and you won't get toe cramps.
Madelaine

Same goes for pointing toes and trying to kick 'up'. Other advice that
gets passed around from time to time- drink more water, walk more (esp if
you can do so uphill or on the beach), bring a post workout snack, stretch
after swimming, try moderate use of fins, have patience for a week or two.

--Mike

Thank you everyone for the advice and support! Now I am trying to focus
on the treading in the water without the aqua jogger support. I will
keep you posted. Hopefully my next set of questions would be a little
more skilled swimmer's questions. :-)

Thank you all once again.

Regards,

Subbarao
--
SR
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