Hi all,

I have decided to add swimming to my weekly training to add variety and provide a light cardio workout. I swim about 20 laps of a half size olympic pool in about 20 - 25 minutes resting every so often. I lift heavy 3 times per week and am satisfied with that aspect of my training (for now). I warm up for 10 minutes on the bike before lifting but thats all the cardio I am doing for now. I swim once or twice a week time permitting. It is not the focus of my training, but rather an added extra, and never on the same day as weight training. :tucool:

I am bulking at the moment, stats as follows:

Sex: Male
Height: 5'9''
Weight: 187 pounds
BF: 12 - 13 % (Maybe a bit more, not sure, self test calipers).

Now my problem, whenever I swim I get very bad cramps in my calves and arches of my feet. I also am very light headed when I get out the pool.

What could be the cause of these two things? I can cope with a fast run on the treadmill for a good 20 minutes as well as cycling, rowing and elliptical training without any cramping or light-headedness.

Stretch your calves whenever you get a chance. Swimming requires you to point your toes for an extended amount of time. When you begin swimming you are almost forcing this position. Over time it will get better. I don't know about the lightheadedness but it could be related to rising from a horizontal position to a vertical position too quickly.

Make sure you are well hydrated before you start swimming and have some sort of simple sugar in the system -- eat an apple or something a 15-30 minutes before you go -- and have had a complex carbohydrate earlier in the day.

The ankles cramps will probably get better with time and good hydration. If not, eat bananas regularly.

Don't breathe too often, but don't breathe too little. This could have to do with your light headedness. I usually take a breath every 3-5 strokes. Breathing on both sides can also help.

I'd say drink water. You sweat even when swimming so drink! When you run on a treadmill or cycle for 20 minutes do you have a drink with you? If it's a warm pool then it's even more important to take on liquid.

If you sit down in a hot jacuzzi for awhile, blood can pool in your legs and cause light headedness but if you're swimming then the leg muscles act like a mechanical pump to pump the blood back up the body.

Swimming involves de largest muscles in your body and you need lots and lots of oxigen while this oxigen is not as easily available. You need to have a good breathing technique.

I also swim and always have that feeling when I come out of the water (If I just finished a good workout) It helps to do a few final slow laps to cool off and recover breath before you leave the pool.

I usually swim 40 to 50 laps in the semi olympic pool (25 mts.) Start with a few warm up laps at medium speed and then do sets of 4 to 8 laps, one or two styles per set and rest for abt. a minute, like 4 laps free style, 4 laps backstroke, rest, 4 laps breathstroke, 2 laps free style, 2 laps backstroke, rest... I like to do a few final sprint laps in free style and then a couple cool off laps. But it all depends on how I'm feeling. I need to be able to walk back to my car.

It is very difficult to get injured swimming. I also think it is the best cardio exercise, but of course better if combined with running, biking, etc.

Best regards,
Pedro.

I love to swim!! I would say good advice in here so far. The calf cramps I start to get if I take a long break from swimming. It is a sign that my body is done. Things to do to keep from getting them:
1. Bring water bottle and place poolside
2. Drink water on every rest between sets


Swimming uses muscles that usually get very little attention. Even on avid health nuts. That light headed feeling you get is like runner's ear... It is the euphoria that comes after a good work out! I LOVE THAT FEELING and is the main reason I have stuck with swimming as long as I have...

Here are a couple of links that might be of interest.

http://swimming.about.com/

http://swimming.about.com/od/freeandback/a/breath_freestyl.htm

Best regards,
Pedro.

Cheers for the link. Just read an article there about swimmers shoulder. I think I need to learn to breathe on both sides of my freestyle - every 3 strokes rather than 4. And they suggest leading with your pinky into the water, not the thumb. Is that the proper technique then? Seems weird but I'll try it tommorrow

Give it a try. You will get more pull. I don't think it has to be your little finger that leads, but your hand horizontally to the water surface, and since you have to move your hand from as far as you can reach towards your waist line with your little finger pointing down, I guess it makes sense that your little finger will be the first to hit the water. That way you get more pull during the whole movement until you reach your waist and don't have to twist your hand after it hits the water. But that's just my opinion.

Regards,
Pedro.

The pinky should be the first finger to enter the water if you're swimming front crawl. It's one of the points a coach will tell you. If you've never been taught technique by a competitive coach, it would be a great investment.

Just doing it in the air, thumb first and thinking about it, I can see how it puts more stress on the shoulders than pinky first - more pronounced because I have a knot under my shoulder blade.
Okay I'll lead with the pinky from now on thanks.

Oops, my bad. It is thumb or middle finger first on front crawl. Pinky is backstroke -- what was I thinking? :bang: It's been a while since I've been in the pool.

Pinky first on front crawl would reduce stress by preventing you from internally rotating the shoulder as you pull, but it would also sacrifice power. A better option would be to take care to rotate the hand primarily from the wrist instead of the shoulder as it enters the water in order to avoid this. Taking more deliberate strokes or using a catch-up stroke, emphasizing technique, would also be a good option in a recreational environment.

If you plan to do a lot of swimming, you should start strengthening your rotator cuffs. A stretch band circuit of exercises would be a great way to do this. You should be sure to hit the multiple articulations of the shoulder. You can also perform the strokes (out of the water, usually laying on the ground) while using the bands in order to strengthen the exact movements.

The pinky should be the first finger to enter the water if you're swimming front crawl. It's one of the points a coach will tell you. If you've never been taught technique by a competitive coach, it would be a great investment.

You corrected yourself before I could get to it!! That would be the wierdest feeling technique...like karate chopping the water:lol:

You corrected yourself before I could get to it!! That would be the wierdest feeling technique...like karate chopping the water:lol:
Hi-yah! :lol: :D

Your feet may get used to it. In regards to light headedness, make sure you breath enough but you may also get used to it. I used to get dizzy after swimming and now, either through acclimation or unconsciously changing my technique, I can get out of the water and be perfect. I do not swim that often, but I swam a mile today (furthest yet) and felt much better than my earlier swims this year of 1/2 the distance.

I've been wanting to start swimming, however I, well, don't really know how to swim. First and only lessons were at age 4. That was 18 years ago now.

And then there's no pool, but I live a "stone's throw" from three different lakes (one is pretty polluted, the other has a shipping lane and piranhas [but those are near the power plant], and the third is Lake Michigan). Though honestly, I don't have any qualms about swimming across the polluted lake except for some bad algae (I can't remember what's growing out there), and the part that I'd have to either swim back across or run the roads to get home.

But what's the difference between swimming a small and relatively wake-less lake, a larger lake with more and sometimes sporadic waves, and a pool?

I did learn that without any sort of swimming technique and breathing in the waves can be challenging. I learned that real fast.

I think these links will be of interest for you:

http://www.kalamazoocity.org/portal/kzoolife.php?event_id=1278
http://www.kalamazoocity.org/portal/kzoolife.php?event_id=1465

As for the hand position, do it as you feel more comfortable. You are just doing exercise, not trying to win an olympic medal. What I do is I throw my hands forward (stretching your arm as much as possible, and moving your shoulder forward too), while you do this, your chest must be rotating, that helps you breathing (mouth out of the water) and helps you reaching further with your hands. That means your are actually moving your hand over your head, with your shoulder out of the water, and as your hand reaches the water, your shoulder (and face) is already in the water again and your chest rotating to the other side, therefore it is the palm of your hand, leaded by your little finger, that hits the water, in a more sidewise movement, not 100% vertical, and the hand continues the movement under water to the other side ad towards your waist, your elbow flexes and your hand passes under your body. It's more like you're slaping somebody in the face, rather than trying to do a straight movement with your arms like a robot.

Best regards,
Pedro.

As for the hand position, do it as you feel more comfortable. You are just doing exercise, not trying to win an olympic medal.

What makes you think I won't eventually want to? :bb:

Swimming is all about efficiency in the water. Yeah it's just exercise, but proper technique will make it more enjoyable, safer, and all around a great workout. You can do anything with sub par form and have it be exercise, but proper technique goes a long way with swimming. If it were me explaining lessons, I would make sure that the thumb and forefinger enter the water first. A good drill is to pretend you've got zippers on both sides of your body (from your waist till your armpits). Imaging unzipping the zipper starting at the bottom and moving up. This will help keep your elbows high and your hand position correct. I practiced this drill for many years and used it later as a coach for kids. It will also give your body a natural rotation in the water. Give it a try:D