Aquajock..need your advice

[Krista03]

Hello, need your advice on swimming. I am an avid runner and with the weather getting colder have turn my cardio days toward the water. I am trying to fine tune the crawl with the breathing thing. I am having trouble with, when to turn my head to inhale and do I inhale thru mouth and exhale thru nose while in the water etc. I fine it more comfortable to turn my head to the right to get air.If you could give good details I would be greatly thankful. My past experience in swimming is purely recreational. I know the crawl stroke, that is about it....
Thank you?

 

[Aquajock]

Krista - I don't know how much help I'll be because I'm a mediocre swimmer at best. I think with the front crawl, it's best to turn the head on the downstroke, turning your face away from the arm that's performing the downstroke, and as I recall my own breathing I would quick exhale through the nose and then inhale thru the mouth. HOWEVER, again I'm a real load at swimming, so you may want to contact a local swim coach to get better info.

I would like to suggest, because swimming does not recruit the legs in any meaningful way (and your muscle conditioning in the legs could really suffer), that you also bring aqua-jogging into the mix for your off-season cross-training. That is exclusively leg-oriented, and can keep your glutes and hams at least in some sort of condition as you wait out the cold weather. And consider keeping aqua-jogging as part of your ongoing cross-training even during the running season; it's a great injury-prevention technique!

Lemme know if you have any other questions!

Annette Q. Aquajock

 

[mogambo]

If you really crank out 10 or 15 laps with a kickboard, your legs do get some work while you do substantial cardio. See if there is a Masters swimming class in your area. They taught me not only how to do a perfect crawl (and *tried* to show me how to do the other strokes) but how to do different training work using timed laps and pull buoys and so forth. You can stick your workout on the pool tile and the paper will stick so you can look at it if you forget what you're doing!

As far as the timing of breathing and such, I breathe in and out through my mouth, you just can't get enough air through your nose if you are really cookin'

As the right hand enters the water for the pull, your head turns to the right to breathe, so by the time your hand has pulled through and gotten near your thigh, you are done and your head is in "normal" position again. Keep your forehead at waterline as you move forward to keep your body in position. Let your elbow come out first to keep your arm in correct position. Don't let your feet splash, you should just see turbulence just below the waterline on your feet. Kick forward as though you were kicking a ball, but kick from the hip not the knee. If you have more questions, let me know [email protected]. There are so many little form pointers for the crawl!!