25
votes
Is it okay to swim in the middle of a lake?
Although swimming alone in the middle of Lake Michigan sounds wonderful and has its benefits to you, swimming alone has life altering/ending risks. The chances may be minimal that something dangerous ...
- 11k
11
votes
Is it okay to swim in the middle of a lake?
I've done a lot of offshore sailing and sometimes you'll get totally becalmed. Hot muggy conditions and the water is so flat you can literally shave in the reflection. It's hard not to jump in with ...
- 14.8k
9
votes
Accepted
Is swimming a good exercise for skinny people
Swimming is good for people of any size. Your weight loss/gain will be determined by your diet. If you don't want to lose any more weight, eat more!
Short answer: Keep swimming! It's a great way to ...
- 17.8k
9
votes
Accepted
Are there any disadvantages, besides discomfort, to letting water enter your nose?
Growing up surfing, I'd get water in my nose constantly. When stuffed up I'd splash some up in there and snot rocket all the junk out. Even a "saline nasal spray" is just a fancy way of blowing salt ...
- 14.8k
9
votes
Accepted
I can swim a lot of breaststroke, but not freestyle. Why?
Without actually seeing your stroke, I am going to make the guess that it is related to breathing.
Breastroke, it is easy to do a slow stroke (and a 40 minute mile qualifies) and breathe in and out ...
- 22.2k
8
votes
Accepted
Why can't I keep water out of my nose and throat while swimming?
It is difficult to say without seeing your swim stroke, but I suspect that when you are breathing, you are over rotating, with your head pulled back rather than being in a neutral position. That would ...
- 22.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Why do professional swimmers breathe every stroke in freestyle?
"since breathing necessarily disrupts your flow"
I think the amount of disruption relates to how far from perfect your form is. Since they need to breathe, they put a lot of work in perfecting their ...
- 399
6
votes
Is it okay to swim in the middle of a lake?
It depends what you mean by okay.
If you mean "is it safe?" then the answer is simple: No, it is not safe.
If you get into trouble you stand a high risk of death. No-one will be able to rescue you.
...
- 161
6
votes
Accepted
How do I overcome fear of open water swimming?
The switch from the pool to the lake/ocean can be challenging. Google on "overcome fear of open water swimming" or "panic attack triathlete water" and you will find that you are not alone.
There are ...
- 2,181
5
votes
Breathless after 50m front crawl
Simply practising a swim style again and again does not necessarily makes you swim better. Moreover, you might be reinforcing the bad aspects in your technique.
What you need to include in your ...
- 2,936
5
votes
How do I know if I'm fit for triathlon?
As it stands, you may be fit enough, but you are not trained enough, unless you plan on walking pretty much the entire run portion of the event.
Most marathon plans (Which is a distance shorter than ...
- 22.2k
5
votes
Best swim crawl to enlarge the shoulders
The shoulder muscles that contribue to the broad shape are primarily the deltoid muscles. This is the muscle that forms the bulk of the shoulder muscle mass, with three heads (Anterior, medial and ...
- 22.2k
5
votes
Can hyperventilating increase lung capacity or fitness?
Hyperventilation is a legitimate method for increasing the proportion of oxygen in the blood for the purpose of things like holding one's breath. However, there is a caveat to it, namely that the body ...
- 8,764
5
votes
Exhausted after ice dipping
For someone cold challenged or actually in hypothermia your body is going to use a ton of energy to rewarm you and you'd likely feel the effect of blood shunting.
It's the difference between "a dip" ...
- 14.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Calf cramp by swimming
Work on the flexibility in your ankles.
You should easily be able to make a straight line from your shin down the top of your foot to your toes. This is the ideal position to get the most propulsion ...
- 22.2k
4
votes
Feeling exhausted after swimming
5 hours of any workout would exhaust you for the rest of the day. Now regarding what to do next? Eat food to help you with your calorie needs and if possible, take a nap. That may not remove all the ...
- 1,583
4
votes
Accepted
Hand position / form when swimming Crawl/Freestyle
You were likely taught to cup you hand in some beginner class.
That's not so much "wrong," just ineffective & unnatural. It also doesn't add to your propulsive power as you may think.
The cup ...
- 312
4
votes
Lost swimming cardio, replacement with jogging
Cardio is cardio. There are benefits and detriments to all of them, and what it basically boils down to is your own personal choice.
Can running be a good replacement for swimming? Sure. There is ...
- 22.2k
4
votes
What factors affect underwater swimming endurance and how to improve it?
The main limitation here is that the oxygen you inhale before you submerge, is consumed by your muscles as you swim. The more energy you use, the faster your oxygen depletes, and this is what causes ...
- 17.8k
4
votes
What factors affect underwater swimming endurance and how to improve it?
Primarily lung capacity is the issue here, but the rate at which your body uses oxygen is determined by your overall fitness level, muscle mass and technical efficiency.
As a competitive swimmer with ...
- 540
4
votes
Swimming Pools.... Why 33m long?
It seems to be based on the rules of Water Polo. The size of the pool is between 20 to 30 meters in length. It doesn't specify how deep the goals are supposed to be, but the standard seems to be about ...
- 7,209
4
votes
Calf cramp by swimming
You’re using too much kick in your swim, and may be kicking off the wall incorrectly. Distance swimmers don’t need a tremendous amount of kick - especially triathletes. You’re just going to tire your ...
- 1,297
3
votes
What swimming technique is more effective for a cardio workout?
Of the two strokes you say you know, breaststroke is very difficult to learn to swim fast, and certainly hard to use as a cardiovascular exercise for any significantly long time. Assuming (by the fact ...
- 87
3
votes
How to make a swimming goggle fog free?
A cheap and fast solution is using saliva.
I use quite frequently in all my glasses (swimming and spearfishing) since ever. It is quite effective.
Water the lens. Spit on the inside and rub it. Wash ...
- 176
3
votes
Is it okay to swim in the middle of a lake?
Having crossed the Pacific Ocean on our own boat, we thought a lot about questions such as this. In general I would not be concerned about swimming mid-lake, as the danger does not seem materially ...
- 131
3
votes
Endurance and stamina issues in swimming
While your question is somewhat confusing, the most common reason for beginners to get out of breath or tired after a very short distance is usually due to poor form and breathing problems.
The most ...
- 22.2k
3
votes
How to prevent swimming goggles from fogging
I'm surprised nobody posted the old classic: spit :)
Apply a little saliva to the inside of the goggles (the panes, obviously), and rub with your finger. Works every time. Well known among scuba ...
- 171
3
votes
Why do professional swimmers breathe every stroke in freestyle?
I suspect they breathe that much because that's just how much they need to... when going all out at that pace. From what you described of your own experience, you seem to be doing more long-distance/...
- 171
3
votes
Hand position / form when swimming Crawl/Freestyle
Back in the 1970's, the theory was to hold your fingers together. Then people started applying engineering and science to sports. One of the early investigations was of Dara Torres, involving the hand ...
- 131
3
votes
Freestyle swimming: When do you stop exhaling?
I am assuming that you are doing freestyle.
Without actually seeing you, I'm guessing that you have a form problem, and/or are going slow enough that you aren't able to create the "bow wave" effect ...
- 22.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible