No UK pool swimming = withdrawal symptoms!

Grim aint it!   (You OW swimmers in warmer climes are very fortunate. ) Will we remember "the finer points" when we can get back to the pools after this COVID-19 "lock-down" with gym/pool closures? I.E.  will our "muscle memory" fail us!   BTW Who's "religiously" doing those "thera" band exercises etc, to keep in trim?

  As a bod who likes trying out different things, I've been dreaming of what I'd like to do if/when can get back to pool swimming.  That fun activity I used to do, seemingly yonks ago (some 10 years ago!    ), of body dolphin-ing on the rum, just a few inches above the pool's floor tiles, became next to impossible due to the buoyancy in the Zone3 shorts I always wear when swimming now - it tends to "kill off" any forward movement due to the "upward tug" of the air in all those little closed neoprene cells in the short's lining!  OK - so if I try doing the same action at the surface - will it be more effective???  Hmmm! - I've had quite a few supposedly "bright ideas" in the past - most of which have failed the follow-on "water test"!

Efforts at FS swimming without the buoyancy of the shorts were pathetic, due to my below average buoyancy - the body from head to toes, probably at some 30 degrees below the surface causing horrendous drag! Think my low'ish lung capacity is the root pf the problem, 'cos without B.S. I have  a struggle to "get to air" as I roll and turn the neck for an FS inhalation.  So some that complain of "sinky legs", may in fact have poor general buoyancy due to the state of their lungs! (You there!  Put that fag out! )

    Am really keen to try doing that same body dolphin action up near the surface so the B.S. don't "kill" the action so much.  ( After all, breast stroke "wave" style swimmers utilize the energy exchange when they elevate their bodies above the surface, then gravity causes their bodies to flop back down, giving some forward motion as they reach forwards.)  I wouldn't think that doing BD on the side would be as effective, cos there would be no help from gravity with parts of the body falling/rising - only when on the tum or on the back.


  I've discarded my old Maglischo "Swimming Fastest" tome, so I can't check up what he said about when, in the course of a body dolphin undulation one should reach forward with the arms.  I would imagine it would be as the lower legs flick down (by which time the outstretched arms - with body in streamline posture - press down again through some 10-15 degrees as part of the continual down/up "arm-wavering" action, which initiates a "ripple" along the spine, elevating head (tucked between the arms)/shoulders a bit, until they fall under gravity and the hips rise etc,.) I remember that it is necessary to maintain a good continuous muscle tone with the abs and back muscles, as the body flexes up/down slightly at the various stages of the motion. iI the core body action is floppy/disconnected, then forward movement will be zilch!

 All we can do here for a while longer, is to keep on dreaming about pool swimming!  

Recently re-played a Go-Swim FS DVD of Roland Shoeman doing his stuff - and was surprised to see at one stage something I hadn't noticed before - him doing what I am hoping to try out when the pools are open again, despite the upward buoyancy force when am wearing BS.  Viz, Roland at one stage just pushing off from the wall without submerging much - and then doing "body dolphin on the tum" up on the surface, for a couple of metres to pickup speed before carrying on with FS.  And it worked OK. I thought it wouldn't work very well 'cos there was barely any water over his body!

Wowee!  So gyms/indoor pools can re-open from 25th July!  I musn't get too excited though - still another 2 weeks to go, and rather apprehensive about how I will manage under the new "distancing" restrictions and having to make "slot" bookings.  I need to use 2 buses (with their times not "connecting" well, and one running at only 1 hour intervals). Think may have to use a a taxi from home to/from pool - a bit expensive at 3 swims/week, instead of free bus travel using my OAP bus pass! I tried walking it on one occasion - but too tiring!

Hi Don,
Same info received here from my local pool.

I used to go every morning at 7 am but now they are offering afternoon only slots plus various restrictions.

I haven,t resumed tennis yet and will wait a while before trying swimming owing to fear of the virus.

In the meantime, I am enjoying the home gym work but I still have a long way to go really master the drills to my satisfaction.

Hi cott!

 Yes!- I don't think we are going to be very thrilled at the new pool regimes when they get going again.  I did see a suggestion that swimmers would need to ensure an area of at least 10 square feet  around them in order to be "safe"!  So in my case, with a pool of 20mx10m - that means not many bods in the water at the same time.  I haven't had any update on restrictions yet for the "DWFitnessFirst" club pool I use, but have seen an update for the adjacent Nuffield pool my wife was using 'cos she said the water temperature was warmer (but the "classes" not as good as those at the DW gym)..

  Have got several things to try out in the water - added to my "to-do" list).  My Roland Shoeman "FS" DVD. repeated that old idea that "TI" are fond of - that of rolling dramatically "skating" on the side until the rear arm recovery is almost complete (as the recovering arm is thrown forward, and the body is suddenly rolled the other way), so as to present head and just one shoulder to the water ahead, to minimize frontal resistance.  Hmmmm!  - I prefer to swim more "flat", with just enough body roll to facilitate inhalation - but there is the point that the more dramatic body roll probably makes inhalation easier 'cos the neck doesn't have to be turned so much, to clear the mouth above the water line.

I also want to be more stern with myself over my pathetic flutter kicking - am all strong arm action, but very weak, lazy, ineffective kicking!  Over the years have noticed that on kick downbeats, elite swimmers legs do not come much in front of the torso line, but often the backward thigh action of the kick upbeat with a straight leg, ends with the momentum of that kick upbeat causing the knee to bend and the lower leg presenting a steeper, more effective shin area for the kick downbeat start (ideal for bods like me with stiff ankles/insteps), as the leg straightens.

Was a bit apprehensive as to what anti-covid19 restrictions might apply to the pool usage at my "DWfitnessfirst" club - but no problems at all - open door, use hand sanitizer on wall by entrance, then everything back to normal for changing rooms,lockers,showers etc.

Only 2 others in the water when I went circa 10 am, and it didn't get any busier while I was in for an hour. Didn't make any headway with my planned intentions - so those are still on my "to-do" list!

Glad to get back into the water - but swim muscle memory, and application of "know-how" were a bit "off", but hopefully it will all come back with practice!

My wife went to the Nuffieldhealth pool a 100 yards away from the one I go to - she says she likes the warmer water - but they have more restrictions - only 30min swim slots!

Quite pleased with my little "return visit" - but my transport on the way home was mucked up!  I catch a bus after pool usage that gets me to the bus station, usually just in time to get a connecting bus home.  It didn't yesterday - delayed by road works, so lost the connection and had to get another bus that passes closeby the village where I live - but then needed a 40 minute walk uphill to get home - DRAT Not welcome for an "oldie" who needs a stick in each hand  for walking now! My wife (at 77) has the freedom of cycling everywhere still (having recuperated from a broken wrist sustained in last December after slipping on "black" ice) but I had to "pack it in" at 70   - so the pair of us only meet up at home after our daily journeyings now.

It's all "downhill" as one gets older (84 now) - my spine is in a mess (thanks to arthritis), and the loss of balance poses problems. I tried a few months ago, to stand up erect against a wall, forcing my head up - resulting in spinal spasms - ughhhh!  - Yet, I will survive!!!

That,s wonderful! You are both braver than me. My pool opened this today.

I was looking at this one this morning whilst working on the elliptical.
It,s about not having an arched back, something I haven,t really understood.

https://youtu.be/_deu80MDluQ

A lovely stroke and glide.

By the way, we have been having a go at learning how to throw a ball properly. The baseball videos seem helpful. Unfortunately it is pouring atm so no park for me.

Hi Cott!
 
I watched that video you posted.  Very similar to some of my early morning back exercises I've been doing since was 35 after sustaining a crushed disc,   It's even more important for me now - keep the top part of the back flat (which since I keep my head horiz, in-line with upper back means I  draw the chin in a bit.  I raise first one leg to the tum and back horiz, then the other leg - then both legs together - 6 times,  Then with legs drawn up, swing the legs to left, then to the right - for 6 times (good for the lumbar area of the back).  Then do what resembles a reverse back crawl arm stroke  - by drawing one knee towards the chin while swinging the opposite arm up from alongside the hips to straight over to outstretched position, while at the same time turn the head towards the arm doing the "reverse arm stroke".  All 6 times. That one was shown to me by an osteotherapist.  Then I move on to my head-rolling exercises to help the neck muscles - alternating with a simple "hands behind head pushing it up" so that am looking at my toes, as am lying flat.  Again 6 or so times.   I avoid when flat putting any strain on the abdomen by anything that resembles a "sit-up" exercise, having had a bilateral hernia in my 70s due to getting too exuberant with that exercise - I now have embedded mesh in the lower abdomen by way of repair - which I was told was screwed to my hip bones on each side, and stapled (!?) into muscle tissue away from the hips!!!

Like the gal in the video, I sometimes when horizontal doing the back exercise. with knees brought up towards the chin - keep my head raised as a variant -that keeps the upper back flat.


  Was very interested to see the gal's demo of how the legs sink if the back is arched!  I guess the answer is to keep "as straight as a rod" when swimming FS.

Am going back to first principles over FS fluutter kicking- just one good kick as the opposite side's arm enters the water each time and extends - keeping as "arrow-like" as possible.

Think I will just have to live with some "problems" - it's all "wear and tear" as cartilage shrinks between all the bones, every where in the skeleton. The hands are a bit of a problem now, tendons getting fixed with arthritic pain when using knife, fork, and spoon!


My wife was pleased when I discovered that at her Nuffield pool, it was possible to book the next contiguous 30 minute swim slot - with a notional 15 minute gap between the slots (allowing new lane-comers, if any, to change at the poolside.  I saw on TV that users of the Olympic London pool have to change poolside as well!  At my DWfitness gym/pool only some of the lockers are available for use, with a gap of 2 or 3 contiguous already locked ones unavailable - so as to ensure social-distancing!

Grim news about the gym/swim club I been using for some 7 years.  Today (4th Aug '20) is the last day of opening - firm has gone into administration, another "victim" of the Covid19 downturn.  There is another possibility, a Nuffieldhealth gym/pool, 100 yards away from the DW one, that my wife uses 'cos she says the water is warmer. I've tried it out on a "free 3 day pass" but not keen on it myself.  At the end of the pool there is a vertical wall some 6ft above the pool water level, so no "elbow resting" place for those like me who quickly get puffed out and need a "pit-stop"!  Ah well - better that than nothing! So another "hiccup" in my swim routine, until can get registered there!

Getting back into some sort of routine!  What I don't like is that the pool has 3 lanes, each about 8 ft wide which are intended to be used in a clockwise manner by 2 or more swimmers.  But that means that wide arm action strokes - i.e. fly (or my grotty attempts at it) and my old "max-relax" favourite, the old English backstroke - have to be limited to when no one else is using the lane - otherwise there might be partial collisions!  Another thing that spoils it for back-strokers is the fact that the ceiling (apart from the surrounds) is a big black rectangle - so can easily go off-course, no lines or different coloured panels to try and keep under while swimming on the back.  Pool usage has to be booked in 30 minute slots, at present, with a 15 minute gap twixt slots.  But in practice, one just carries on swimming if one has booked 2 adjacent slots. Think they try to arrange things so that there are no more than 3 swimmers to each lane - i.e. 9 bods max in the pool hall - and no kids allowed so far.

No prizes for guessing who uses the slow lane!!!


P.S.  Am still trying to successfully swim fly with turning the neck to the side for inhalation, at the right moment of max uplift, 'cos due to being bent over with age I can't inhale to the front as normal - at best, the water level comes about the middle of my nose, several inches above the mouth.  The answer I've hitherto used, is to do repetitions of - one full fly stroke with head down, followed by a "one-arm" fly stroke with side inhalation.  At home, I did try to get my back as straight as possible by pressing my back against a wall - result - spine going into painful nerve spasms - not funny, so I ain't trying that again!  Just have to accept natural restrictions!

I always used to follow the "Swim-Smooth" instruction when FS swimming, to "Always be breathing out when your face is in the water". But as I now find that it is more comfortable, for me to swim FS inhaling on every 4th arm stroke - am beginning to think it might be better, for me at least, to wait a brief while after inhalations, and start exhaling about the third armstroke.

It,s great to hear that you are swimming and have found a new place.

I am still doing home gym.

Hi "cott..."!

 Sorry to read you haven't got sorted out yet - it's gonna be real hard when you do eventually get re-started! After nearly a 4 month "layoff" after heart surgery in 2010 - swimming again, felt like trying to drive my arms through thick treacle - for a few sessions!

Re  my difficulty in swimming full fly with inhalation to the side.  It is easy to do one-arm fly (with the non-breathing side arm outstretched to preserve body line) 'cos I reckon there is a little bit of body roll away from the stroking arm during its "up-sweep" - making the inhalation as easy as in FS.  However in full fly, any body roll away from a side one wants to inhale - risks dragging the recovering arm on the other side through the water - messy!  Think I will need to practice more of a hybrid "breast-fly" action - i.e.  a quick "head nod down" to initiate a (major) kick upbeat and undulation,   but with UW double-arm pull and UW recovery with side inhalation when the UW double-arm "uplift" is at it's greatest  - then branch-off into trying proper fly with the side inhalation  - i.e. trying to minimize any unwitting body roll. (Rather than the "headdown looking at bottom" full fly stroke, followed by a "one-arm fly" stroke sequence (gotta inhale somewhen! ), that I wrote of in previous post!)