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Swimming laps is different from other types of physical conditioning.

Swimming is different in that you cannot talk to others while swimming. When running, you can talk to a running partner at the same time as running. Same for cycling, although a little more difficult since some routes require single file. Lifting weights or aerobics class, you can converse. When swimming, it is you and the water. So, this makes the act of swimming less social, but it does not mean swimmers are less social. It changes the time when swimmers can connect with others.

Swimming is different in that you are immersed in water. When doing other physical activities, you dress for being inside or outside, cold, or hot weather, rain, or sunshine. With water, you use clothes designed to be in chlorinated water and to reduce drag, and to dry quickly. When swimming you are dressed to the bare minimum.

Swimming is different in that you must go to a specific place to swim, with running, you can head out the front door and be in a jog immediately. You drive to the pool or lake and change attire to swim. You are limited to the hours the pool is open.

Swimming is different in that you must have a basic ability to swim. Stroke and technique and acceptance of being in the water. You can bridge this gap by taking swimming lessons. There is not an analogous running lessons course or bike lessons course you can take down at the local Y.

Swimming is different in the way your body is stressed. The nature of water reduces the stress on joints and body. Swimming gives excellent cardio and strength training but not at the expense of the wear and tear of your body and joints. It is possible to swim at any point in your life. Especially with running, there comes a time for some when knee joints need to be replaced and this makes it such as you cannot or should not run anymore.

Swimming is different in that you almost always have an audience. Lifeguards and others on the pool deck are always ever present. Running and bike you can wave to the passersby, but not to any lifeguards that may be guarding the roads.

So, dare to be different. Be a swimmer and be different like the rest of us swimmers.

See you back on dry land!

scperry

21 Jun, 2021

scperry

17 Jun, 2021

Blog

Your swimming goal could be for health reasons, physical fitness, swimming or triathlon competition, physical therapy, rehabilitation, or any combination of these. The success of your goal can be measured by distance swam, speed or time to swim a distance, or a combination thereof. Success for health or rehabilitation measures can be the achieving of proper weight or proper function. So, in essence, whether for competition, physical fitness, or health all of us have goals and our reasons to swim.

Having a goal can help you stay focused, stay motivated and get you to come back to the pool regularly in anticipation of achieving your goal. You goal can be written down and tracked, verbally declared, or kept unspoken and only known by you. Each time you swim, your objective is what you want to accomplish in a swim session and relates to your goals.

Measuring your objective for swimming session is a little more challenging than measuring objectives for biking or running. With biking and running, electronic measuring and monitoring tools are plentiful and the ability to track your progress while biking or running is easily accommodated. Swimming is more challenging because you are in the water and water is hard on electronics and there are fewer devices available to choose from. You usually end up keeping track of the laps in your head as you swim or watch the swim clock hung on the wall.

Usually, one measures a combination of distance and duration swam. In general, distance or duration is more important to you than the other. If you say I am going to swim 3000 yards, then the distance is more important and the duration is a function of how fast you can swim, along with any breaks or rests you take. On the other hand, if you say I am going to swim for an hour, then the duration is more important and distance is a function again of how fast you swim, along with any breaks or rests you take. A third approach is to swim a set distance within a set amount of time. Your objective is to complete a set distance in a set amount of time.

What you did for distance or duration in past training sessions, typically drives what you will do for the current training session. You set your objective and choose to do more, the same or less of what you have done before. This decision directly reflects what your goals are. For if you are preparing for an upcoming competitive event, you are likely to set a goal of reducing the time to complete a distance or increasing distance or length of time swimming to build capability. If you are swimming to stay in shape, you might be targeting the same number of laps or duration as the previous time swam to maintain capability.

To help achieve you goal long term, you develop and use a training plan. The plan will establish how often you swim, how long and how fast you swim and how you might increase you speed, endurance, or distance. How often you swim can be every day, every other day, three times a week five days a week, or whenever you can get to the pool.

Your training plan is related to your goals. How often you swim, how many laps you swim, how fast you swim, when you swim all center around what you want to achieve. Whatever your swimming goals, it is good to be able to measure progress with previous swimming sessions. Using the number of laps swam or time swimming are good indicators of how you are doing in relation to your goal and previous times swimming.

Part of achieving your goal might also include working on you stroke and turn. These might involve including a trainer or coach.

So, when you get into the pool, what device might you use to track you progress? See a previous blog on why use a counter for more information. Devices that you might use include the pool clock hung on the wall. Usually when swimming at a pool with swim lanes, a large swim clock is available, and you can track how long it takes you to complete a series of laps or know how long you have been swimming. The iWatch, Garmin and others have built in trackers that automatically track how long you swam and in some cases the number of laps. The information from these devices is not easily accessible while swimming, but helpful. There are other devices that track the number of laps and times while you are swimming that you wear on your hand. And lastly, there is the electronic counter from Jorizon, the SLC-100™ that provides feedback as you swim on the number of laps completed while you are in the water.

The SLC-100™ provides a convenient way to track the number of laps swam. As you complete each lap you press the counter paddle to increment the display counter visible while in the water.

See you back on dry land.

scperry

17 Jun, 2021

scperry

28 May, 2021

Blog

Swimming laps is an excellent way to exercise. Swimming provides both cardio and strength conditioning. Part of an exercising regimen is to perform a similar amount or increasing amount of conditioning each time you work out. For swimming this is usually measured by the number of laps completed. Swimmers who swim regularly, swim distances such as a half mile, 1500 yards, 3000 meters and all of these are comprised of laps greater than 20 or 30 laps and can approach 60 laps or more.

How you count your laps can affect your workout. When keeping track of the laps in your head, if you are like me, I can quickly forget the lap number I am on or the lap number I just completed. Whether you swim 15, 40 or 100 laps, it is easy to lose track of which lap you are on. Because frequently I lose track, I end up doing fewer or more laps than I intended. If I stay really focused on the lap count, I can usually swim the intended number of laps and not lose track. But I have difficulty staying focused. I start to think about my swimming technique or breathing, my goggles fog up, I wander off to think about life’s opportunities or life’s problems creep into my thoughts. Any and all of these conspire to cause me to lose track of the lap I am on. Hence, I need help to count the laps.

Enter the lap counter. A lap counter allows one to focus on more important things, like technique, breathing, speed and strengthening or let your thoughts wander to other things.

There are several types of lap counters. One method is to use two containers and beads. Before you start, you place the number of beads representing the number of laps you intend to swim in one of the containers. As you complete a lap you transfer a bead from the first container to the second container. When all the beads are transferred, you have completed your workout.

Another method is to use a device with beads on a rod like the Aqua Tally. With the Aqua Tally you move the bead from one side to the other as you complete a lap.

Another method is to use an electronic device that fits on your finger, like the SC Sport Count. As you complete a lap your thumb presses a button on an electronic counter.

Lastly there is a new device that is placed on pool deck and has a counter displayed in the water like the SLC-100™ and you press a paddle as you complete a lap. You can visibly see the number of laps completed while in the water.

Having a counter allows you to know what lap you are finishing and makes it less likely to lose track of where you are in swim session. Depending upon what your needs are, can influence what type of counter you use.

Knowing how many laps you typically complete during a swim session; you can make plans to be consistent each time or set goals to improve.

See you back on dry land.

scperry

28 May, 2021