New swimming record!
Tonight, I just set a new swimming efficiency record---15 strokes to swim 25 yards!!! Pulse now: 64 bpm.
Before I started the Total Immersion method, it always took me at least 26 strokes to cover one 25 yard length of the pool.
Two weeks ago (Oct. 16), I seriously tried Total Immersion after watching their DVD, Freestyle Made Easy. In just one practice, I broke my efficiency record and did it in 18 strokes.
Last week, I was not feeling good and took almost an entire week's break from exercise. Bad idea, because my body felt awful for the last few days.
Tonight, I finally swam 25 yards in only 15 strokes! Dropping from 26 to 15 strokes in just 3 practices is phenomenal! My stroke efficiency has gone up almost 100 percent!
I successfully did flip turns two weeks ago, but tonight I couldn't do a single one well.
For some reason, I almost NEVER get any comments from you on my swimming entries. Maybe none of you swim. Maybe you don't really know how. I strongly encourage all of you to start, for swimming is simply a kick-ass sport! It's my favorite sport because:
- It is great for you if you have knee, foot, leg, or joint problems. It doesn't stress them as much as running, biking, competitive sports, etc. The main injuries in swimming deal with shoulders.
- This chart says "Swimming laps, freestyle, light/moderate effort" (what I did) burns, for a 130 lb. guy, 472 calories/hour. (I weigh about 133.) For a 190 lb. guy, it's 690 cals/hour.
- However, "The truth about swimming and weight loss" says that "for some reason, swimming appears to be less effective than other forms of exercise at promoting weight loss....Assuming that all three groups burned a similar number of calories, the swimmers must have compensated by eating more. 'Presumably,' speculates Professor Gwinup, 'swimming in cold water stimulates the appetite to increase caloric consumption.'"
There are suggestions that swimming doesn't cause the same drop in appetite that accompanies heavy running and cycling training. Many people feel extremely hungry after training in the pool, and may simply replace all the calories they've burned with a large post-exercise meal.
Martin Strel, the world's greatest endurance swimmer, is obviously still chubby. He DID lose 36 pounds in the 66 days he swam the whole Amazon River.
- It works out most of the muscles in your upper body, most of your leg muscles, and your abs. Most competitive swimmers have finely developed abs and long, lean muscle. However, Martin Strel, the world's greatest endurance swimmer, obviously is still chubby. Terry Laughlin, creator of Total Immersion, also has a rounded, pudgy belly himself, despite all his years of swimming. Most of the young masters swimmers I see when I practice have defined abs, though.
- You can't overheat.
- You feel ENERGETIC and ALERT after a good swim. After hard core running, kickboxing, or skating, I feel drained and sometimes sleepy. After a swim, I sometimes run a mile because I feel so good!
- It's rhythmic nature can put you into a relaxing, free trance.
I wrote some brief points about how to swim Total Immersion, here and here.
The best YouTube videos I've seen on proper (or similar) technique:Watch Olympic 1500 m gold medalist, Grant Hackett Uses very similar motions to Total Immersion. I ultimately want to swim like him!
Gadi, from Total Immersion Israel, carefully demonstrates her techniques.
Good video on swimming flip turns. I was able to do a single one correctly. Different from what I learned, but looks cool.
Before I started the Total Immersion method, it always took me at least 26 strokes to cover one 25 yard length of the pool.
Two weeks ago (Oct. 16), I seriously tried Total Immersion after watching their DVD, Freestyle Made Easy. In just one practice, I broke my efficiency record and did it in 18 strokes.
Last week, I was not feeling good and took almost an entire week's break from exercise. Bad idea, because my body felt awful for the last few days.
Tonight, I finally swam 25 yards in only 15 strokes! Dropping from 26 to 15 strokes in just 3 practices is phenomenal! My stroke efficiency has gone up almost 100 percent!
I successfully did flip turns two weeks ago, but tonight I couldn't do a single one well.
For some reason, I almost NEVER get any comments from you on my swimming entries. Maybe none of you swim. Maybe you don't really know how. I strongly encourage all of you to start, for swimming is simply a kick-ass sport! It's my favorite sport because:
- It is great for you if you have knee, foot, leg, or joint problems. It doesn't stress them as much as running, biking, competitive sports, etc. The main injuries in swimming deal with shoulders.
- This chart says "Swimming laps, freestyle, light/moderate effort" (what I did) burns, for a 130 lb. guy, 472 calories/hour. (I weigh about 133.) For a 190 lb. guy, it's 690 cals/hour.
- However, "The truth about swimming and weight loss" says that "for some reason, swimming appears to be less effective than other forms of exercise at promoting weight loss....Assuming that all three groups burned a similar number of calories, the swimmers must have compensated by eating more. 'Presumably,' speculates Professor Gwinup, 'swimming in cold water stimulates the appetite to increase caloric consumption.'"
There are suggestions that swimming doesn't cause the same drop in appetite that accompanies heavy running and cycling training. Many people feel extremely hungry after training in the pool, and may simply replace all the calories they've burned with a large post-exercise meal.
Martin Strel, the world's greatest endurance swimmer, is obviously still chubby. He DID lose 36 pounds in the 66 days he swam the whole Amazon River.
- It works out most of the muscles in your upper body, most of your leg muscles, and your abs. Most competitive swimmers have finely developed abs and long, lean muscle. However, Martin Strel, the world's greatest endurance swimmer, obviously is still chubby. Terry Laughlin, creator of Total Immersion, also has a rounded, pudgy belly himself, despite all his years of swimming. Most of the young masters swimmers I see when I practice have defined abs, though.
- You can't overheat.
- You feel ENERGETIC and ALERT after a good swim. After hard core running, kickboxing, or skating, I feel drained and sometimes sleepy. After a swim, I sometimes run a mile because I feel so good!
- It's rhythmic nature can put you into a relaxing, free trance.
I wrote some brief points about how to swim Total Immersion, here and here.
The best YouTube videos I've seen on proper (or similar) technique:Watch Olympic 1500 m gold medalist, Grant Hackett Uses very similar motions to Total Immersion. I ultimately want to swim like him!
Gadi, from Total Immersion Israel, carefully demonstrates her techniques.
Good video on swimming flip turns. I was able to do a single one correctly. Different from what I learned, but looks cool.