I need another swimmers help!?

Question

I swim on my high schools team and I am going for my second year on the team. I am one of the faster ones and I didn't train at all this winter or spring. I was wondering from another swimmer if it was normal to gain weight and have slower times even after a little conditioning this summer? Im starting to feel really self concious whenever I get on the blocks. Please help!

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

swimming is a huge committment sport. if you are not training all the time or you take a break even a week or two, your muscles will weaken and you will not be in peak competition shape.  as far as gaining weight, your body gets used to how much you eat will swimming and training.  when you stop that training, you still eat the same amount as you did while you were training.  you are therefore bound to gain weight.  so either keep swimming or cut your calorie intake.

Answer 2

I know exactly how you feel!

I just left my USA team last year, and i literally went from swimming 8000-10000 yards a day to about 2000 or less.  I have had a little bit of conditioning too, but nothing extreme.  And yes- i have gained weight and my times have gotten slower.  I gained weight mainly because when i swam USA, i was literally eating 4000-7000 calories a day, but burning all but about 1000 off at swim practice.  I hadn't trained myself to eat healthy adn light before a quit, so after i was done USA, i was still packing in 4-7000 cals daily, and therefore gaining weight.  I also wasnt exercising  like i had before and therefore that pretty much added insult to injury in my case.  Since i wasnt swimming everyday, my times got slower too...

So i suppose it is normal for that to happen...

My advice: Kick your butt into gear when high school season rolls around and work your practices to the MAX!  Then you'll lose your weight, speed your times up, and how everyone what's up! =]

Answer 3

Since you are still in high school your muscles are still growing, one of the arguments against having high school sports, is the development rates of the kids that attend.  On one hand you have people that insist that exercise is good for the kids, on the other that people develop at different rates and all that.  Regarding your weight gain you may want to look at your family's genetics; I personally knew people who started out skinny their freshman year of high school, but by their senior year they looked like cavemen in terms of how thick their bone structure was.

When in doubt, look at your gene pool.  You may have had a streamlined build initially, which is threatening to become more thickly muscled.  Hey, it happens.  If you want your muscle cells to shrink so that you are streamlined for the sport again, you may want to do a little bit of distance running and combine it with cals.  Swimming is a sport I actually did in college, and I know you are badly in need of both physical strength and endurance.

Ironically enough you may have to look into training like a military guy.  If you know someone who was in the military, or if you can get a hold of calisthenics videos, just do the exercises in those and combine it with running.

Here;

http://shop.navyseals.com/detail.aspx?ID...

I figure the best people to counsel you on conditioning for swimming are the SEALS, although your needs are relatively benign compared to what they train for.

Who knows; you push yourself hard enough and by the time you reach your prime, you may even end up competing in iron man tourneys.

good luck.

Answer 4

I am on the swim team and i am out of practice. i think that is the problem...once you get back on the team and into training you will speed up you time by a couple of seconds.

Answer 5

i swim year round and we just recently started tapering for sectionals (club team) and our coach always tells us that we are not swimming nearly as much as we were all summer and we should not be eating that much either.  when you go from swimming 5 hours a day to 3 hours a day, or go from swimming to no swimming and eat the same amount of food you are bound to gain weight.  

and yes; if you dont train (conditioning does not count) for a long period of time you will get slower.  they say it will take you 2 days for every 1 day you miss to get back to ware you were.

Answer 6

If you didn't swim this winter or spring your weight is going to more and your times are going to be slower for some time.

Swimming is unlike other sports in that it takes year round maintenance to make any kind of improvement or even remain at the same level. It may take a couple months of training to be where you were before.

Answer 7

ugh welcome to the club...its perfectly normal...i gain about 2-5 pounds in the off seasons..and my times start picking up about 2 -4 weeks into the season..i swimm all year around and my best time happen around jan. ..so don't be scared..its ttly normal

Answer 8

it is normal. but if you want to get faster and get back in shape just keep conditioning with swimming, dryland, and a little running, who knows maybe when your 20 you might want to go to the olympics and will be able to. or atleast to the trials. I really want to go but i keep doubting myself cause everyone is so skinny and im not. but....

                                          .....good luck!