Is It Bad to Stop Swimming After a 50 and Then Start Again

No matter where you are in life, we desire y'all to always remember that you are more than capable to attain your goals and become the all-time swimmer you can exist – at any age.

Your trunk might be changing, or you might non accept as much energy equally you used to, merely if yous train right and have the correct mindset, it is absolutely possible to get stronger and swim faster than you did in your younger years.

It'due south time to make peace with that fact that you lot are no longer twenty-years-old.

Stop comparing yourself to how fast you lot used to be, and start treating your body in ways that are sustainable and healthy for many years to come up. There is null more than inspiring than watching a 95-year-old get on the blocks and compete at international masters swimming competitions.

If y'all want to swim for the rest of your life, check out tips from MySwimPro Customs Member Sean Riga, beneath!

Hi I'one thousand Sean:

My name is Sean Riga. I'm 49 years one-time, and I made my swimming improvement in June 2018. Here is what I've learned getting back in the puddle, and some tips for whatsoever "older" folks looking to improve their pond.

Related: How To Make a Swimming Improvement

I returned to the puddle afterwards many years of not swimming or exercising, due to complications associated with kidney stones. My return to the pool was non a simple 1, and it took some time for me to learn how to better gear up myself for the pool, how to recover from workouts, and how to go the near out of each and every yard that I swam. The last fourth dimension that I worked out as intensely every bit I am at present, these tips were not even a thought or consideration to me.

Just every bit all of us historic period, we brainstorm to battle past and electric current injuries, medical conditions, fatiguing bodies, reduced endurance/stamina, too as overall dwindling energy levels. Through some unproblematic personal intendance tips, ane can savor the wonderful benefits of swimming, while mitigating some of those effects of aging.

1 – TAKE Fourth dimension TO WARM Upward

When I kickoff returned to swimming, I would often just use a 200-400 yard easy swim every bit my warmup. I quickly started to experience hurting in my shoulders until my muscles were really warmed up.

To help facilitate this more, I started to do elementary slow arm circles, both forrard and backwards, while varying the angles of my arm circles. I exercise these until I experience a decent burn down in my shoulder muscles. The purpose of varying that angle of the arm circle relative to the airplane of my torso is to engage the unabridged shoulder muscle group. Warming up my shoulders in this way eliminated any pain that I had previously felt during my warmup swim set, and better prepared me for the stresses placed on my shoulders in one case in the water.

Shoulder injuries and harm from swimming is a major concern, both Julie Kamat and Sara Lark have shared their experiences overcoming surgeries, and any lifelong swimmer should accept steps now to minimize whatsoever chances of injury.

2 – STRETCHING IS IMPORTANT

I have noticed that my muscles do not rebound as apace as they used to. To aid loosen tense muscles and reduce cramping during my swim workouts, I always make sure to stretch before I get in the water.

Some other fashion to help reduce cramping is to significantly increment my water intake, and reduce alcohol, coffee and tea consumption. I too make certain to add fruits, vegetables and nuts in my diet to help provide the nutrients necessary to eliminate lactic acid that can buildup during and after workouts resulting in cramping or sore muscles.

Related: 34 Stretches For Swimmers

three – SELECT Grooming AIDS CAREFULLY

Training aids, such as swim fins and paddles can exist a bully tool to emphasize sure portions of your stroke while working out. The downside of some of these is that they can raise or fifty-fifty intensify the stresses placed on muscles, joints, and bones while swimming.

Every bit a result of this reality, I had to eliminate the use of paddles from my swimming, as well as limit the number and distances of pull sets within my swim workouts, and even through the week.

Additionally, I take to be very careful with swim fins, because for some reason I am prone to stress fractures in my metatarsal bones in my feet.

four – VARY YOUR WORKOUTS

When I offset got back into pond, I focused heavily on the distance and duration of my workouts. I did not vary the strokes, distances or even entire workouts plenty, which was slowly preparation my trunk to swim at only one speed.

The easiest way to break this is to vary the sets within a swim conditioning, and not focus as much on swimming for a specific fourth dimension or distance.

I use the Conditioning of the Day (WOD) in the MySwimPro app to change upward my workouts. Another method to advance your pond would exist to utilize the MySwimPro Training Plans, which are multi-week plans designed to achieve a specific effect. I would recommend checking these out.

Related: How I Lost 75lbs Swimming & Reclaimed My Life

Varying your training zones, balance times, distances, and strokes can boost the efficacy of your swim workouts. Varying strokes is a great way to develop your swimming skill as a four-stroke swimmer. I encounter too many swimmers and peculiarly triathletes who merely swim freestyle for their entire workout. Pond other strokes engages your muscles differently, as well as different sets of muscles than by only swimming freestyle. For instance, when swimming backstroke, the primary muscles engaged are the stabilizing muscles for freestyle.

Additionally, pond only one or ii strokes does not let your muscles to residuum during a unmarried swim.

When y'all bridge this out over several days of swim workouts, you have a chance of severely injuring your primary muscles and setting the stage for an injury.

Variety tin can also be achieved through exercising in other forms outside of the pool. I similar to couple my swim workouts with cycling workouts either out on the road, or on my trainer to enhance my cardio fettle, maintain low affect routines, and strengthen my legs for pond.

Effort this gratis workout: 200-Meter Swim Conditioning

5 – Comprise DRYLAND WORKOUTS

Dryland grooming (another term for force training) can be a great manner to strengthen yourself as a swimmer. In improver to warmups and stretching, dryland training has many advantages for the swimmer who is looking to experience more than powerful in the water and better their times. Bank check out the Dryland Preparation Plans in the MySwimPro app, forth with the dryland resources below!

Bodyweight Dryland Exercises

Read the web log here.

Depression Touch Dryland Exercises

Read the blog here.

Swiss Ball Exercises

Read the blog here.

Best Core Exercises for Swimmers

Read the blog here.

Resistance Band Exercises

Read the blog hither.

vi – FOCUS ON TECHNIQUE

None of us are getting younger, and every bit nosotros age, we inherently lose muscle mass, energy and speed.

Refining one'southward technique is so important to improve your efficiency and combat your natural loss of physical ability. The MySwimPro app has a full library of Technique Videos demonstrating drills that you can contain into Workouts that will improve your stroke functioning.

The Training Plans and WOD incorporate many of these technique drills, which is a great way to develop your stroke while achieving other goals. Past doing these drills in my workouts, as well as watching the stroke videos has helped me to go a more efficient and powerful swimmer. Improving my technique reduced the corporeality of effort that I was using in each stroke, which most oftentimes results in additional resistance, more expended effort per yard swam, and overall slower times.

7 – EMBRACE THE I.M.

I have never been a good butterfly swimmer, and accept taken many efforts to avoid swimming butterfly in my workouts, despite the fact that I knew how benign it could be to my overall performance.

Recently, I completed the conditioning below for the kickoff time, and it has become ane of my favorite workouts to swim. The first time that I went to swim this workout I was non even sure that I could complete it, and I was pleasantly surprised when I did, while keeping my times appropriately grouped based on the preparation zone specified for each set.

Warmup

• 1 ten 400 yd Freestyle Like shooting fish in a barrel 6:00

Main Set

• 6 x 100 yd IM Moderate 2:00
• 5 ten 100 yd IM Endurance 1:55
• iv x 100 yd IM Threshold one:50
• 3 x 100 yd IM Best Average 2:20
• 2 x 100 yd IM Race Step 3:00
• 1 10 100 yd IM Dart 4:00

Cooldown

• 2 x 100 yd Freestyle Easy 2:00

FYI – This conditioning is not for everyone ^ If you're looking for something more novice, try this free 500 Meter Swim Workout

8 – End COMPARING YOURSELF

Swimming is plainly a competitive sport that is based around comparison your own performance confronting that of others. This is a very hard habit to pause, and it can undermine your confidence and proficiency.

While it can be advantageous to swim with others to button you harder than yous can yourself, it is necessary to non be overly critical of your skill or speed.

Brand peace with the fact that you lot are no longer 20 years old. Strive to be the best swimmer that you and your body are capable of. That said, look into swimming with a Masters Swimming Team, or equivalent, can help to push your workouts to the side by side level.

9 – DON'T Live YOUR Age

While some accommodations must be fabricated in society to go on swimming at an older age, that does not necessarily mean that y'all are a less proficient or weaker swimmer. Information technology is equally important to prepare yourself for the pool physically as it is to prepare your self psychologically.

While it is truthful that you are no longer in the prime number of your life physically, that doesn't mean that you are capable of great things. Remove those mental barriers and stop limiting yourself. Check out this video of Administrator Patty Deters competing for the commencement time in years!

10 – ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE

One could easily fence that enjoying swimming needs to exist the first tip in becoming a better swimmer. If you have negative feelings prior to a swim workout, and so you are much less likely to get equally much from the experience.

Additionally, the chances of sticking with a long-term swimming routine increases exponentially when yous are enjoying yourself. For me, my time in the pool is a nearly peaceful alone time that I have in my day, which allows me to focus on me and not be interrupted or distracted with life'due south demands.

For some inspiration, run across Ralph Davis, who fabricated an incredible pond comeback later on a heart transplant. "If a guy who had a centre transplant can still swim competitively, anybody tin"

I hope these tips help y'all get a happier and healthier swimmer. If yous have whatsoever questions, please experience free to comment below, or chat in our MySwimPro Global Community Facebook Group.

Need assist with your swimming? Get Swimming and Dryland Workouts, drills and videos in the MySwimPro app! Sign up for MySwimPro Aristocracy to unlock personalized Training Plans, Guided Workouts and 1-on-1 coaching. Save $35 on your first year of training with lawmaking SWIM35 >

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Source: https://myswimpro.com/blog/2019/03/07/10-tips-for-older-swimmers/