Swimming (sport) | Sports Coach

Preparing for a Triathlon

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

If you have ran a few marathons, competed in bicycle racing events and swam long distances, then your next challenge should be completing a triathlon. Triathlons are events that consist of three sports: running, riding and swimming. They are serious business that require months of training time. Once you have completed a triathlon, though, you will feel like a real champion in top physical condition.

Triathlon distances can vary from event to event. Some triathlons even have different distances that depend on the participants’ ages and level of experience. Before competing in a triathlon, be sure to check with the sponsors to get information that is specific to the event.

Running in a Triathlon

The Ironman triathlon’s running section is just over 26 miles long. Completing such a long run will require the right types of triathlon gear, including good running shoes. Depending on the temperature, you might also want to use a water backpack that lets you drink throughout the event. That way you won’t get dehydrated.

Swimming in a Triathlon

Completing the Ironman triathlon means swimming 2.4 miles. If you have never swum competitively before, then this might not sound like that great a distance. Once you start training, though, you will find that swimming more than two miles is just as hard as running more than a dozen miles.

Biking in a Triathlon

Filed Under: Activities, Games Tagged With: Events, Ironman Triathlon, Multi-Sports, Sport, Swimming (sport), Triathlon, United States, USA Triathlon

Swimming superstar Michael Phelps takes a suit-off approach to London, 2012

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Okay, so swimming sensation Michael Phelps took the world by storm with his record-breaking haul of Gold medals at the 2008 summer Olympics. But what has the human dolphin been doing since then?
Apparently getting ready for 2012.
Those who watched Phelps glide to perfection in Beijing, probably have lasting image of Phelps in his high-tech swim gear. But swimming has undergone a major change since Beijing. The high-tech body-suits have been outlawed in swimming starting in 2010, and Phelps was one of the first to make the change.
At the World Swimming Championships in 2009, Phelps did something heâ€™s not used to do, and thatâ€™s lose! While his fiercest competitors clung to the high-tech body suits, Phelps decided to get ready for the new rule change and swim by the 2010 rule even though he didnâ€™t have to. So while the competition swam to record times, Phelps struggled to make finals of events he had dominated in Beijing.
At the 2010 United States Swimming championships, Phelps and the rest of the competition swam without the suits, and the results were more Phelps-like. Phelps finished second to fellow American, Ryan Lochte in the 200 IM but did win championships in the 100 and 200 meter butterfly and the 200 meter freestyle.
Phelps is easily the hardest worker the sport of swimming has ever seen. With less than two years of training time remaining before the 2012 London games, Phelps will likely get back to his daily routine of eating 10,000 calories and training like a madman.
Already the most decorated Gold medalist in the history of the sport, Phelps will likely add to his record number of 14 Goldâ€™s attained at the last two Olympics. Phelps has admitted he likely wonâ€™t take on the same suicidal schedule he did in Beijing, but you can be sure, barring injury and high-tech suit, that the American will find the podium in London.

Filed Under: Sports, Swimming Tagged With: 2008 summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics, Beijing, Gold medal, Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Swimming (sport), United States

Competitive Swimming

Competitive swimming is one of the most watched events in the Summer Olympic Games. The competition consists of 36 events, including 18 for males and 18 for females, though the International Olympic Committee only recognizes 34 events (17 for males, 17 for females).

Swim meets at the Olympic Games are held in regulation 50 meter swimming pools that are divided into lanes for each swimmer. Distances typically swam include 50, 100 and 200 meters or yards and the strokes that are used in competition include the following: the breaststroke, the butterfly stroke, the backstroke and the freestyle stroke.

The breaststroke involves kicking your legs, making sure knees stay as close together as possible, scooping water towards your chest, and then thrusting your arms forward, extending them as far as they will go just before the kicking is repeated. Breaths are taken as the arms are coming down from being extended.

The butterfly stroke, known as the fastest modality in swimming, borrows a few key movements from the breaststroke; however, the butterfly, or “fly” as it’s known to most swimmers, is slightly more complicated and involves synchronizing arm and leg movements in order to maintain movement and speed. The proper technique involves extending your arms beyond your head, palms facing slightly down, and using your arms to push through the water in a sort of semicircle movement that ends with releasing your arms at the waist. While the arms are extended, you’re periodically coming up for air, then pulling your arms down. Meanwhile you are synchronizing your legs with your arm movements, kicking with both feet together in sequence with two kicks per stroke.

The backstroke style involves floating on your back while using one arm at a time to glide through the water, all while kicking both of your feet simultaneously.

The freestyle stroke is based on whatever stroke you choose, though the most popular stroke is the front crawl. This involves breathing to the side with one ear in the water, and alternating leg and arm movements. The swimming distances vary during freestyle competitions and can go up to 1,500 meters.

Filed Under: Activities, Swimming Tagged With: Summer Olympic Games, Swimming (sport)

Chlorine May Lead to Breathing Problems in Swimmers

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Chlorine is widely regarding as the most effective way to disinfect and prevent bacteria from forming on swimming pools. However, recent research reveals that too much exposure to chlorine can lead to significant respiratory issues, as evidenced by the following two studies:

A recent study conducted by researchers in Belgium and published in the September 2009 issue of Pediatrics found that teenagers who spent more than 1,000 hours in a swimming pool had more than eight times the risk of developing asthma, allergies or other breathing disorders, compared to teens who swam in pools that were disinfected using copper-silver disinfectants.

In another study, researchers at the American College of Sports Medicine found that chlorine levels such as those found in public and home swimming pools may lead to increased breathing problems and a condition known as exercise induced bronchoconstriction in trained swimmers.

The researchers studied the effects of chlorine in two different concentrations, including 0.5 parts-per-million (PPM) and 1.0 PPM (the latter of which is typically found in home and public pools) had on the lung capacity of trained swimmers. Testing was conducted after the swimmers swam in pools with different chlorine concentration levels, as well as after they ran or cycled next to the pools. The researchers found the incidence rate for respiratory trouble was slightly less than 20% when swimmers swam or exercised near the pool with 0.5 PPM; however the incidence rate for respiratory issues climbed to more than 60% when swimmers were exposed to the pool containing a concentration of 1.0 PPM. These findings were regardless of whether the swimmers had a history of prior breathing problems.

The researchers said they had suspected that chlorine played a significant role in the respiratory health of swimmers and cautioned those who swam regularly to be aware of the chlorine concentration levels in the pools in which they are swimming.

They noted that swimming is an exercise that’s generally recommended for those who already have breathing problems, such as asthmatics, and recommended that those with respiratory issues should seek out pools with chlorine concentrations of less than 0.5 PPM.

Filed Under: Excercises, Fitness, Swimming Tagged With: Swimming (sport), Swimming pool

Different Types of Women’s Swimwear

There are many different types of swimwear that are available to women on the market today. But when it comes to swimming for fitness or competition versus swimming for recreational fun, there is a big difference on what type of swim suit that should be worn.

Many styles are available to choose from in the area of swimwear for fitness with many neat patterns and colors, but there are some elements about them that are similar. First of all, the swim suits usually have a high neck so that the water resistance doesn’t drag you down. Also, the straps on the suit are crossed in the back for more stability and so that they don’t fall down when moving your arms during swimming.

Additionally, the swim suits used for fitness or competition are usually one-piece rather than two-piece. It is pretty impractical to wear a bikini or a tankini type of swimming suit when really actively swimming because they aren’t made to resist the water very well and won’t stay where you want them to when pushing off a wall or doing a turn. However, there are some two-piece swimming suits made specifically for fitness swimming that can be used that are made with a higher waist and sports-bra like top, but they do tend to be more expensive than the one-piece ones. And the one-piece swimming suits are still considered the standard and are what is worn during swimming competitions.

Some common variations occur in the different types of swimming suits. The thickness of the straps varies from style to style and really is based on personal preference. Depending if you are outside in the sun and how often you are swimming tan lines might play a role on the strap you prefer. Also, the type of material used to make the suit can differ from being polyester or nylon/lycra. Most of the swimming suits are made from nylon/lycra, but they tend to become stretched out and wear out quickly. A polyester suit might be harder to find, but they don’t wear out as fast and are great for practice.

Filed Under: Excercises, Games, Swimming Tagged With: Clothing, Swimming (sport), Swimsuit, Swimwear

Fun Facts about the Four Basic Swimming Strokes

If you’re new to swimming or if you’re just looking to broaden your skills beyond the dog paddle, here are some interesting things you should know about the four basic swimming strokes used in competition.

Front Crawl

Called the “freestyle” by competitive swimmers, the front crawl is the fastest stroke overall. Although a “freestyle” competition officially means that swimmers can use any stroke in the race, swimmers will almost always go with the front crawl for its speed and efficiency. Because lifting the head out completely of the water reduces speed, expert racers learn how to turn the head out of the water only high enough to take a breath.

Backstroke

Also known as the “back crawl,” this is the only competitive stroke done on the back—which makes for easier breathing, but it’s hard to see where you’re going. It’s also the only competitive style for which swimmers start in the water instead of diving in. Until the mid-20th century, backstroke swimmers held their arms straight in the underwater push, but Australian swimmers discovered using a slightly bent arm underwater improved speed. The bent-arm technique thus became the favored method worldwide.

Breaststroke

Generally considered the slowest of the competitive strokes, the breaststroke is difficult to learn and to master. Performing the breaststroke requires superb timing, and swimmers can be disqualified from a race if they miss even one stroke. A popular stroke with recreational swimmers because of its leisurely pace combined with its excellent aerobic benefits, the breaststroke is done by pulling the arms along the body while legs do a “frog kick.”

Butterfly

The newest stroke to competitive swimming, the butterfly was first swum as a separate Olympic event in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Called the “butterfly” because of its wing-like arm movements, the stroke is considered by many swimmers to be the most difficult stroke to perform well. The powerful pull-and-push movement with both arms makes the butterfly’s peak speed even faster than that of the front crawl, but the stroke’s recovery phase makes it slightly slower than the front crawl during a race.

Filed Under: Activities, Swimming Tagged With: Breaststroke, Butterfly stroke, Stroke, Swimming (sport)