Swimming Tips

Posts Tagged ‘Shape’

I am 16 years old, 5’7″, pear shape.
I carry all my weight on my weight on my hips and thighs so I find swimming costumes really hard to choose.
I am size 14, bra size 36 D although my ribs show through my chest as I have a large skeletal frame, which I do not like to show.
I haveshoulderr length naturally curly brown hair and dark brown eyes.Whatt style ofswimsuite do you think could suit me.

Getting in shape by swimming may help to build a healthier body, soothe the mind, regulate breathing, and stimulate circulation.    Swimming workouts are an excellent, all-around exercise, beneficial for the least fit to the fittest!  Typically, physical activity is relatively safe for most people. Although individual results will vary, exercising regularly has some physical wellness and psychological benefits. Swimming workouts may play an important part in staying healthy.

Some important swimming information:  Always check with your physician before you start any and all exercise programs, Including swimming. Never swim alone, Swim at your own risk, and Never leave children unattended while they are swimming.  While swimming or any exercise alone, is not sufficient to prevent heart disease, any other diseases or any other health problems, it can be a critical part of any prevention program.

When you start out with any swimming or any exercise program it is recommended and wise to start out slowly and gradually build up your Physical fitness workout routine, but don’t over do it.  In general people who are active, frequently tend to live longer and have a higher quality of life, then people who are sedentary!     

The majority of all adults need at least 20-30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least three- five days per week.  Some examples include: walking, dancing, swimming etc…  Another benefit of Swimming it is a low-impact workout!

The consistent motion of activity that you use, when you are swimming involves exertion, not only on the heart and lungs, but on essentially all the major muscle groups of the body, and it also helps to enhance the body in building muscle, strength, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Swimming workouts, exercise the body with less stress on tendons, ligaments and joints than running and other higher impact activities.

If you are determined to do your fitness workouts on land, another great way to utilize your pool, is to use the pool for your warm-up sessions. While you continue to intensify your swimming workouts, you will gradually increase your heart rate and stimulate your muscle , this is easily accomplished in the water. After your land workouts, you can do several laps to help you cool-down, move blood through your muscles to help them recover, and help you relax as you glide through the water.  Other fitness schedules could include:  Kicking workouts, water aerobics or even pool running.

The freestyle stroke (front crawl) , is most often used for endurance swimming.

While swimming, water is continually washing over you and cooling you off as you swim, you can perspire a great deal while swimming and not know it, so you must be constantly replacing fluids. You need to replace fluids before, while you swim every approx. 20-30 min. and after you finish your swim.  

Swimming is specifically beneficial at developing the upper body. a swimmers leg muscles are primarily used to keep the body balanced in the water, not for speed; so the more a swimmer relies on arm power, the more efficiently he or she will glide through the water. In competitive swimmers about 80 % of the forward motion, comes from the arms and shoulders. And because of controlled breathing, swimming further benefits the respiratory muscles and improves forced vital capacity, a measure of breathing ability.

The low injury rate among swimmers is due in part to the floatability of water, which holds the body up and relieves it of weight-bearing stresses. Since swimming does not place great strain on the spine, hips, knees and other joints, it is especially beneficial for people who are over-weight and for those with knee or lower back problems. Because of the reduced physical strain, these people can work out longer and more rigorous while swimming, than while performing virtually any other form of exercise. Swimming is also a productive way for providing the aerobic capacity for injured runners and other injured exercisers, so they might be able to stay active. If you are a beginner, swimming lessons are recommended and even intermediate swimmers will be able to benefit from improving their performance technique skills, to make sure that they are swimming correctly.

Target heart rate: research has shown that people have a lower maximum heart rate when they swim, than compared with exercising on land. The reasons may possibly be due to an enhancement in the volume of blood pumped per beat during swimming, and more positive conditions like the regulation of body temperature.

 For more information, please visit loyalfitness.com!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have been training for a while, and have made some progress but seem to be lacking a little motivation, what better way to get back on track then to sign up for a competition? There are several different competitions out there, so no matter what your favorite routine may be, there is probably something out there for you.

Running
There are several running competitions to sign up for. If you are a beginner, why not start with something small like a 5k run. This may sound intimidating, but it is only 3.1 miles, and a very attainable goal if you are dedicated to training. If you are a little more advanced then try a 10k run. The distance on this one is a little longer, but a great incentive to keep training. For the super advanced there is the half marathon and the full marathon. The half marathon is 13.1 miles long, while the marathon is 26 miles. Both of these are better suited for the experienced runner who may need a little extra motivation.

Biking
There are many biking races, either mountain biking or street biking. If you are not into racing then there are some fantastic free rides, where dozens of bikers gather and ride long distances together. I live in Seattle Washington and we have a ride that boards 3 ferries, rides across 2 islands and through tulip fields. It is quite a fantastic ride.

Swimming
You can check some of your local pools to see if they have some open swim competitions. Many pools have public competitions or private leagues you can join. If you love to swim then this may be an extremely fun option for you.

Triathlon
A triathlon consists of three different elements; running, swimming, and biking. There are several different triathlons to choose from, and they all have different distances. The Ironman triathlon consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking, and 26 miles of running. There are shorter triathlons like the White Lake Half Triathlon; it consists of 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of bike riding, and 13.1 miles of running. These competitions are for the more seasoned athlete, but it is a great goal to train towards for anyone.

Bodybuilding
If you like weightlifting, and spend a lot of time working on the appearance of your body, a bodybuilding competition may be for you. There are several to choose from. This is also a great way to work towards your goal.

When you are considering a competition, remember that winning is not the most important factor, it is being able to complete the competition. Set your goals and work towards them, you will feel great on competition day when you complete the task. In fact if it is your first time entering these competitions chances are, you will not win. There are people that train for these competitions all year round, especially the triathlon. Make your first goal to get involved and once your involved you will know the level at which you need to perform in order to win, cause let’s face it… everyone likes to win.

Swimming is a very attractive form of exercise. While all forms of exercise have strengths and weaknesses, swimming is a good aerobic, low impact exercise. Swimming generally has longer sessions than other forms of exercise, and requires constant muscle action. This makes swimming an excellent way to improve wind capacity and endurance. Swimming involves the entire body, and thus uses a great deal of muscle as a percentage of the body’s total supply. This also increases the efficiency of the exercise both as a means to burn calories and as an additional reason for the wind to benefit from this form of exercise.

The water helps support the body, as most people float naturally. This reduces the stress on hips and knees, and makes swimming especially attractive for elderly people, some who need rehabilitation after injuries, and in warm water, those with arthritis. Swimming is also a very good place to start for overweight people who desire to improve their physical conditioning. Another group often told to use swimming based exercise is pregnant women.

Swimming does not provide assistance for those elderly people trying to combat osteoporosis. Swimming provides less aid in reducing weight by burning more calories than the length of exercise would suggest, and swimming provides more of a workout for the upper body than the legs. It is possible to provide a limited anaerobic workout in sprint work, though this mainly works the arms. In fact, excessive leg muscles are considered a disadvantage in competitive swimming as they consume oxygen the rest of the body could otherwise use.

In addition to actually swimming, there are a wide variety of possible water based exercises. This include resistance swimming in which a person is held in place while swimming, a variety of exercises to perform while floating or treading water or even the same sorts of exercises one can perform on land in shallow water.

Swimming is a pleasant form of exercise, making it more likely that a person will actually stick to the exercise program. Swimming, being aerobic, isn’t an effective means of producing muscle bulk, but is a wonderful way to tone a body and combat stress.

The VA Maryland Health Care System Offers Tips for Senior Citizens and Older Adults to Spring into Shape
Spring is in the air, and it’s time to shake off winter doldrums, lace up the running shoes and get moving. While many older people tend to slow down in winter, experts at the VA Maryland Health Care System’s Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC) say that keeping active all year is the key to good health, particulary for senior citizens. (PRWeb Mar 10, 2010) Read the full …

Read more on PRWeb

Do you have what it takes to be a Navy Seal, one of the most elite fighting units in the world? Getting in shape for the world class Navy SEALs is no walk in the park. However, if you can push yourself to the limit, then the rewards will be great!  You will expereince an operational tempo greater than any fighting unit in the world. Pyhsically we can help you prepare, but mentally, it’s up to you. Here’s how you get there:

PHYSICAL FITNESS STANDARDS

PHYSICAL EVOLUTION & REQUIRED TIME

FIRST PHASE:

50 meter underwater swim PASS/FAIL
Underwater knot tying PASS/FAIL
Drown proofing test PASS/FAIL
Basic Lifesaving test PASS/FAIL
1200 meter pool swim with fins 45 min
1 mile bay swim with fins 50 min
1 mile ocean swim with fins 50 min
1 l/2 mile ocean swim with fins 70 min
2 mile ocean swim with fins 95 min
Obstacle course 15 min
4 mile timed run 32 min

POST HELL WEEK:

2000 meter conditioning pool swim without fins Completion
1 1/2 mile night bay swim with fins Completion
2 mile ocean swim with fins 85 min
4 mile timed run 32 min
Obstacle course 13 min

SECOND PHASE:

2 mile ocean swim with fins 80 min
4 mile timed run (in boots) 31 min
Obstacle course 10:30
3 I/2 mile ocean swim with fins Completion
5 1/2 mile ocean swim with fins Completion

THIRD PHASE:

Obstacle course 10 min
4 mile timed run (in boots) 30 min
14 mile run Completion
2 mile ocean swim with fins 75 min

SUGGESTED STUDENT PREPARATION

The following workouts are designed for two categories of people: Category I are those future BUD/S students that have never or have not recently been on a routine PT program. Category II is designed for high school and college athletes that have had a routine PT program. Usually athletes that require a high level of cardiovascular activity are in Category II.

Swimming, running and wrestling are good examples of such sports.

WORKOUT FOR CATEGORY I

RUNNING: The majority of the physical activities you will be required to perform during your six months of training at BUD/S will involve running. The intense amount of running can lead to over-stress injuries of the lower extremities in trainees who arrive not physically prepared to handle the activities. Swimming, bicycling, and lifting weights will prepare you for some of the activities at BUD/S, but ONLY running can prepare your lower extremities for the majority of the activities. You should also run in boots to prepare your legs for the everyday running in boots at BUD/S (Boots should be of a light-weight variety i.e. Bates Lights, Hi-Tec, Etc.).

The goal of the category I student is to work up to 16 miles per week of running. After you have achieved that goal, then and only then should you continue on to the category II goal of 30 miles per week. Let me remind you that category I is a nine week buildup program. Follow the workout as best you can and you will be amazed at the progress you will make.

RUNNING SCHEDULE I

WEEKS #1, 2: 2 miles/day, 8:30 pace, M/W/F (6 miles/ week)
WEEK #3: No running. High risk of stress fractures
WEEK #4: 3 miles/day, M/W/F (9 miles/wk)
WEEKS #5, 6: 2/3/4/2 miles, M/Tu/Th/F (11 miles/wk)
WEEKS #7,8: 4/4/5/3 miles, M/Tu/Th/F (16 miles/ wk)
WEEK #9: same as #7,8 (16 miles/ wk)

PHYSICAL TRAINING SCHEDULE I (Mon/Wed/Fri)

SETS OF REPETITIONS

WEEK #1:
4X15 PUSHUPS
4X20 SITUPS
3X3 PULL UPS

WEEK #2:
5X20 PUSHUPS
5X20 SITUPS
3X3 PULL UPS

WEEK #3,4:
5X25 PUSHUPS
5X25 SITUPS
3X4 PULL UPS

WEEK #5,6:
6X25 PUSHUPS
6X25 SITUPS
2X8 PULL UPS

WEEK #7,8:
6X30 PUSHUPS
6X30 SITUPS
2X10 PULL UPS

WEEK #9:
6X30 PUSHUPS
6X30 SITUPS
3X10 PULL UPS

* Note: For best results, alternate exercises. Do a set of pushups, then a set of situps, followed by a set of pull ups, immediately with no rest.

SWIMMING SCHEDULE I
(sidestroke with no fins 4-5 days a week)

WEEKS #1, 2: Swim continuously for 15 min.
WEEKS #3, 4: Swim continuously for 20 min.
WEEKS #5, 6: Swim continuously for 25 min.
WEEKS #7, 8: Swim continuously for 30 min.
WEEK #9: Swim continuously for 35 min.

* Note: If you have no access to a pool, ride a bicycle for twice as long as you would swim. If you do have access to a pool, swim every day available. Four to five days a week and 200 meters in one session is your initial workup goal. Also, you want to develop your sidestroke on both the left and the right side. Try to swim 50 meters in one minute or less.

WORKOUT FOR CATEGORY II

Category II is a more intense workout designed for those who have been involved with a routine PT schedule or those who have completed the requirements of category I. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS WORKOUT SCHEDULE UNLESS YOU CAN COMPLETE THE WEEK #9 LEVEL OF CATEGORY I WORKOUTS.

RUNNING SCHEDULE II
(M/TulTh/F/Sa)

WEEKS #1,2: (3/5/4/5/2)miles 19 miles/week
WEEKS #3, 4: (4/5/6/4/3) miles 22 miles/week
WEEK #5: (5/5/6/4/4) miles 24 miles/week
WEEK #6: (5/6/6/6/4) miles 27 miles/week
WEEK #7: (6/6/6/6/6) miles 30 miles/week

* Note: For weeks #8-9 and beyond, it is not necessary to increase the distance of the runs; work on the speed of your 6 mile runs and try to get them down to 7:30 per mile or lower. If you wish to increase the distance of your runs, do it gradually: no more than one mile per day increase for every week beyond week #9.

PT SCHEDULE II
(Mon/Wed/Fri)

SETS OF REPETITIONS

WEEK #1, 2:
6X30 PUSHUPS
6X35 SITUPS
3X10 PULL UPS
3X20 DIPS

WEEK #3, 4:
lOX20 PUSHUPS
10X25 SITUPS
4X10 PULL UPS
10X15 DIPS

WEEK #5:
15X20 PUSHUPS
15X25 SITUPS
4X12 PULLUPS
15X15 DIPS

WEEK #6:
20X20 PUSHUPS
20X25 SITUPS
5X12 PULL UPS
20X15 DIPS

These workouts are designed for long-distance muscle endurance. Muscle fatigue will gradually take a longer and longer time to develop doing high repetition workouts. For best results, alternate exercises each set, in order to rest that muscle group for a short time. The below listed workouts are provided for varying your workouts once you have met the Category I and II standards.

PYRAMID WORKOUTS

You can do this with any exercise. The object is to slowly build up to a goal, then build back down to the beginning of the workout. For instance, pull ups, situps, pushups, and dips can be alternated as in the above workouts, but this time choose a number to be your goal and build up to that number. Each number counts as a set. Work your way up and down the pyramid. For example, say your goal is “5.”

# OF REPETITIONS

PULL UPS: 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1
PUSHUPS: 2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2 (2X # pull ups)
SITUPS: 3,6,9,12,15,12,9,6,3 (3X #pull ups)
DIPS: same as pushups

SWIMMING WORKOUTS II
(4-5 days/week)

WEEKS #1, 2: Swim continuously for 35 min.
WEEKS #3, 4: Swim continuously for 45 min. with fins.
WEEK #5: Swim continuously for 60 min. with fins.
WEEK #6: Swim continuously for 75 min. with fins.

* Note: At first, to reduce initial stress on your foot muscles when starting with fins, alternate swimming 1000 meters with fins and 1000 meters without them. Your goal should be to swim 50 meters in 45 seconds or less.

STRETCH PT

Since Mon/Wed/Fri are devoted to PT, it is wise to devote at least 20 minutes on Tue/Thu/Sat to stretching. You should always stretch for at least 15 minutes before any workout; however, just stretching the previously worked muscles will make you more flexible and less likely to get injured. A good way to start stretching is to start at the top and go to the bottom. Stretch to tightness, not to pain; hold for 10-15 seconds. DO NOT BOUNCE. Stretch every muscle in your body from the neck to the calves, concentrating on your thighs, hamstrings, chest, back, and shoulders.

NUTRITION

Proper nutrition is extremely important now and especially when you arrive at BUD/S. You must make sure you receive the necessary nutrients to obtain maximum performance output during exercise and to promote muscle/tissue growth and repair. The proper diet provides all the nutrients for the body’s needs and supplies energy for exercise. It also promotes growth and repair of tissue and regulates the body processes. The best source of complex carbohydrates are potatoes, pasta, rice, fruits, vegetables. These types of foods are your best sources of energy.

Carbohydrates, protein, and fat are the three energy nutrients. All three can provide energy, but carbohydrate is the preferred source of energy for physical activity. It takes at least 20 hours after exhaustive exercise to completely restore muscle energy, provided 600 grams of carbohydrates are consumed per day. During successive days of heavy training, like you will experience at BUD/S, energy stores prior to each training session become progressively lower. This is a situation in which a high carbohydrate diet can help maintain your energy.

The majority of carbohydrates should come from complex carbohydrate foods that include bread, crackers, cereal, beans, peas, starchy vegetables, and other whole grain or enriched grain products. Fruits are also loaded with carbohydrates. During training, more than four servings of these food groups should be consumed daily.

Water intake is vital; stay hydrated. You should be consuming up to four quarts of water daily. Drink water before you get thirsty!!! Substances such as alcohol, caffeine and tobacco increase your body’s need for water. Too much of these substances will definitely harm your body and hinder your performance.

TRAINING TABLE CONCEPT

NUTRIENT INTAKE:

Carbohydrates 50-70% of calories
Protein 10-15% of calories
Fats 20-30% of calories
Nitric Oxide, Glutamine, Creatine

IN SERVICE CANDIDATES

Requirements and procedures for BUD/S training application:

Physical/Mental

1. Pass a diving physical exam

2. Eye sight cannot be worse than 20/40 in one eye and 20/70 in the other eye and must be correctable to 20/20 with no color blindness

3. Minimum ASVAB score: VE + AR= 104, MC = 50

4. Must be 28 years old or less

5. Only men are eligible

Physical Screen Test 1. 500 yard swim using breast and/or side stroke in 12:30 Ten minute rest

2. Perform minimum of 42 pushups in 2 minutes Two minute rest

3. Perform minimum of 50 situps in 2 minutes Two minute rest

4. Perform at least 6 pull ups, no time limit Ten minute rest

5. Run 1.5 miles wearing boots and pants in 11:30

*As a reminder, there are no maximums on these physical tests. Prospective trainee should provide the best scores possible, i.e., give his best effort