Swimming laps..@ 24hr

[Lacerta]

Originally Posted by mrpeatie

I think I was once down to 21 minutes but that was a moment in time when swimming as my main sport. IIRC a national level swimmer would have been at 16 and it wasn't a length used for international competition back then. Needless to say I wouldn't hit that pace now and was nothing more than a decent/good high school swimmer then.

I do not see someone who is not already into swimming or in OK shape doing a full mile without breaks. I am not sure of a benefit to swimming a full mile instead of multiple increments. I was not a distance swimmer- I used it more to get my breathing and turns in order since it meant maintaining stamina, alternate breathing and working turns from being fresh through being fatigued. My main swimming workout would have consisted of different intervals and strokes with 800 probably being the highest distance.

The other issue is that unlike running or biking no one is going to get tired and slow their speed or catch a breather mid lap. So doing multiple 200m or 100m intervals would let someone hit a decent pace for their ability, rest and try to do another interval at a decent pace. It would also let them maintain their stroke. I like your idea of simply working toward a half hour swim but thing breaking that up in to parts would a decent strategy.

From what I could find on Google, the world record for a 1500m (they don't seem to have a world record for the 1650m, they just call the 1500m the "mile", technically a mile is 1609 meters I think, but I usually see the 1650m called a "swimming mile" for some reason) is about 14 and a half minutes. So a 16 minute mile would be close to a world record. In fact, it would have been faster than the world record up until the 1970s for men and the 1980s for women.



I actually used 36 laps as my "1650 mile" even though my pool it is officially more like 33 laps. 36 was divisible by more numbers, so easier to break down in my math mind (I'm 1/12th done, I'm 1/9th done, etc)



I agree though that the mile doesn't have to be continuous in that you don't take short breaks. Just continuous that you do it in one session. I started out doing sets of 2 laps (100m) and then moved to sets of 4 laps (200m). When I first did the mile, it was 9 sets of 4 laps. Eventually, I got the point I was doing 4 sets of 9 laps. I never did a full mile continuously. However, I think I did too much too fast, as I ended up with swimmers shoulder and had to have physical therapy for a year. I've just recently started going back again.



But my point was that the speed isn't the important starting point. If a swimmer can keep the sets going for a half hour, that is a good start. If they can do a mile in 45 minutes, that is better than most of the population.

[Herc130]

I think most gym pools are 25 yards. I usually do at least 3000 yards every day I swim. I break it up into 500 yards and take a minute or 2 break between each 500 if I feel like I need to. I only breast stroke and keep it @8min per 500 (cruise speed). I start out just swimming my cruising pace for 1000 yards.

Then I do arm pulls with hand-paddles, breast stroke leg kick without using arms and flutter kicks (free style) with a paddle board and fins for 1000-1500 total. Then if I am feeling it, I do max effort sprints for 50 yards at a time (there and back...lap) taking whatever rest I need for a total of 250 to 500 yards. Then finish up with just my 8min pace for the rest of the yardage. A lot of times, I do more.


I'd say, concentrate on getting under 10min per 500 and work on being able to do at least 500 yards straight up easily if you're not there already. Take a swim course at your community college or get your form looked at by a swim coach. I think for free style, you should be shooting to get under 7minutes per 500.

[glass_of_merlot]

Originally Posted by Mike2017

I'm new to swimming. All I know is the freestyle and backstroke. Anyhow, I go the 24hr Fitness gym pool to get my swimming in. I think the length of the pool is the same in all the 24hr pools I been too. My question is how many laps should I be doing as a beginner? How many as intermediate, and how many advance?
Thank you.

As many as you can until your arms and leg hurt. Learn how to swim breast stroke. I feel like I can swim forever doing that and it's great exercise. Im an intermediate swimmer, and I do on average 40 laps in a 25 meter pool. I used to swim in a club when I was a teenager. I was a lot faster and better back then.