Swimming

Hi guys
I have been thinking about starting swimming, just wanted some advice really. Does anyone on here go swimming? Do you find it helps with your losses? Has it improved your fitness? Do you swim any particular stroke, sounds silly, but I get puffed easy swimming freestyle, so am thinking of swimming alternate freestyle and breaststroke. Do you wear goggles? Swimming cap? Just curious really. Are there swimming programs to build up your fitness, ie do so many laps first week, building up each week, hope that makes sense. Thanks in advance for any advice

I try and go swimming every week and swim breaststroke. Its hard to judge whether or not it helps with losses but i do think it helps with fitness and toning

I used to swim for county and just a bit of advice really... to tone n build strength in upper arms keep ur legs straight like front crawl but cross them and just use your arms to move you . Kickboards great for legs and pullbuoys also good same job as the upper body tip before for you arms just a pullbuoy instead of crossing your legs. My opinion swimming caps make a hell of a difference if you have long hair like me it helps you streamline in the water better and more smoothly.

Also another one is doing front crawl but your thumbs touch your armpit as you lift them out the water to go straight over...bit like a chicken wing haha.

General warm up i used to do but you could adapt it to your level as this was at club level....

5 lengths front crawl, 4 lengths backstroke, 3 lengths breaststroke and repeat.

Just a few of the exercise drills:

1 length butterfly (although if this proves difficult frontcrawl would be fine)

3 lengths of front crawl, then...

1 length butterfly (or front crawl) and 1 lengths backstroke, 2 lengths front crawl,then...

1 length buttefly (or front crawl), 1 length backstroke, 1 length breaststroke, 1 length front crawl (also known as individual medley)

Then maybe a few short sprints half lengths of which ever is your prefereed stroke and then half nice and easy.

Another one also is a T15. Time 15mins and swim as many lengths in that time

Also use the clocks and do a length then say give yourself 1 minute to do that length with 30 secs rest so faster you go more rest you get hehe but keep it going and do a good few sets of this

Hope some of this is of help x