How much do you do?

orangebud

hi i was just wondering how many lengths of the pool do you do i a week?
Im currently doing 80-90 lengths (25m pool) 3 days a week, my goal this month is do 420 lengths a week.

I know your not suppose to eat before swimming but i like to have 2 bananas and maybe a green juice before hand, i might stop doing this and have it after, what do you think?

thanks

biomed32

I would be more inclined to eat after swimming or two hours before. Orange squash or similar while swimming, possibly lucozade or just plain water. Handy if you bring a bananna and maybe a small carton of juice with you for after the swim until you get back home for proper food

paulo85

Having the bananas before the swims is a great idea, but also have something for directly afterwards. this will help set you up for the day.

snowstreams

I always eat about 2 hours beforehand. I have tried swimming in morning without eating and i always find that I run out of energy and cant even do half the distance i would normally do.
I just make sure my meal 2hours beforehand wasnt too big and i will be fine.

swimforever

Eating before swimming is fine. If you can eat two bananas and you don't feel sick in the pool, then by all means go ahead and eat them. The advice to wait an hour or two after eating to avoid cramp is a myth. Where it has some truth though is after eating a very heavy meal...if you swim straight after it can make you feel very bloated and uncomfortable in the pool.

It's the same as any other sport-some people like to eat right before they train, others like to leave it a couple of hours in between. Whatever works for you is best.

When I was doing a lot of training I was more concerned with what I ate after training than before, because the food you eat after affects how fast you will recover from the swim. For best recovery you should be eating some protein mixed with carbs as soon as you can after you get out of the pool (some people say within 20 minutes, others within an hour). The best way to judge whether you need to worry about this or not is how you feel the day after a session. If you find that it takes you a long time to recover, then you might want to consider some protein after (it doesn't need to be a protein shake, some chocolate milk or a tuna sandwich will do fine). If you feel fine the day after then you probably don't need to worry about it.

orangebud

cheers swimforever, yeah defo after swimming i eat a sh1t load of fruits and a green juice that keeps me going to dinner. I have been slowly adding a lot more fruit and veg to my diet and my energy levels have gone through the roof, the last 3 weeks has been some of my best swimming, and i know i can improve a lot more

Addlor

I do 30 minute swimming and eat a banana before my workout. I also drink fruit juice before doing swimming. It is good activity and is good for health.

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Sigma Force

I swim just to keep reasonable fit and try to loose some flab so am not in competition and each day depends on how much I feel I can do. If I miss out on swimming for a while it takes a week or two to get back up on the lenghts.
I was doing 60 lenghts a day 5 to 7 days a week but was falling asleep during the day lol.

So I now do 40, if I feel like more after that then I do. I don't have a target amount I just have a minimum so 40 is the minimum a day 5 to 7 days a week.

wosheen

I do 50-60 lengths 3 or 4 times a week, more often when I can (travelling for work sometimes gets in the way!).

I think you're right to have a "weekly" lap goal rather than a daily goal, as it gives you flexibility i.e. if you can only manage 40 laps one day, maybe 2 days later you'll feel stronger or have more time and be able for 60-70+....

Carverkid

I train most mornings during the week. I'd eat a good bit the night before and not have any thing before the session in the morning. After training I usually have a big bowl of fruit yogurt and oats. Delicious! As for distance I'd average 5-6k a session 6-10 times a week.

herrys

This myth really comes down to common-sense about how fit you are, what you eat and what kind of swimming you'll be doing.