Swimming is a sport that combines mental and physical strength. The brain must analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each movement as a result of the subtle changes in the body. When swimming, don't pay too much attention to distance and speed, but pay more attention to efficiency and rhythm. Efficiency is about using the right force to move forward with ease and comfort, not with maximum force. As one od the best swimming goggles, Holoswim smart goggles can help you improve the efficiency you want.
As swimming is a water sport, overcoming the resistance of the water is one of the most significant aspects. Rhythm refers to keeping the movement coherent and natural, without discontinuity and imbalance, and it feels like hitting a metronome when swimming.
This way of swimming has no significant effect on improving speed. However, it will make you swim more easily, and you will be able to experience the pleasure of sharing people and water. Gradually forget your goals, instead, focus more on enjoying the personal experience of each movement, which is the real sense of accomplishment that swimming can bring. Throughout the process, you will lose weight and gain muscle gradually.
2. Combine speed and slow.
According to my observation, 90% people swim for less than half an hour. The reason is that many people swim very fast as soon as they get out of the water, and their physical strength declines quickly. And then they have no energy to swim again.
This is also an unwise training method. At the beginning of swimming, as people enter a new environment from land to water, a process of coordinated adaptation is required. Swimming will be a little tiring at first because the muscles of the body have not fully adapted to the pressure, resistance, and buoyancy of the water, which is also the biggest difference between humans and fish. So swim slowly to adapt to the water environment.
Personal experience is that the adaptation process takes 0.5-1 hour, which is why I emphasize the importance of time. During this time period, you can swim more and break down the movements, and the adaptation process of the broken movements is better than that of the whole body movements.
After the body is fully opened, you can try some fast swimming methods, such as accelerated swimming and butterfly swimming in freestyle, to increase your heart rate. 10 minutes before the end of the swim, return to slow swimming again, such as slow freestyle or breaststroke, to relax the muscles. In fact, the 10-minute swim is often the most comfortable.
3. Warm-up before entering the water and do more stretching.
Basically, most people is no warm-up action at all, which is very dangerous behavior. Incompatibility with the water environment will not only cause the body to damage joints and muscles, but it will also cause cramps. It will also cause cardiovascular discomfort or damage due to the huge different temperature between human body and water.
Before swimming, you must be sensitive to the difference. And do at least 10 minutes of stretching of the joints and muscles to soften the whole body and prepare for swimming. Don't rush to swim when you just entered the water. Instead, until the body temperature and the water temperature are similar. Then, do more stretching exercises in the water, such as opening the shoulders, straightening the whole body, and flexing and extending the ankle joints. There is only one purpose: you want your body to be as soft as possible so you can swim.
4. Do not eat anything for 1 hour after swimming
According to the study of UK Health Care, swimming for 30 minutes can burn 402 calories. Swimming is actually very calorie-dense, and you will feel very hungry just after swimming. Don't rush to eat at this time, because anything you eat will be quickly and fully absorbed, and the exercise effect will be greatly reduced. You should avoid eating anything for at least 1 hour, and 2 hours is better. If you feel hungry, drink some water and avoid sweet drinks. To reduce this hunger or to prevent low blood sugar during swimming, add starchy foods 1 hour before swimming.