Brand New Swimmer

Question
Liam, Today was my first time entering a pool for the purpose of exercise (and I think that was pretty obvious to anyone watching). It was exhausting, but one of the best full body workouts I've ever had. I would like to incorporate it into my workout routine on a regular basis. Do you have any recommendations on how to do this? How many times per week? What's a good exercise routine for a new swimmer? How long should I force myself to stay in the pool as I'm just getting started. I was thinking of swimming Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Today I swam for approximately 20 minutes (with several rests) and alternated laps between the breast stroke, sidestroke and overhand (all of which I learned years ago in summer camp). I imagine the time in the pool will increase as my stamina does. Any advice on technique would be much appreciated. What's the most effective swim stroke for a full body workout? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time. Kevin  Also, what's with the pounding headache afterwards...is that common?

Answer
Hi Kevin...

Sorry it has taken so long...I have been in the process of buying a house, being sick and ending a season all at the same time.  It has been taxing.

Ok first things first...You are right.  I think that swimming is probably one of the best all-around excercises that you can do for yourself.  You should feel great after you swim.  Sometimes I like to swim just to relax myself.  

Your workouts should start slow and build up.  Just like you experienced, you are going to be hurting for a while.  I would shoot for the goal of working out about 3-4 times a week.  If you end up swimming competitively in the future on the Masters level you can work out like 5-6 times.  I would get in a couple times of week at first and do whatever stroke feels comfortable eventhough the freestyle is the most effective.  Do the 20 min. workout that you did again only try to swim a bit further.  The second day do the same thing only a bit further or, swim for like 25 min.  You need to build up until you do feel that you are swimming further and have more stamina like you said.

As far as stroke, the most effective stroke for a human to swim is the crawl/freestyle.  I think that this is the one that you refer to as "overhand."  That is the one where you are going to get your most bang for your buck.  You can do the other two that you were doing intermittantly but go ahead and try to learn the crawl stroke til its second nature.

Good technique in any stroke would involve fluid movement through the water.  You want to FEEL the water.  The more and more that you do it, the more and more you will be able to feel yourself swimming more efficiently.  Think of taking a shot on a basketball court.  If you take a lousy shot you will know it.  But as you keep shooting you actually start to improve your technique with practice.  It is the same thing.

As far as your headached, it could be a number of things.  Swimming either clears out or plugs up the sinuses depending on the person.  You might want to make absolutely certain that you have clear tubes when swimming.  For this I would reccomend a decongestant a few hours before you swim and then ear drops after you work out.  This double whammy approach helps most people.  If you have any allergies or issues, please consult your doctor.

Thanks,
LM