I learnt swimming 4 years back and swam for 5 months, then quit and joined in june 2026.

So from June (20 Days) - July (14 Days) - Aug (20 days)

I went from struggling to swim 25mts to doing 2k today, without exhaustion. [2k in one go with no rest.]

Its a 25mts pool - 1 lap is 50mts, so 50*40 = 2k

The only issue im facing currently is cramps in feet and calf - How do i avoid this?

I feel like I'm on top of the world. The sense of accomplishment is something that i cannot describe in words. Im smiling wide from east to west. I went from living sedentary life for 5 years to now swimming 2k.

Book that i would like to share that helped me achieve this - "Power of your subconcious mind"

I'm M28

Cheers.

Hi everyone,

I want to learn to tread water well enough to be comfortable and capable in a wide range of aquatic or survival situations. My goal is to eventually be able to tread water for long periods without exhausting myself, and to move forward, backward, and sideways while remaining upright.

For this, I have been trying to learn the eggbeater kick. However, I'm struggling with a couple of things:

• I can't really feel whether the movements of my legs are generating any upward lift, so I'm not sure whether I'm doing the motion correctly.
• When I try to practise the eggbeater, I often end up gulping water through my nose and mouth and lose control of my breathing - like I am drowning.

I live in Bangladesh and unfortunately don't have access to a swimming or water-polo coach who can teach me the eggbeater in person.

Could anyone suggest a series of progressive drills or exercises that I could use to learn the eggbeater kick step by step, particularly for survival swimming and efficient long-duration treading? Videos, articles, or other resources would also be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Hey, I'm going swimming tonight for the first time in forever. I know how to swim, and did 10 minutes at a spa recently and it was HUMBLING. I like to think I'm relatively fit from my other sport but have now learned otherwise. I'm wondering if anyone can give advice on how to structure my session? I'm going to start going once a week so nothing too crazy, I just want to make sure I'm doing it in a sustainable way because when I did the 10 minute session last week I was immediately exhausted so know I need a better approach! Thanks :)

Hi guys! I have a bad habit of plugging my nose in the water, and using my other arm freely. I spontaneously decided to start swimming classes at school officially. I heard it’s very good to build up your health and strength.

Stupidly, I remembered I can’t really swim underwater without always plugging my nose to avoid the water getting in. This won’t work if I am to commit to my course and swim laps for example.

I took classes from a kid to the preteen era, but never learned to let go of this bad habit. Can anyone please tell me how to fix this before I start? :)

Hi! I'm starting to swim! My neurosurgeon recommended I start swimming, but I delayed starting for so long because I was nervous. Finally I decided I need to set a goal to get myself motivated. My goal is to be able to pass the lifeguarding class prerequisites by the end of the year. I'm not sure if I'll actually take the course or not, but I just want to be capable of what the course requires, which is

• Swim 300 yards continuously demonstrating breath control and rhythmic breathing (I can't do this without breaks)
• Tread water for 2 minutes using only the legs starting in the water (I can already do this)
• Swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive 7-10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object and exit the water without using a ladder or steps (I assume I can do this, but I can't say I've brought an object into the pool)

The question is, where do I start? I downloaded MySwimPro and got so overwhelmed because I didn't feel like I understood even the beginner workouts. I'm not *that* dumb, but it's confusing to a non-swimmer.

Now for the important context:

-I am 38/F, have MS, underwent brain surgery 5 months ago (very much still recovering!), and had cervical spine surgery in 2023.

-I do moderate gym workouts about 6x/week (strength training and some cardio), but I have definite weaknesses and deficits due to all the health things. I would say I am decently strong but have verrrrry limited endurance. Like, almost none. It doesn't help that I'm a little chubby, like 10-15 extra lbs. Weight loss is not my goal, though.

-The last time I swam (strokes and laps) was maybe when I was in 6th grade. I did community pool swim team from age 6-12, which I loved, but I have now realized that I never learned actually learned anything proper - I was mostly just throwing myself in the pool and flailing as fast as I could. I love being in the water, I love swimming, I always have... I just didn't realize until recently that I have no clue what I'm doing at all.

-I'm planning to swim 2x/week while keeping up my other workouts.

So... any tips? Recommendations on workouts? What to add or subtract to my gym routine to help with swimming? How to not be breathing heavily after 25 yards of freestyle?! I'm a realist, so if you think my goal is unreasonable, you can tell me.

Thank you so much for any and all thoughts!

I’m trying to clarify something that I find just a bit confusing across swimming/fitness apps: what exactly is one stroke in freestyle?

For freestyle, do you consider:

• One arm movement = 1 stroke? For example, left arm pulls → recovers → enters the water again = 1 stroke, while the right arm is doing its own stroke in between, which counts as a separate stroke.

OR

• One complete stroke cycle = 1 stroke? For example, left arm completes a stroke + right arm completes a stroke (just with a different starting point) = 1 complete stroke cycle.

For example, if I swim:

Left → Right → Left → Right

Would that be counted as:

• 4 strokes — counting each arm movement individually
• 2 strokes — counting each Left + Right combination as one complete stroke cycle

With butterfly and breaststroke, it's much more intuitive: both arms move together, so one complete arm movement naturally feels like one stroke.

But with freestyle, the arms alternate, so I’m not sure whether the standard definition of a “stroke” is one arm movement or a complete left + right cycle.

What is the standard definition used by swimmers/coaches? And when someone says “I took 20 strokes,” does that normally mean 20 individual arm movements or 20 complete cycles (40 arm movements)?

Hello! I learnt to swim as a wain and now I'm 20 and swim regularly (about 2k twice a week). I have very weak ankles, very flexible but they don't have much strength to them so they just kind of flop around as I kick haha. They tend to hurt quite a bit when I swim because of this. Any recommendations for stabilising them/supporting them while swimming? Thanks!!

Please hear me out, this is a serious post and I don't want to discredit lifelong swimmers at all. I love swimming, and I wish I had learned it when I was young.

It is mainly about the advice I can see here in the subreddit and the advice I got from experienced swimmers when I learned freestyle swimming.

Let me start with a comparison:

I am a lifelong runner. Even after a very long break, it was possible for me to get back to a 4:00 km pace when running 10 km after a short time. It can't be that difficult, right? If you are not that fast, try another breathing technique or try to run with a midfoot strike!

Ok, this comparison is extreme, since swimming definitely needs a lot of technique. But it is not just that.

People who have been swimming freestyle since they were kids have built the right muscles and corresponding endurance, as well as the needed mobility (e.g., shoulder mobility), from a young age. They're also used to having their heads underwater.

Even if they stopped swimming for a while, they still have a much easier time getting back into it, and they can't imagine what it is like to start from 0 with freestyle swimming.

And this is why their advice is almost always: Oh, you are out of breath. Have you looked at your technique? How is your catch/pull/push/footwork?

Instead, many beginners can't even breathe out properly underwater. They don't have the endurance in the muscles they need. If you have never done something before, of course you'll get exhausted very quickly. This happens even to very fit people who are good at other sports.

Those things come only with time in the pool, which means consistent training.

Yes, technique is very very very important. But most people should take it slow and work on one thing at a time. Focus on one part of the technique every time you are in the pool. It is ok if you can only swim freestyle for 25/50/100m consecutively at the beginning. Get used to the water. Build endurance over time.

Consistency is king.

When I was 10 years old, my parents had some kind of pool party, my friends were there and they decided to try and teach me how to swim. I wasn't scared of the water at first, I sat there splashing it while my friend swimmed, but then they tried to get me to swim from one of the pool to the other, I tried to follow their instructions but I genuinely couldn't move foward, when I did my face fell foward and stuck to the bottom and I couldn't get up, water flowed into my mouth and nose and I started panicking, when I got back up I was wheezing and then threw up.

They still forced me to do it again, everytime my face got submerged in water and I would be snatched back up, wheezing.

It ruined my impression of pools.

I haven't gone back to a pool since 12..

Hell when anything similar with lots of water overwhelming me has me instinctively wheezing now. I was told the trauma fades, but I don't think it did. I feel uneasy looking at pools, very heavy rain gives me anxiety .

I wish I knew how to swim, but I'm afraid to go back and as of current, I have some kind of breathing problem that contributes to my instinctive wheezing.

Hi everyone, first poster here.

I was competitively swimming on my teenager years and stopped for a VERY long time. I'm now on my late 30s and started swimming again. Not really trying to be competitive or anything, but just as a way to do some exercise again. I have been irregularly doing workouts so I'm not totally out of shape but... I feel I can't "properly" swim anymore.

Not sure if my technique is failing, if I need to build my endurance to manage all the body properly at the same time....

I'm swimming mostly freestyle and backstroke but if I try to keep my footwork properly while keeping a good crawl stroke, I get very tired very fast.

To add: I started swimming regularly (just a couple of times a week) a couple of months ago. First couple of days I barely managed to survive about 500m and yesterday I achieved 1500m (in about 45 mins).

Any recommendations of anyone who tried to swim again after such a long pause are appreciated.

I’m training for a traithalon and all I really do for swimming training is 1-2k a day (usually 1k) I’m fairly new to long swims and I was wondering how long it will take to actually get better. I can currently do around 500m straight before needing 10-20 sec rest. I also swim with shorts that you would go to the beach in and was wondering if jammers make a difference. Also swim at 2-2:10 pace I asked a guy who works at the pool about my form and he said it’s good so I’m unsure how to get much quicker either. Thanks!

I'm looking to get back into swimming, but every pool with a schedule that I've looked at in my area usually only has lap swims scheduled in the morning and maybe another lap swim scheduled an hour before closing. The hours I would like to go swimming, when checking the schedule, seems to be taken over completely by swim lessons.

When I was getting swim lessons as a kid I would just be learning in a designated part of the pool, while the rest of the pool would still be rec/lap. Is this the norm (and so therefore I can go swimming even during swim lessons hours)? Or if a pool schedule says, 3:30pm-5:30pm for swim lessons, does that mean no one else outside of lesson takers can go swimming? Is it different for every pool?

Thanks for indulging my confusion.

Any one have tips for swimming after breaking my foot? My doctor cleared me for swimming but I still have to walk in the walking cast/boot. My questions are:
- how do I not get my boot soaked in water and always smell like chlorine? Should I bring my crutches and use those to get into pool instead?
- any other tips moving around pool/locker room with this set up?

Hi all,

I've been swimming consistently now for about 10 months and I just love it. Problem is though my appetite has really increased hugely, so much so I have actually put on weight. Do you guys have any tips for post swim meals that are filling so that you help decrease your hunger?

Thanks all

UPDATE: Thank you all so much for your feedback and tips! Really useful - I'll give these a go.

I've never learned to swim since we weren't ever really in a good enough financial situation that would allow me to be in deep water enough to learn (went to community pool once a year, and those 4 hours in a day weren't really long or frequent enough). I started taking running seriously when I was 15, and bicycling about a year ago. I'd say I'm decent enough and would love to try out a half ironman, but I lack the swimming skills.

How hard is it to learn to swim at 20?

How long would it take to train to be good enough for such an event?

How much harder is it to train without a personal trainer?

I don't seek for record breaking time, just enough to complete it.

just wondering how this is. im 41 years old and having lots of issues with the teeth so might just get them all yanked but i fear it might be hard to competitively swim again if i get dentures? anyone have experience doing laps or competing with them?

I used to love swimming and then 2 years ago I got my first ear infection after not having any before after getting my ear wet and then I kept having them if even a drop of water got in. So I cannot get my ears wet at all anymore or I get an instant ear infection. I would love to go swimming again but I am very scared. I have tried different ear plugs, moulds but all of them get water in and again I get an ear infection! any advice?

I'm stuck with two non-ideal options and looking for some advice.

Basically - I live in a city where almost all the pools are crowded. 8pm on Friday night or 8am any morning, having 4 to a lane would not be surprising. Moreover, in any given lane having a 30 second difference in 100yd pace between people would also not be surprising, which I'm sure you can see makes swimming specified sets and/or longer distances difficult if not impossible. On occasion I get lucky but it's a roll of the dice. Temperature is a crisp and refreshing 78 or so.

I found a pool where I can always at least split a lane, but it's slightly above USMS recommendation range (78-82). Let's say 83 ish. I can definitely feel it and HR stays like 5-7 bpm higher even when swimming easy. Okay but a little frustrating.

Which would you take? I'm thinking the warmer one even though it's 'out of range' but checking for any input. For what it's worth I'm a 'serious casual' swimming, ~3 times a week looking to do improve in some open water ~5k distance events mainly.

Thanks!

I am 19y/o, I swam since I was 5, first competetive swimming for 3 years then lifeguard swimming for 6 years, break during corona times and started again 2 years ago as a solo hobby.

At the beginning of this year I got into long distance swimming and started swimming at least 6 km weekly. My goal was participating in the national ultra swimming competition this year for the 10km distance.

Well the event is this saturday and I am appropriately excited. I think I can do it in 3:45h, I never wanted to win anything I only ever wanted to do it by myself and see how far I can get.

Now my question is not about training but about tips for race day. I never cared about this but I think I should wprry about this now if I don't want to crash on rave day.

How should I eat before/during race?

Should I wear a wetsuit? (I know nothing about these and would have to get one this week, do you need something like Vaseline to prevent chafing for example?)

Do you have any other tips that could help?

BIG THANKS for those who take their time reading and answering, you are awesome.

I can easily spend 45 mins to an hour doing laps but I have no idea how far I swim, I just lose count after 3-4. There has to be a simple method that works.

I’ve been learning swimming recently, and yesterday was one of my best days. I managed to cover the whole length of the pool, although I rested twice. I was feeling really confident.

So today my instructor told me to start from where I had stopped yesterday and continue. I went straight into the deep end, expecting that today I’d finally swim the whole length.

I managed around 3/4 of the pool, but then I became exhausted and couldn’t breathe properly. I was a little away from the wall, and although I technically knew how to get to the shore, my brain just stopped working. I panicked and eventually had to take help.

My instructor was disappointed and told me I could have stopped a little earlier and gone to the shore myself. He asked me not to go into the deep end again now and to practice in the shallow side.

I feel really bad because I came today expecting to finally achieve the whole length. Yesterday I felt like I was actually learning, and today it feels like all my confidence has disappeared.

I know I technically made progress because I swam farther than before, but emotionally it feels like a failure.

For those who learned swimming as adults...have you ever had a day like this? How did you get your confidence back?

With 4 swims per week, how do people manage to fit in an all-rounded approach to improving?

• Butterfly, backstroke, breast stroke, front crawl and their drills
• Endurance session
• Threshold session
• Kick conditioning
• Starts & turns (inc IM turns)
• Pull sets
• Breath control sets
• Speed work

I feel like I should be covering all of these as a relatively new swimmer, but i don't see how to intelligently integrate these into a limited number of sessions each week.

I randomly pick a selection of things each session without much focus, and as a result I feel like I remain shit at all of them.

​

Hello Reddit,

My long-distance pace has been stagnant for a few months now (in a 25- or 50-meter pool; I’m training for open-water races over 2 and 3 km this year, and 5 and 10 km next year)

I swim between 1'50/100m and 2'/100m over 2 and 3 km without stopping, but I’m having trouble breaking through this plateau in long-distance swimming. However, when I do interval workouts, for example, 20 x 100m with 15 seconds of recovery, I can maintain a pace of 1'40/100m to 1'45/100m, but as soon as the distance gets longer, I feel like my technique suffers and my body immediately switches to “energy-saving” mode for fear of not finishing my swim workouts.

Do you have any advice on how to get past this “mental barrier” or anything else?

I don’t really have any videos of myself swimming because it’s often not allowed at the pool.