WI Crippler

I have recently incorporated swimming into my workout routine. And I have come to the realization that I completely suck at it.

Now don't get me wrong, I can swim. And I can swim for a long time. But apparently I cannot swim very fast. Case in point, the other night I get into the pool, into one of the lap lanes. In the lane next to me, is a little fat girl, maybe 12-14 years old. She took off swimming and I thought, well she is going at a good pace, I'll try to outpace her. I never was able to catch up to her. In fact, I only kept falling further behind. Now I am not a cut athlete, but I am a decently big guy with a good amount of muscle mass and strength. Why in the hell can I not keep up with some little chubby girl in the swimming pool? Is there a secret to swimming? Are there drills I should do?

__________________
"What Jesus fails to appreciate is that it's the meek who are the problem."- Reg

Reverend_Hellh0und

Was that chubby girl named "flipper"?

__________________
كافر
Never forget those who died.
Never forget those who killed them.

WI Crippler

I don't know. I figure she can't be that good of a swimmer, considering her physical condition, but then where does that leave me?

new coup for you

being fat makes you more buoyant, thus a better swimmer.

__________________
And why does your tone suggest that you do not care about children?

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.

rivrrat

Not so much a "secret" to it, but there are ways to maximize or at least increase your speed.

For one thing, where your head is does a lot. Are you looking forward, or down? Looking forward will slow you down because it makes your hips drop down. Looking down keeps your spine in alignment and you will consequently move faster.

Longer strokes are more efficient, and will help your speed. If you were trying to race her, and were falling behind, you probably got tensed up in the process... making you fall even further behind. Stress, anxiety, etc will make you tense up and make your strokes shorter and thus make you swim slower and less efficiently. And of course, make you more tired.

I'm not a lap swimmer myself, I'm a whitewater swimmer so I've always had to keep looking up to dodge obsticles, keep track of my ferry angle, etc. But I've always known that if I *could* put my head down, I'd get there faster! LOL

Also, how were kicking your legs? That could have a big part in it too.

__________________

WI Crippler

Well if I keep my head down, how am I supposed to breathe? I don't keep my head above the water, but I usually turn it side to side as I switch arms, so I can breathe.

I kicked my legs, I don't know much outside of that. I was unaware there was a certain way to kick them.

Lightdemon

Not only that, but since muscle mass is desner than fat, it is heavier and harder to keep a float.

__________________
Democrats are thieves
Republicans are thieves too,
Where's my liberty?
- by Ethereal

WI Crippler

Olympic swimmers aren't fat.

Kelzie

I'm probably going to get blown out of the water for this (ah ha, punny) but I think swimming to a large degree is just natural ability. I am that fat little girl (well, not so fat but you get that idea). I have always been a fast swimmer with little to no effort on my part. I smoked Gunny on the one swim race we had (strange that we've never had another). I think as long as you're getting a work out and enjoy it, you just have to let it go. I am a horrifically slow runner, anything faster than a 10 minute mile takes a huge amount of effort no matter how many speed drills I do. I enjoy running though, so that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

Now I await a dozen people to tell me how they increased their swimming speed 152%. YMMV

__________________
be humble for you are made of earth; be noble for you are made of stars

Serbian proverb

new coup for you

it's kind of different with them, they can go so fast that their propulsion keeps them up rather then their bodies. normal people (humans) can't do that.