Fitness

Total Immersion swimming has its place in the pool.

Welcome to Part VI of “The Evolving Swimmer” series. Missed Part I ~ V? Click here.

To conclude this series, I’ll introduce you to a method of swimming known as Total Immersion. Developed and promoted by Terry Laughlin, this unique approach can help evolving swimmers and triathletes become more comfortable in the water and swim with less effort.

If you’re out of breath every time you swim or you’re a “sinker,” this method is for you. There are pros and cons, some of which I’ll mention, but overall Laughlin’s swim methods will help you become more balanced and at ease in the water.

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Focus on maintaining form over a longer interval to build up stamina and overall fitness.

Welcome to Part V of “The Evolving Swimmer” series. To view previous posts in the series, click here.

Endurance swimming is my favorite. I’m prone to zoning out mentally while I’m moving down the lane. Not so terrible except this practice lends itself to resuming old habits. Bad habits I’ve been working hard to eliminate.

For most of us non-experts, a balance of focus and daydreaming is necessary to swim a long distance without rest.

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Swim workouts should be more than just staring at a black line lap after lap.

Welcome to Part IV of “The Evolving Swimmer” series. To view previous posts in the series, click here.

Don’t like to swim because it’s too boring? Does the thought of endless laps staring at a black line make you cringe? You’re not alone.

Swimming laps can be tedious. There’s no finish line, no conversing with others, and no music or television. The good news is there are many ways to jazz up your swim sessions.

Here are some of my favorite hour long swim workouts that keep me engaged, having fun, and improving my stroke.

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Drills get a bad wrap but they actually bring focus and break up the monotony of a swim workout.

Welcome to Part III of “The Evolving Swimmer” series. Missed Part I & II? Click here.

Rarely do I complete a swim workout that doesn’t include a few drills. Drills address specific components of your stroke. Designed to improve your swim mechanics by breaking down the freestyle into elements. Drills help improve weaknesses and achieve better balance. They train your body to feel the water.

The goal, of course, is to perfect individual elements of your stroke so you can put them all together into a fast and efficient freestyle. Read more

It's much easier to master basic stroke technique in the beginning than try to correct bad habits later on.

Welcome to Part II of “The Evolving Swimmer” series. Missed Part I? Click here.

I learned to swim as a toddler. The younger you are when you first venture into water, the more comfortable you’ll be swimming as an adult. If you swam as a child but haven’t been in the water in years, have no fear as you’ll be at ease again quickly. Remember getting comfortable comes first!

Today I will reveal the number one best instructional swim site. It won’t replace one-on-one swim coaching but it comes close. Seeing is believing and this site is very visual!

I originally learned American Red Cross swimming techniques, methods I think are outdated now. I engaged in a 6 hour one-on-one private lesson with a top British swim coach of the Total Immersion school of swimming (in one day) which I will review later in this series. My stroke has been evaluated by 7 different swim coaches. Let’s just say I’ve been around the pool a few times and am here to share a few universal habits of good freestyle technique.
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Swimming is for all ages and deserves to be a part of everyone's fitness regimen for life long health.

Welcome to “The Evolving Swimmer” 6 part series!

Designed for any swimmer who isn’t totally comfortable in the water absent the security of a flotation device, a wall within arm’s reach, or a floor touching their tippy toes. Or maybe you want to add swimming to your fitness repertoire but have reservations.

In this series, you’ll learn how to be comfortable in the water, basic technique for fitness swimming (including a critique of a popular swim method), my favorite drills, my favorite swim workouts that will challenge your cardiovascular system, and land training to improve your swim strength.

I will share the number one on-line most awesome swim instructional site! A swim coach at your fingertips with endless resources to help you become a great swimmer!

I’ll touch on open water swimming and techniques I’ve used in triathlons as a mid-pack swimmer (the most challenging place to be!). If a triathlon is on your bucket list OR if you’ve panicked in open water, this series is for you. Read more