Men's Health: Swimming

 Swimming is an excellent way to improve your fitness level. Swimming has many advantages over other sports. Among them, a swimmer can go work out whenever he wants to, and do as much or as little as he pleases. 

Swimming has drawbacks, however, in that it's tough to stay motivated and without a personal coach, you don't get any stroke feedback. Lack of feedback is alright if you're swimming purely for recreational purposes, however feedback is vital for getting better in such a technique-intensive sport. If you're just beginning a swimming routine, find a pool that you're comfortable working in and start by working on your endurance. 

Once you're comfortable swimming continuously for a half- hour or so, try to find a regular, structured, coached swim workouts for adults. This is the quickest and best way to improve because you'll swim with others, which makes you work harder. In addition to its fitness benefits, this is a good way to meet people. There's nothing like a little commiseration after a demanding workout to break down social barriers. Many Masters swimmers are extremely fast, but don't be intimidated. Masters workouts typically use several lanes with the speediest swimmers in one lane, the next-fastest group in the adjoining lane, and so on. Find a lane with swimmers of your ability and go for it.

Swim suit

 Hit the pool in baggie shorts and you might as well be dragging a parachute behind you. Proper suits fit tightly for streamlining the body and catching minimal water pushing off the wall or jumping into the water. Plus, they provide support and total freedom of movement. Men, try Lycra briefs ($25 to $60), minimalist but comfortable and efficient. Goggles ($8 to $60) are crucial for clear vision and to protect the eyes from ocean and pool water. Here fit is all-important. Most goggles are adjustable but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll fit your face. 

One way to test goggles is to ask pool mates if you can try on theirs to find a type that fits your face. Ideally, watertight suction is formed around the eyes so water can't get in and blur your vision (more a problem in open water than in a pool). Some goggles are fog resistant and many offer a range of lens colors. Consider getting a couple of pairs because they're easily misplaced. Swim caps keep hair out of the eyes, reduce drag, and help protect your hair from chlorine. There are two types: basic latex models for pool use and thicker neoprene models designed for warmth for cold water swimming. Often brightly colored, caps also provide additional visibility, an important safety consideration in lake or ocean swims. Prices range from $5 to $55.

During actual workouts, swimming is different from other sports in two important ways.

First, it's difficult to eat anything while actually in the water although long distance, open water swimmers learn how to do it out of necessity. So swimmers need to take in a carbohydrate sports drink between laps or interval sets to maintain sufficient energy.

Second, most swimmers don't realize how rapidly they dehydrate during hard training. Being in the water means you can't tell how much you're perspiring and losing fluid as you swim. Also, you get water in your mouth, so it's hard to tell how thirsty you are until it's too late. Most swimmers start the workout dehydrated -- and it only gets worse from there. Additionally, research shows that it's difficult to rehydrate with water alone. If you swim early in the morning, the suggested pre-swim 16 ounces of sports drink will hydrate you as well as supply carbs. If you swim in the evening, drink the same amount an hour before the workout, so you start with fluid levels high. If time is short, its fine to drink just before the swim, but you'll have to experiment to find out how much liquid in your stomach you can tolerate during hard efforts.

Drink during swims of 45 minutes or longer. Always drink before you feel thirsty. Your body's sensation of thirst lags behind its need for liquid so when you feel thirsty, it's already too late. Keep a bottle of sports drink at the end of the pool and every 15 minutes, stop briefly and slug down four to six ounces (several big swallows.) If you forget to drink regularly, check the pace clock as a reminder or structure the workout to include a short break for drinking.

Hydrate after the swim

No matter how much fluid you ingest before and during a swim workout you'll finish depleted. Indoor pools can be hot and humid, but even if you're swimming outside in cold water, you'll perspire as you swim and lose water vapor as you breathe. There's a simple way to be sure you've re-hydrated -- simply weigh yourself before and after and compare the figures. If you've lost weight, its water you've sweat out, not (unfortunately) fat. You'll need to drink 20 ounces of fluid for each pound of body weight you've lost during the workout. Keep drinking until your weight has returned to normal and your urine is plentiful and pale yellow in color.

The glycogen window

 One last step -- but it is the most important. Studies show that your muscles replace their fuel (glycogen) much faster and more efficiently if you eat a plentiful amount of carbohydrates immediately after endurance workouts. Your goal is to eat 80 to 100 grams if you're an average male. Your muscles will refuel best if you eat this in the 15 minutes after the swim. The refueling process becomes less efficient after this two-hour post workout "glycogen window." Notice that the amount of carbohydrate you should eat after the swim is similar to what we've suggested you consume before a late-day workout. There's one exception -- research indicates that if you mix four parts carbohydrate with one part protein, your glycogen stores will top off more quickly. That's as simple as having cereal, a banana and some skim milk for protein. If you follow these five steps, you'll feel great while swimming and recover faster. But most importantly, you'll be able to swim faster and stronger, thus getting a better workout and building superior fitness.