Articles and Videos
Masters Swimming 101: Lingo You're Likely to Hear at Practice
Here are a few more terms you'll likely hear at swim practice. Some of them seem confusing at first, but once your coach shows you by having you swim a certain way, it will all make sense.
Masters Swimming 101: How Do I Learn the Four Strokes? Why Do I Want To?
Some swimmers and many triathletes only want to swim freestyle, the fastest stroke. But for anyone inspired by Michael Phelps and other true masters of the pool, there are four techniques to conquer on the road to becoming an all-around swimmer. And it really is all about technique. There are huge advantages to everyone—triathletes included—in learning all four swimming strokes.
Masters Swimming 101: How Do I Use the Pace Clock?
A related question would be: Why are swimmers so obsessed with time? You'll find out, my friend, in due time. So, what is your time for a 100? Answer that question, and you are halfway to speaking Swimmerese.
Masters Swimming 101: What Is a Typical Workout?
Like a good play, a good workout develops in three main acts: the warm-up, the main action, and the cool-down. A sufficient warm-up is essential for mature athletes, and a relaxing cool-down will help to fight fatigue and sore muscles.
Masters Swimming 101: Yards and Meters
Coaches will give instructions mainly in terms of distance (or yardage) and time. Most American pools are 25 yards in length and are known as short course yards pools or SCY. To understand the sets, you'll need to add in multiples of 25.
Masters Swimming 101: What Are the Basics of Pool Etiquette?
Safety always comes first, and swimming's first rule is never to swim alone. Because you will always be swimming with other people, offer them the type of respect you wish to receive. Swim friendly. Also, always follow the directions of lifeguards and pool staff, as they can see and anticipate things that you cannot.
Masters Swimming 101: What Equipment Do I Need?
Not much! The beauty of swimming is that the water provides all the resistance you need to work every part of your body. No machine can match it.
Masters Swimming 101: How to Start Swim Practice as an Adult
Swimming is great exercise, but practicing with a group can seem mysterious to the uninitiated. Can I just show up? Are other swimmers going to laugh at me? If your questions are even more basic than that, you may first want to review our Let's Get Started page.
How Sleep Can Impact Your Swimming Performance
For many Masters swimmers, routine is everything. You go to your workout 3, 4, 5, or more days a week or more like clockwork. You work hard during your training sessions, whether they’re in the pool or open water, and you rinse and repeat.
How to Stop Anxiety as a New Swimmer
Swimtimidation is real, but it’d be a shame to let it hold you back. Here are some tips for managing and eradicating this common and understandable anxiety.
At What Water Temperature Do I Need a Wetsuit?
For many open water swimmers around the world, a wetsuit is an essential piece of gear they need for all their training and racing adventures. These tight-fitting body suits, usually made of high-tech, black neoprene and ranging in thickness from a super thin 0.5 millimeters to a robust and toasty 6 millimeters or more, can make swimming in cold water a lot more enjoyable. They work by trapping a thin layer of water between your skin and the suit. Heat from your body quickly warms that water into an insulating layer, and provided the suit fits correctly, you’ll feel comfortable in short order.
How Long Does it Take to Get Back Into Swimming Shape?
No matter how dedicated a swimmer you are, sometimes it just happens: the dreaded layoff. Whether because of an injury, work commitments, family matters, travel, or any other reasons why your swimming routine might get disrupted, a period away from the pool happens to all of us at some point.
Can Swimming Improve Your Sex Life?
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that people have less sex as they age. Testosterone, a main hormonal driver of desire in people, begins to decline starting around age 40, right as the stresses of life are reaching max complexity. Juggling work, children, and aging parents all make it harder for partners to set aside time for intimacy.
How to Start a Swimming Routine
Whether you’ve found your way to the pool for fitness, weight loss, health benefits, social purposes, or any other reason, you’re on your way to a brighter future. Swimming offers a wealth of health benefits including improved cardiovascular function, reduced blood pressure, and strength and muscle building. It’s also a lot of fun; science has only begun to unravel the myriad health benefits that come from having an active social life, and your swimming friends will be all too eager to help you achieve those during and after a workout.
Why Swimming Might Make You Need to Pee
Open water swimming holds certain advantages over pool swimming in a number of areas, perhaps the most convenient of these being not having to exit the water to answer the call of nature. (You really shouldn’t in pools.) Indeed, for most open water swimmers, taking a leak is part and parcel of every swim—sometimes multiple times—and we invest a good bit of time and energy into perfecting the ability to “go” on the go.
Best Swimming Workouts for Weight Loss
It’s a well-known fact that swimmers like to eat—a lot! And in a perfect world they’re in the pool just enough to balance their eating and swimming in order to maintain their optimal body weight. What happens when suddenly your weight seems higher than normal? Are there workouts that are better than others to take the extra pounds off? Do you need to work out more? Harder? Go on a diet?
Best Workouts for Masters Swimmers
Experienced and novice Masters swimmers alike take time out of their daily lives to improve both their physical and mental health through swimming. Not all Masters swimmers have the experience and knowledge to design a training and workout plan for themselves, so USMS created the Workout Library to offer any swimmer who wants one an easy way to train.
How Can I Still Swim If I’m Allergic to Chlorine or Have a Chlorine Sensitivity?
When your immune system overreacts to a substance your body has become hypersensitive to, that’s an allergy. Your immune system is responding to a trigger in the environment that it believes to be a pathogen and as such, certain annoying, persistent symptoms may emerge. These can include hives, itching and redness of the skin, sneezing, or watering eyes. For many people, pet dander, pollen, foods, or dust can trigger such responses. In severe cases, an allergic reaction can be deadly.
How Many Laps Make a Mile in Swimming?
It’s one of the most common questions lifeguards get when working at a pool: How many lengths do I need to swim if I want to complete a mile?
Can I Swim With a Broken Bone?
It happens to most of us at some point in life—a mishap leads to a broken bone. You might need to have a cast put on, and it can be a real drag to keep up with your normal routine when lugging around this unwieldy medical device.
