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How To Swim Like A Pro: Tips For Swimming Faster

22nd September 2021

22nd September 2021

By Shivraj Bassi

Who doesn't love to swim? Splashing about in the sea or in a pool is relaxing, rejuvenating, and of course, very good for you. But are you using a good enough swimming technique for it to viably improve your fitness levels? If not, you should be. You should also be implementing The Energy Booster into your daily routine for an extra energy boost, FYI. 

Research suggests that 98% of recreational swimmers don’t make gains in aerobic fitness despite swimming regularly, so improving your swimming stamina is key in improving here.

Looking for tips for swimming faster, include your stamina and reduce that race time? Here are some ways to improve your swimming technique so much you'll be cutting through the water like a dolphin in no time at all. 

  • Adjust your body position

First and foremost: your body should be always parallel with the surface of the water. Fixing your body position to make yourself more streamline is one of the key ways to improve your swimming stamina.

Keep your body flat from head to toe by strongly engaging core. Keeping your head down makes you more streamlined, which also helps you to go faster.

As you swim, your body should rotate lengthways (i.e. rolling from side to side). This help you to extend your reach and engages your back muscles to power your stroke. Rolling your body will also help you to turn your head to breath and lift your recovering arm out of the water ready for the next stroke.

  • Think about your distance

Try to travel as far as you can with each stroke. By making longer strokes, you’ll need to take fewer strokes per length, and therefore save energy overall. To improve your stroke, make each part of your stroke more efficient by pulling harder and taking your time.

Don’t try and kick faster as the legs only provide 20% of propulsion in front crawl, and are really only there for balance. A good way to assess your stroke progress is by counting your stroke rate, or the number of strokes per length. 

  • Think about the mechanics

The best swimmers can 'hold' more water and so push their bodies further forwards with each stroke. To improve your hold, move your hand with your fingertips down from the front of your stroke to the back.

Do this slow to fast.

A great analogy for this action is rolling your hand over a beach ball and then flinging it behind you. Keep your hand close to your body as you pull back to increase your streamlining. Turn your legs into fins by kicking from the hips, keeping your legs taut but ankles floppy to get up to maximum swim speed.

  • Perfect your breathing

Your swimming breathing technique is just as important as your physical technique and body positioning. The way you breathe affects your energy levels, stamina and of course, overall swim time: so it's important to adapt your breathing technique in terms of stroke type, distance swimming and ability. 

Some swimmers choose to breathe every second stroke, every third or every fourth, but a great rule of thumb when it comes to improving your swimming stamina is to find a rhythm that suits you. One breath every stroke is a great technique when it comes to how to swim faster.

  • Don't forget about timing

Timing is crucial. Aim for your hand to enter the water just as the other begins to pull the water back. Breathe while your arm is recovering, and put your head back underwater before your hand enters for the next stroke.

Do not keep your head out of the water too long. Instead, aim to breathe in while your head is out of the water, and breathe out when your head is underwater. To boost buoyancy, breath out slowly rather than forcibly.

  • Make it a habit 

To make real progress you need to swim as often as you can. Aim to do four sessions per week, even if it is just for half an hour. Swimming tools like floats, hand paddles and flippers can all help you to improve your stroke by allowing you to work on different aspects, whilst keeping your swim interesting and varied.

Summary

For any avid swimmers out there, you’ll know just how much energy a swim session expends and how much you sweat during it. To help make the most of your swim, check out The Energy Booster for a pre-swimming energy boost and The Fit Protein for a great way to replenish and nourish your body after you swim. 

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From the Bedroom to the Gym: Is Your Sex Life Affecting Your Workout Performance?
The relationship between sex and workout performance is one that’s long been debated by scientists and fitness fanatics alike. It’s complicated and multifaceted, so answering the question of whether your sex life is affecting your training is difficult. That said, today we’re going to take a look at a variety of evidence, both academic and anecdotal, as well as several different scenarios and at least try to reduce some of the mystery around the subject. First, it helps to understand what’s actually happening to the body, both physically and psychologically, during both activities.   The Effects of Sex on the Body Sexual activity causes several changes to occur in the body:   Physical Changes That Occur During Sex During sexual activity and the lead up to it, the human body undergoes a process known as the sexual response cycle. This is the case for both males and females, though the cycle can be highly individual and may not be the same each time for each person. Describing the full sexual response cycle is beyond the scope of this article, however it consists of 4 phases: Desire Arousal Orgasm Resolution Factors such as elevated heart rate, increased blood flow and pressure and heightened muscle tension all come into play. If you’d like to read about the sexual response cycle in more detail, check out this great article from Cleveland Clinic.   Psychological Changes That Occur During Sex Several psychological changes occur both during and after sex. Most notable are the release of endorphins and oxytocin, which are associated with improved mood and a better sense of wellbeing. These are also responsible for reduced stress levels, which brings a multitude of additional benefits that are of particular interest to those of us participating in regular training and exercise. Cortisol, the hormone responsible for stress, is catabolic in high levels, meaning it can cause the breakdown of lean tissue. So, whilst it is unclear whether sex itself affects workout performance, the reduction in stress levels it may bring is definitely beneficial for preserving our results!   The Effects of Exercise and Training on the Body Exercise and training also cause the body to undergo a number of changes. These occur both during and after the physical activity. There are in fact a number of similarities in changes that happen during exercise and sex:   Physical Changes That Occur During Exercise The physical changes that happen in the body vary based on the type of exercise being undertaken, however, there are some that are common to exercise in general: Increased heart rate Increased blood flow, especially to the muscles Faster, deeper breathing due to additional oxygen needs Heightened activity within the circulatory, respiratory, musculoskeletal and endocrine systems A full summary of the changes that occur within these systems can be found here. More aerobically demanding exercise will, of course, place greater emphasis on the circulatory and respiratory systems as well as causing fat to be metabolised as an energy source. Resistance training, which often relies more heavily on the lactate and creatine phosphate energy systems, instead promotes greater muscular and endocrine (hormone) activity. Note the common physical changes between sex and exercise here, as they do crossover!   Psychological Changes That Occur During Exercise The psychological changes that occur during exercise are similar to those experienced during sexual activity and are mostly related to the release of endorphins and other ‘feelgood’ hormones. These help to regulate mood, and it is common knowledge that frequent exercise and leading an active, healthy lifestyle promotes a feeling of wellbeing.   Does Sex Affect Our Workouts? This is where things become complicated. Though extensive studies have been done on the subject, the results of these have varied massively. We must also take into account the experience of individuals, and this anecdotal evidence again has huge variance. Let’s look at both:   Sex and Training: What the Science Says Scientific studies on the relationship between sex and training are contradictory at best. There’s no denying the positive benefits of both activities, particularly from a psychological perspective, but as for the effect of sex on actual performance in the gym the results are inconclusive. A study, published in April 2021, by Kirecci, Albayrak and co. examined the effects of sexual activity of 50 men in the 24 hours prior to training on lower body strength. The study measured effects by having the men perform 3 separate squat sessions, each at the same time of day. Each of these sessions occurred after participating in or abstaining from sexual activity the night before. The men performed 5 sets of 5 repetitions of their maximum squat weight during these sessions and the difference in weight lifted was observed. The study concluded that ‘sexual intercourse within 24 hours before exercise [has a] detrimental effect on lower extremity muscle force, which suggests that restricting sexual activity before a short-term activity may be necessary.’ Aside from this study, most others found either no notable relationship between sex and athletic performance. A meta-analysis of 9 crossover studies, conducted by Zavorsky and Brooks and published on 16 September 2022, confirms this. The analysis concluded that ‘The results demonstrate that sexual activity within 30 min to 24 h before exercise does not appear to affect aerobic fitness, musculoskeletal endurance, or strength/power.’ This is perhaps more notable, because these studies incorporated different types of exercise and were not restricted purely to a strength/power based activity like squats.   Anecdotal Evidence: What About the Experiences of Real Gym Goers? The anecdotal evidence is, as expected, highly individualised. However, there tends to be a bias against the results of most studies, particularly in those participating in sports involving strength and aggression. For example, many fighters claim that they perform better when they abstain from sex in the days leading up to a contest. Similarly, bodybuilding forums are full of debate on this topic and many claim they note a significant decrease in motivation to train at maximum intensity after sexual activity. It has been hypothesised that this may be due to a downregulation in testosterone production after sex; during orgasm the mineral zinc is released in the body and this is also a precursor for natural testosterone production in the body and may, therefore, provide some reasoning as to the experience of many trainees.   Key Takeaways The relationship between sex and workout performance will always be a complicated one. The effects of one on the other in terms of physical fitness and, in particular, mental wellbeing, are clear, but when it comes to actual performance this appears to be highly individual. We’d advise doing what feels best for you but not worrying too much about it. Instead, prioritise your nutrition and make sure you’re fuelling your workouts properly. While you’re here, why not take a look at the Innermost range? We’re proud to be completely transparent about the ingredients in our products and we always ensure they’re of the highest quality. Check us out, and be sure to get in touch if you have any questions! Read more