5 myths about swimming

Today we explore few swimming myths that are repeated often and serve as basis for our swimming habits but they are simply myths! Hold on to your seats as some of them might be a surprise to you all!

No eating for two hours before swimming. You will cramp

The biggest problem with this idea is that we are all different and our needs are just as different. Some of us who workout a lot and as an effect have less of body fat or have very good metabolism, we really need to charge our bodies with energy before going into two hours of intense workout into the pool.

I am a sinker, not a floater.

This can be debunked easily and quickly – most of the world class swimmers might be called 'sinkers’ because of their low body fat and yet they manage to cut through the water efficiently.

That’s why we recommend to focus on your technique as this, more than anything else, will help you become 'a floater’. We also want to remind you that as a swimmer you need to balance your strength-to-weight ratio to maximize your results during the swimming workout.

Pulling with paddles is the fastest way to become a better puller and swimmer.

Paddles can create bad habits among inexperienced swimmers as the bigger surface they provide might result in shoulders injuries.

We absolutely recommend to use full surface of your hand and forearm instead as this will help you quickly start swimming correctly.

Lifting weights will build too much muscle mass.

Believe us – strength training can be aimed at the right goals and produce the desired effect without impairing any motor skills. As I said earlier – strength-to-weight ratio is a critical concept for swimmers and even more for distance swimmers.

Kicking doesn’t add much to forward propulsion.

Many open-water swimmers limit the 'legwork’ but the reason for that is energy conservation, not ability for the legs to help propel. Watching great swimmers you can quickly realize that leg power correlates to swimming speed.

Fight myths with Swimmo!

All these myths have one serious impact on swimmers – they build doubt about the results of their workouts and might impact their confidence.

That’s why it is ideal to have objective metrics after and during every workout that will immediately let you know if you are making progress or if there’s something you need to change in your workout routine.

With automatic lap counting, pace, heart rate monitor and advanced mobile app from Swimmo you will always know how are you doing in the pool and how close you are to achieving your immediate and long-term goals.

Kamil Market Development Expert at Swimmo

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