Burnout In Swimming And How To Avoid It?

People who swim seriously (competitively or as a hobby) are very familiar with the fact that swimming is a serious commitment that requires hours and hours of work and powerful self-discipline. Many swimmers tend to start very, very young and put years of effort into their craft, and unfortunately, burnout catches with many of them. Here is what swimming burnout is, why it happens, and what you can and should do to avoid it.

What Is a Swimming Burnout?

A swimming burnout is defined as emotional and physical exhaustion, the devaluation of sport, and a reduced sense of accomplishment. Burnout can often stem from a perfectionist mindset and focusing too hard on a goal, which creates an added physical and emotional anxiety. When it comes to competitive swimmers, burnout tends to happen when they lack support, when they do not feel their short and long-term goals are attainable, and when they feel like they cannot take a break, both mentally and physically.

Additional Burnout Factors

Anxiety in swimming can also come from sources that are outside of an athlete’s control and have nothing to do with their mental and physical state. Some of them include the parental pressure to perform, feelings of obligation to a team, lack of recovery, over-training, and the sense of entrapment in the sport they once adored. For the swimmers who have been involved in swimming for as long as they remember, feeling stuck and unable to improve might aid in causing burnout.

How To Avoid the Swimming Burnout?

If you have noticed and recognized that you are on the road to swimming burnout, take the time to stop, think, and solve the issue before it becomes too big to solve. Here are some helpful tips that will help you address the potential problem and get back on the right track.M

• MaintainVariety

Becomingburnt out in any sport or activity is pretty easy if you feel trappedin a never-ending cycle of repetition of the same workouts. If youare pushing yourself to do the same exercises daily, you are riskingovertraining, under-stimulation, and eventual burnout. Make sure tointroduce variety into your swimming routine instead of focusing on anarrow range of exercises. Some of the ways to introduce variety intoyour workouts are practicing at a different pool, changing theschedule for your training, trying different types of on-land andin-water exercises. By switching up your swimming routine, you willkeep up with your training without swimming becoming an activity youdread participating in.

• AllowSufficient Recovery Time

Restis just as important as active training, and because the body alwayshas its limits and it should never be pushed past them. If you do notallow your body sufficient time to recoup from exhaustion, anillness, or injury, you are overtraining it, which is unsustainableover long periods of time. Pushing through when your body needsrecovery does not make you a better athlete but it ultimately causesa series of setbacks that will take you further from your goals.

• SetAttainable Goals

Ifyour goals are unrealistic, it is easy to feel like your hard work isgetting you nowhere. At that point, why even bother trying?

Toavoid this potential pitfall, make sure to set attainable andreasonable goals for yourself. Make sure to work toward beating yourpersonal best time and improving yourself compared to your past self.Once you come up with your concrete goals, keep them in mind duringyour daily workouts. When you achieve your goal, take the time tocelebrate those fruits of your labor before making a new goal.

Kamil Market Development Expert at Swimmo

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