Swimming, apart from being an amazing exercise for keeping healthy, fit and fresh, is also one that calls for immense physical as well as mental strength. A swimmer needs to be physically strong to keep moving his arms, legs and his entire body in the desired manner and he needs to be mentally alert to just keep going. However, no matter how expert a swimmer you are, the feeling of fatigue after a point of time is bound to hit you. The sudden heaviness and numbness in the arms and legs have been experienced by all swimmers at some point of time or the other. Even open water swimmers and triathletes who are supposed to be among the best performers, feel fatigued even if that comes after numerous lengths. So, irrespective of the exact point when you start feeling fatigued, there are some proven ways in which in you which you can avoid the feeling of fatigue or at least, keep its effect to the minimum.
Expert swim trainers offering you with swimming lessons in Pearland TX will typically offer you with some essential tips and advice for swimming faster, better and for a longer duration. But, as a swimmer, you are the best person to understand your body and what suits you better. Here, let’s discuss some of the best ways of avoiding fatigue while having your way in the waters.
- Bring in Variety – Fatigue often results from the consistent movement of your arms and legs in the same direction and in the very same way. Changing your strokes in between helps in bringing variety, thereby, offering you relief from extreme tiredness and cramping of the muscles. Go for backstroke swimming as this particular technique significantly helps you in catching your breath. While performing backstroke, your face and chest are out of the water to a certain extent and this acts as an advantage. However, do not change strokes too often. Rotate at the right time before getting completely drained.
- Switch Strokes – You should definitely bring in some variety in the arms and leg movement as well as in your stroke style. When continuous front crawl starts making your arms feel numb, ease your arms off and focus on generating momentum from your kicks till your arms relax and regain their strength.
- Minimize Your Energy Use – This is not a very easy thing to do but regular practice will help you master the technique. Holding on to your glide for long ensures that you invest less energy. Begin with counting your number of strokes per length and for the subsequent lengths, try to decrease the number of strokes you perform. The lesser energy you put, the longer will you be able to swim with the same level of strength.
Above all, keep practicing and following the guidance offered by the swim trainers. As a swimmer, participating in competitions will require you to overcome fatigue as much as possible and these techniques will surely help you out accordingly.