[Q.]

If we talk swimming often enough, do we get our own area of JPFitness??? Hey, the runners have one!

Check out the TI magazine archives. I'm big into TI and, if you go to their forum (hey, we don't have swimming here ), you'll find me as BradMM. I bought the book and the DVD for freestyle swimming and they've helped a lot!

Just this morning, I was reading about breathing. I noticed that I was holding my breath and that it was limiting my workout so it occured to me that I needed to fully exhale before taking in a breath (as in underwater)! You can't take in air at the same time as exhaling and you quickly get into O2 deficit if you don't manage your breathing right.

Coincidentally, I was on the phone talking to the author of the article this morning discussing upcoming training sessions.

SOURCE


New swimmers and triathletes often ask, “If I’m in such great shape, running and cycling, why can’t I swim one length of the pool without feeling out of breath?” Well, let’s explore that in all its dimensions. Ask yourself: “How many of the factors listed below may be at work in my swimming/drilling right now?” This exercise should help you understand that you’re not out of shape and give you the confidence to “stay the course” with your TI practice, rather than fear that, because drills don’t seem demanding, drill practice may be causing you to “go soft.”

Factor One: (The BIG ONE)
Most folks think that the stimulus to breathe is lack of Oxygen (O2). In fact, only about 25 percent of the O2 in the air we breathe is utilized as it’s transported through the body. The fact that exhaled breath has plenty of O2 left in it is what allows CPR to be effective.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2), on the other hand, is only found in minute quantities of the air we inspire, but constitutes about 5% of what we exhale. We produce CO2 as a byproduct of energy production at the cellular level. The more active you are, the more CO2 you produce and transport to the lungs where it’s exchanged for fresh air. Out with the bad air, in with the good. This increasing level of CO2 in the blood is the brain’s chemical signal to breathe.

At rest, we breathe between 10 and 15 times per minute or once every 4-6 seconds. With strenuous activity such as running or cycling you might finding yourself breathing as often as 60 times a minute or more as your brain signals you to get rid of accumulating CO2 by breathing faster. No problem when you’re on the road or track. But what happens when your face is underwater? Your body rotation rhythm now dictates your respiratory rate, and this is often not rapid enough to satisfy the sensors in your brain.

Suppose, for example, that it takes you three cycles of Triple UnderSwitch and about 30 seconds to get from one end of the pool to the other. That equates to one breath every 10 seconds or so –compared to the usual rate of once each 4 to 5 seconds. Though you try to remain relaxed while doing the switches, at the end of the pool your brain still may say, “Blow off some CO2 until we’re back to baseline and comfortable again.” Again, this is purely brain chemistry, not conditioning. This is why we recommend three yoga breaths each time you roll to air in most drill practice.

Factor two:
Know then, that any breath-holding activity will cause you to compensate at the other end with deeper or more rapid respirations. Thus, we need to mimic as close to a normal breathing pattern as possible. If you hold your breath while you’re nose down – whether doing switches or whole-stroke – until the very last moment and then try to quickly exhale/inhale, as your face comes to the surface, you’re breath holding. To maintain a normal pattern, begin exhaling lightly from the moment you turn your head nose-down. This helps keep water out of the nose and the last bit of exhalation occurs as the nose clears the surface and you take a breath through your mouth.

Factor three:
During the late 1980’s an O2 usage study was conducted with some elite runners – Boston Marathon winners. O2 consumption was measured while the runner’s preferred, normal stride length was artificially manipulated on a treadmill. Slight alterations of either shortening or lengthening their preferred stride produced marked changes in oxygen consumption.

If you’re new to TI, you are probably engaged in trying to change your stroke length and rate. Until the new SL becomes routine for you, it would be normal to expect that the change may temporarily increase O2 consumption and CO2 production. As your economy of movement also improves, you should see a decrease in O2 consumption.

Hopefully, this has put your mind at ease. If you’re a triathlete, with the other training you’re doing, it’s highly unlikely you could be out of shape or “going soft” by doing drills. For each of us, breathing is the necessary evil. Becoming more skilled at rolling to air without losing your balance, or your “anchor” with the lead hand, is the challenge. Switch drills are essential to acquiring that skill. As your rhythmic breathing in whole-stroke becomes more seamless, practice breathing every cycle (breathing to your right on one length, to your left on the next) to insure that your respiratory rate is adequate. As that happens you will find yourself spending less time on the wall recovering between laps and swimming farther without fatigue. Ultimately each of you will find your own particular stroke length and rate that allows you to feel the freedom to continue with ease and pleasure. Be a student first and resist abandoning the pursuit of higher efficiency for the sake of training inefficient movement.

Bob Wiskera lives in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of North Texas and coaches frequently at TI Workshops. After 25 years of practicing CardioThoracic Surgery as a Physician Assistant, Bob retired to devote himself to coaching age group swimmers and triathletes. "For the past 5 years I have been implementing TI principles in our practices. Each year we get farther away from training energy systems and more into balance and efficiency." he says. "Last summer approximately 75% of our team (ages 5-16) qualified for All-Stars in our league of 1000 swimmers." Contact Bob at wiskera@comcast.net
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