Courtesy of Julia Galan
For many former competitive swimmers, finding the motivation to return to consistent training after a long and intense career can be challenging. All too often, whether at the peak of their age-group experience or during collegiate swimming, swimmers will begin to burn out and start to consider the sport in terms of a burden to bear, a way to get through college, or a means to an end. Instead of making swimming a part of their life, swimmers set an end date, race their last competition and hang up their suits for good.
Unfortunately, quitting the sport you have pursued for a lifetime is not easy, and can have consequences for some: loss of strength, weight gain, lack of general activity and a diminished sense of motivation. Attempting a comeback can also be frustrating for swimmers unused to having lost their former endurance and level of swimming. In particular, swimmers who lacked proper technique find that they can no longer rely on powering through the water without greater risk of injury – and slower swimming speed. In our sport, excelling in races and competitions, or even just in daily training, requires a great deal of time and commitment, regardless of performance level. That translates into many hours spent in and around the pool, whether swimming, strength training, or even taking the time to drive to practice. With competitions few and far between, particularly for adult swimmers or triathletes, the daily grind of training can get tedious and it becomes easy to lose sight of the long-term rewards and make excuses not to swim or to cut corners during swimming and not give it your best effort.
Despite the challenges, however, returning to swimming with a new perspective can ultimately allow individuals to reap rewards that make the effort entirely worthwhile, such as regaining your passion for the sport, getting back into shape, racing at competitions, and generally making goals to strive for that lend a purpose to a swimmer’s athletic endeavors.
The following are a few tips to get back into the water, stay injury-free and maintain your motivation for training:
One – Focus on technique:
Technique is the most important factor in successfully returning to competitive swimming. Many swimmers go through their careers with more of a focus on speed and interval work, but for returning swimmers it is particularly important to begin perfecting technique since their endurance level and speed are likely no longer the same. Learning the proper technique will allow a swimmer to be efficient in the water and to avoid many injuries by putting less pressure on the joints, muscles and tendons. Incorporating drills into your workout will also provide variety and help develop your aerobic base, while at the same time feeling more comfortable in the water. Find out where your main weaknesses lie and discover the drills that are designed to correct those issues.
Two – Start slow:
Whether you are getting back into the water after an extended period of time or just starting to swim, don’t overdo the yardage. It can be frustrating to get back into the pool and force yourself to start with a small amount of yardage, especially when you might be used to consistently swimming more. But this frustration can also lead to overexertion, injuries and inconsistent training, which creates a vicious cycle of stop-and-go swimming. Starting from scratch, focusing on technique and progressing by slow, small steps will encourage you to begin training more consistently. Increase yardage and time in the pool by very small increments each week and make patience your number one priority.
Three – Keep track of your progress:
Another way to maintain consistent training is to keep track of your progress, so that you can see the rewards of your training on a weekly basis or know when you’ve slacked off. Write down your daily yardage and at the end of the week plug it into graph form, whether on paper or on your computer. Knowing how much yardage you have put in makes the difference between an athlete and an average lap swimmer. Instead of swimming blindfolded, you will know how much yardage you have put in so far and how much further you need to go in order to accomplish your goal. This will force you to stay on track and bring satisfying results.
Four – Set goals:
Setting goals, both short-term and long-term, is an important factor in keeping focused, increasing your confidence, and keeping up the motivation to train. The goals you set will be personal to you. In the short term, they can range anywhere from increasing your total weekly yardage, to decreasing the amount of rest you take between sets, to improving your full stroke times while doing sets on intervals. Long term goals could range from achieving a faster time at your next competition or race, ranking higher in your races, or even feeling less fatigued when swimming a specific distance in a race, such as during a triathlon. While setting goals is important, it can also be tricky or lead to frustration if your goals are not achieved. Be sure to set specific goals that are tough and inspirational, but not entirely out of reach. If you have just started learning how to swim and your goal is to make a national cut, for example, you may become frustrated to see the difference between your current times and the cut. The key is not to completely dismiss the possibility of going to Nationals, but rather to make that a potential future outcome as opposed to a short-term goal.
Five – Attend competitions or races:
When you have achieved a comfortable level in your training, sign up for a swim meet. Meets provide a good opportunity to set goals for your training, to get a good idea of how far you have progressed, and to know where you need to go from then on. Meets are also great places to bond with your team, to meet new people, and make new friends.
See you at the pool!
About Julia Galan
Julia Galan is a lifelong competitive swimmer and a USA Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming coach. Julia’s passion for the sport, for coaching and for writing led to the creation of Swimspire, a coaching and swimming inspiration source geared towards athletes of all levels and goals.
