This past summer was a blast in terms of swimming. Outdoor swimming in the warmth and sunshine is glorious, and even if I’m doing the same workout as during the season, it doesn’t seem like it’s as much work. We had a great group swimming together this summer, and I also swam in lots of lakes. The most interesting body of water I swam in was something called the Oyster River Potholes on Vancouver Island. The water was COLD but beautiful, and the rock formations are why it’s called “Potholes”. Definitely the coolest (no pun intended) place I swam.
But the seasons change, and September is a transition month for my exercise routine. No more swimming in the mornings or at noon outdoors, or in the lakes. No more long, relaxing summer evenings to go for a walk or a bike ride along the river (stopping for ice cream or a beer along the way!). Time for a routine and to start training for another swim season, and to reconnect with my squat rack. The week of Sept 23 (first week of autumn!) was the first week for the routine of swimming Sunday mornings and Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and doing weights Mondays and Wednesdays (or another day). I took it easy in the pool, opting to start with freestyle clinic to focus on technique. It’s crowded in the pool, so there’s less focus on mileage anyway. It’s good to ease into the swimming routine. After about 3 weeks off, it feels really good to be back in the pool. My body needs to swim.
And the weights….there was a BIG break in the summer, so it was even more important to go easy. I have a “summer workout” routine, which is lighter weights and 2 sets instead of three. So I started with that. All good and very little muscle soreness, so the following week I increased the weights, keeping it at 2 sets. It feels good to feel my muscles working against resistance, and to feel a bit of soreness the next day. Since we’re focussing on technique in the pool and not distance or speed, now’s the perfect time to build on the weights. I’ve now been lifting for 2 weeks, and feel ready to bump it up to 3 sets.
Getting back to doing weights is also good for my motivation to do physio on my shoulder. It feels tight in my left pectoralis and I have exercises, but I haven’t been doing them. Doing weights is also good for doing core strengthening exercises. I think my core strength needs work to help with my swimming. I’ve noticed that my backstroke especially is unbalanced since I don’t have that core strength to kick and roll. That backstroke pull the other day was hard and it felt like I was drowning, and I think it’s because my body is not aligned with the water. Core strengthening, which I have also not been doing in the summer, should help with that.
Anybody else change up their workout routines with the seasons?
Let’s DO this!!
