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tracking swims and getting fat
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Two questions in one,

I really would like to start gathering more data on my swimming..I can't count the laps as there are so many and I find anything over a couple hundred meters I start to loose count (25m pool). I currently set a countdown on my watch and swim that time per set e.g 5x10min and dont really pay too much attention to my 100m split times. So some kind of tracker is in order I think ..I like the idea of those goggles that show you pace in the lense for instant feedback but something that could also work across the other disciplines I e some kind of watch could also be good.


Also I'm not fat..got a bit chubby last Christmas but shed my 'winter coat' quickly. Now I've upped my training I'm loosing even more padding, at 6ft4 I'm now down to a 33" waist and need extra holes in my belt...How do I keep weight on without resorting to eating crap? is it simply eat more ? Hammer in more carbs? eat eggs and Bacon every day (I hope this is the answer!)
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [skutter] [ In reply to ]
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Hi Skutter,

Pretty much any fitness watch can track laps. I have a Garmin and they start off quite cheaply and many do swimming, and can count the laps for you. I also lose track of the lengths when swimming, so when I first got a watch it was brilliant. It also tells you how fast you was which is really useful to monitor progress.

As for weight - it is all calories, simple as that - whether you eat nothing but McDonalds or Vegetables, they all have a caloric value. Most should have a balanced diet, with a really decent chunk of good/healthy fats like nuts, avocado, eggs, oily fish. Plus carbs such as Sweet Potato, brown rice, banana, fruits, etc. and protein such as chicken, beef, tuna, etc.

For a while I did a low carb nutrition plan and really did well on that.
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For someone of your size you'd probably need a fair amount of calories. You can work out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) here - https://www.active.com/fitness/calculators/bmr. In case you didn't know this is the number of calories you need just to maintain your weight. If you weigh yourself consistently, such as everyday or once a week you can see if it goes up/down/stays the same. You can then alter your calories up/down if you need to.
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [skutter] [ In reply to ]
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Hi Skutter,

Those goggles you are wondering about are the FORM goggles and I work for them! So if you have any questions about them, let me know. I will say (although I might be biased...) that the goggles are much more accurate with tracking pool swimming compared to most watch options. We have been testing out different watches (wearing the watch and the goggles, plus manually recording distance/lengths) and find that a lot of the watches are frequently a bit off the actual distance swum.

As for food, I'm not an expert but it sounds like you need to up the calorie density of your food. Extra scoops of peanut butter, a handful of nuts/seeds, adding some olive oil to your cooking, etc... then you can still feel good about what you are eating while maintaining the calories!
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [kerikstri] [ In reply to ]
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Eating saturated fats alongside ample carbs is the quickest way to gain fat weight. Saturated fats turn to fat the easiest. So yes, eggs, bacon, butter, red meat. Good, natural sources of course.

In bodybuilding for example, I would simply transfer my main protein source being fish to ground beef. 80/20 ground beef will put weight on fairly rapidly. Of course, lots of carbs too, keep insulin high and glycogen full to force nutrients into storage.

Strava
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [skutter] [ In reply to ]
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First, swimmers count lengths, not laps. Runners count laps.

Second, even in a SCM/SCY pool you should not be swimming so many lengths in one set to lose count. I do a 500 meter warm up, and that is my longest set by a factor of 2. I'm not unusual in that respect.

I suggest you look at some on line swim programs to get an idea of what most swimmers do for a workout. I think you are going be surprised at how many are mostly 50s and 100s.

As for a watch, I never wore one until my pool removed the deck clocks, however nearly any watch with a swim mode will do what you are asking.

"...the street finds its own uses for things"
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [skutter] [ In reply to ]
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If you want to accumulate more data on your swimming then something that will help keeping track of you lap times or 100m intervals will be helpful. If I am swimming 400m interval for instance in 7 min I start with the red clock arm on pace clock at zero. I am swimming 145 per 100m so the red arm should fall in 45 then 30 then 15 then zero and even if I lose track I know where I am. It also help me pace evenly. The swimming clock at the pool is super useful and worth getting used to.

They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [skutter] [ In reply to ]
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As a current D1 Collegiate swimmer I have only ever utilized the pace-clock in pools to get my splits during and when finishing each effort. If you are able to sight the pace-clock mid breath on either end of the pool you will get a good idea of intermediate splits throughout your effort and can even determine what distance you are at mid-effort if you are unsure +/- 50m. Anticipate what numbers you should be seeing each 50 to keep you on track. Always have a concrete plan with both yardage and intervals when showing up to the pool
Last edited by: MattRBrewer: Oct 18, 20 10:19
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [skutter] [ In reply to ]
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My old Garmin Fenix 3 records distance, time, strokes, and pace/100yards. It vibrates every 500 yards (10 laps). I swim up to 10K continuously, in a 25 yard pool, and it's always been dead on.

As for weight, I've always been a skinny ass, and gave up trying to put it on, or keep it on, long ago. The older you get, the more you'll appreciate this. I've spent a small fortune over the years, on mass gain protein type products, and all It's ever gotten me was love handles and pooch belly... that disappeared when I stopped taking the stuff. Count your blessings.

Athlinks / Strava
Last edited by: Dean T: Oct 18, 20 10:53
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [Dean T] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the replies and feedback / info.

The lap clocks can be hard to see when it's busy and also I find indoor pools too warm and my goggles steam up after a while... never happens with them in open water. Drills I'm fine with counting as I alternate the drill every 25 or 50m but for example I'll sometimes do alternating drills for a set time e.g 10 minutes main steady set on a long day is anything from 1000 to 3000+ meters and some days the whole swim from warm up to cool down will be one continuous swim but with focuses during it e.g a length with fists / sprint / specific breathing patterns...

Been reading up on some body building / wrestler diet plans... basically eat a lot and often...but also don't eat crap is the basis of it...he says after his 3rd helping of homemade apple crumble and custard đŸ’ª
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [skutter] [ In reply to ]
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Just get one of the many trackers that counts lengths. It will change your life.

I am also terrible at counting in the pool. Even when I am doing 50yd and 100yd drills, I lose track of how many I have done. And longer drills of 500 yards are hopeless. Just last week I forgot my watch, so I decided to swim a mile. I was wearing my Fitbit, which counts lengths but does not display them. I was aiming for 72 lengths, and swam what I thought was 74 just to be safe. When I got home and checked my Fitbit, it had counted 84.
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [skutter] [ In reply to ]
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If you're eating healthy why don't you eat more of what you're eating now?

It's not hard to add 250-500 calories a day.
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [skutter] [ In reply to ]
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A Garmin Swim watch is going to be the most economical tracker for pool swims. Under $50. You can go up from there, of course.

Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018
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Re: tracking swims and getting fat [SharonMcN] [ In reply to ]
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I am a swimming coach. An idea to help count laps.

Lean away from 50s and 100s and do 75s and 125s and 175s instead. That way you can track how many you have done based on what side of the pool you are on. Your body will know when you've "only" done 3 of the five lengths.

Also...absolutely nothing wrong (especially in triathlon training) with turning your lap counting brain off and focusing on technique for something like 6*5:00 swims. Count strokes per length. When the number creeps up focus on stroke length or whatever your deficiency is.

Another way to do some longer swims if counting is an issue. Do 225s. First 150 swim last 75 pull. Same idea as before as you actually need to swim to your pull buoy. Just different mind games.
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