so you do have a breathing problem.
offered thoughtful response on your breathing problem only to have you say you dont have a breathing problem by saying again in your response you can’t breathe…
maybe youre right. the problem might be more than breathing. seems like a lack of awareness of what your issue is. If you want to do some self analysis and come back, great. otherwise I stand by my response to the question you posed.
all the best.
daved
Um, okay. I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Clearly I didn’t explain myself very well.
I have no issue with the exhale when I’m swimming and not doing drills. So clearly I’m capable of exhaling while swimming. When I’m doing drills, I get so focused on the drill, that I hold my breath.
I appreciate you taking the time to offer advice. My question is how practicing the exhale while not moving will help me to remember to breathe when I’m doing drills.
Appreciate the “benefit of the doubt” as internet help w swimming is just plain challenging. So we can keep trying.
I guess the first step in any issue is identifying the issue. Your issue seems to be that you are breath holding (ie not exhaling) while you are focused on something else (Some drill). So you have checked the first box in this puzzle.
So the short (and sadly too direct sounding answer) is to “just practice exhaling when you are doing the drill”-- but swimming is much more nuanced than that.
So my advice to practice exhaling without the challenge of anything else is valid. Improve your awareness of your issue without other limiters. It would increase your likelihood of overcoming your challenge. In my opinion.
Where my history of coaching comes into play here is this:
as land-based animals, when we enter “flight or flight” (which is exactly what happens in your brain when your breathing aparatus is closed off as you go under water) our instinct is to HOLD our breath. The breath has 3 parts. Inhale, exhale and hold. 99% of swimmers issues at every level is based on the quality of the exhale. Ive seen beginner swimmers and elite swimmers without the ability to exhale their air and sink to the bottom of the pool. I have taken the same swimmers and worked specifically on the exhale and hold (while exhaled) and these same athletes have been able to: float with air in their lungs, exhale and sink to the bottom, then use only their finger tips and toes to scoot along the bottom a full 25 yards (no air in their lungs or very little the entire time).
So improving your exhale and your awareness of your exhale will enable you to bring out that tool while you work on sharpening other tools at the same time.
I do hope that makes sense.
My only caveat here is… you must communicate w the lifeguards at your facility before you start trying to exhale and sink, as they may think there is a problem. This is not a joke. I have had more than a few folks not communicate only to cause quite a stir on a pool deck unneccessarily.
All the best,
daved
Did this one on Monday morning at the low/cool pool:
2x(6x150buoy or pull@2;30/2;20/150 frog@3;00)buoys(2;13 to 2;06’s)pulls(1;58 to 1;51)
3x(2x100p@1;30/100back@2;00)
18x50@1;00 mixed stuff
3800SCY in. 72 minutes
Then this one in my home high and very hot(86.5) pool:
6x100buoy@1;40(1;31 to 1;24)4x100frog@2;10(1;58 to 1;50)
10x200p@3;00-long strokes(13 per lap)-(2;46 to 2;33)
20x50’s@1;00-some fast, some slow all mixed up
4000SCY in 76 minutes
good to see youre wet again!
Swimming has been… just ok for me lately. Love getting in the 3x per week tho.
Yesterday was a fun last set:
4 times through
100 on 1:10
25 on :20
75 on :50
100 ez on 2
Obv the 100-25-75 were fast to make the interval and i was coming in right on 50-51 on the 75s knowing the ez 100 was coming. But a good set
daved
Thanks Dave, it certainly is going to be a change going forward, but at least I get to move that direction. Did this one yesterday, pool temp coming down to about 85.5…3 days in a row, so did half the workout kicking, which keeps my head out in the cooler air:
3x(3x100buoy@1;40/100 kick@2;00)buoys(1;30 to 1;23) flutter with zoomers(1;47 to 1;31)dolphin with boomers(1;48 to 1;43)
2x(3x100p@1;40/3x100frog@2;00)pulls(1;18 to 1;13)frogs(1;56 to 1;50)
12x50 odds pull/evens kick-pull(38 to 33)kicks mixed (69 to 53)
3600SCY in 68 minutes
Day 4 in a row here, finally getting my gils back. But new pacemaker is on all the time it feels like, still 20 beats high for all my normal swims. That with the very hot water is forcing me into a lot more rest between efforts, it may just be my new normal…About 86 again today and finally got Dan in for another 1st swim:
4x(2x100buoy@1;40/50hard back@1;10/100frog)buoys(1;28 to 1;25)pulls 1;17)backs(43/42/40/38+)
4x(2x100pull@1;40/50fly hard@1;10/100frog)pulls(1;19 to 1;17’s) fly’s(all 36’s)
2x(4x100p@1;45/50frog@1;30/50breast@1;00)pulls(1;21 to 1;17)breast(42/42)
2x(3x50p@;50/;50/1;20/50back@1;00/50frog@1;30)pulls(39’s)back(39/41)frogs easy
3700SCY in 71 minutes
sounds kinda scary monty! (if Im being honest) but I love tht youre back at it and taking steps to mitigate the issues.
swam this am but had to go super early with 2 kids now home sick from school (wife is WFH but… dont get much help m-f)
Nothing super to report as I havent swum that early in a long time and man, it takes a monumental effort to get thebody going that early.
Got in 4300 tho and that made dragging my ass outta bed worth it.
daved
yikes monty… glad your caveman strategy worked…
was x-c skiiing with a friend this week, he had 3 ablations for assorted fibrillations two years ago. Since then his resting hr is 20 beats above the low-40s it used to be… but as he says, still alive and moving.
we had a ransomware attack at my old company, didn’t pay and it took six months to recover. Later the cops were able to find the Russian crypto bros responsible for the attack and shut them down, the video of the raid was something, suitcases full of 100-dollar bills lying around in between the racks of computers…
Monty, you’re like the energizer bunny - in hot water no less. Hope it goes well.
3800 SCY
400 (5:44), 4x100@1:45(1:21-24) 300 (4:17), 3x100@1:45(1:22-23), 200 (2:50), 2x100@1:45(1:20-21)
200K
Pull: 300 (3:56), 3x100@1:30 (1:17-8), 200 (2:37)2x100@1:30(1:18)
200K
8x50 stroke on 60 (40-49)
200K
Fun Saturday morning hot water swim, and dan in for day 2!!
3x(4x100buoy or pull@1;40/2x100frog@2;10/2x50 stroke@1;10/50frog@1;10)buoys(1;28 to 1;24)pulls(1;18 to 1;15)back(44/42)fly(37/37)brst(43/42)
3x(200p@3;10/100frog@2;20/50free hard–pulls(2;44/41/39)frogs(1;56/55/54)free(33/33/32)
10x50 kick@1;20 odds dolphin/evens frog-dolphin(69/65/64/63/58)frogs(56 to 53’s)
3x50p@1;00(37/34/32)50 kick
4000SCY in 80 minutes
Got to swim at the cool sea level pool today, and I think I must be getting in better shape. Really hard to tell in that hot tub pool, as most things are survival. But today felt good even though morning swim, and high HR didnt bother me as much as it has been:
2x(3x100buoy@1;40/2x100frog@2;00)buoys(1;25 to 1;19)frogs(1;54 to 1;49)
2x(500p@7;00/200frog@4;00)pulls(6;25/6;21)frogs(3;41/3;43)
2x(2x100p@1;30/100frog@2;20/2x50 stroke@1;20/100frog)pulls(1;14/1;12/1;10+/1;08+)back(43/41)breast(45/44)
2x(50fast pull or swim@1;00/50frog)pull(31)swim(32)
3600SCY in 65 minutes
hot water is hard!
my solo main today long course was 2x100 2x200 2x300 2x400 800 on 1:25 cycle. my ceiling time was 117.5 all the way through trying to keep all reps faster than that - prob did 1 secmond over on the 800
1000 swim down
been working on some new kick actions for my sprint as well, spikes the lactate up right away as soon as i kick
1/16/25 - 3000 SCY via
2x500 WU (7:27 :35 with 30s rec)
2x(200, 2x100, 4x50, 8x25) on 3:00 1:40 :50 :30, all free and swimming about 1:25/100yd
2x200 WD (2:53 :57, 15s rec)
Tired this morning so cut it at 3k rather than regular 3.5k minimum
Only one swim the week of the 20th since the school that hosts the masters program was delayed for snow/cold the first 3 days of the week which means masters gets canceled.
1/24/25 - 3650 SCY via
500 150 WU
3x Broken 800
4x(75 on 70, 50 on 50) 100 WD
Broken 8 as 200, 3x50 with speed work, 2x100 kick, 200 fast, 50 ez. ~plenty of rest between reps (or ~20s, less for the 50s)
regular 200s were 2:37-2:46
50s were 38 38 35 (via first 25 fast, second 25 fast, full 50 fast)
200s fast we’re 2:29 2:27 2:23
1/28/25 - 3550 SCY via
3x500 with 30s rest in 6:54 :48 :47
2x(3x150, 50) with 150s on 2:15, in on ~2:00
4x125 on 2:00, in on ~1:40
Misc WD
Some nice swim sets being done.
3800 SCY
800 (9:34)/200K
10x100 on 1:45 (1:21-25 avg 1:22)/200K
10x100P on 1:30 (1:17-18)/200K
8x50 on 1:00 IM order (38-48)
Talk about nice swim, you need to get yourself to a masters meet pronto!!! (-;
Back to my home pool and water temp is coming down, perhaps 84.5 today. Still need more rest to get that dam HR down but strokes coming along:
5x(200buoy or pull@3;10/100frog@2;10/100IM @2;00/100frog@2;10)buoys(2;55/51/45)pulls(2;38/37)/IM’s(1;26/23/21+/20+/20)frogs(1;56 to 1;52’s)
2x(3x50p@1;00/1p@1;20/50back@1;30/50frog)pulls(39/38/37/36/37/36/35/33+)back(39/39)
2x25fly@45(15/15)50frog/100p(1;21)
4x50kick@1;30-dolphin(66/65-frog(57/54)
3600SCY in 70 minutes
Ha! It was 11:34, not sure why I wrote 9:34, that would have been about 30 years ago, but one can dream.
ahhh 30 years ago… i wish
nice tuesday swim for me. Nothing hard. But sorta kept moving all morning.
5400 yards total. Was way easier than some of the 3100 yard workouts ive done recently.
Final set was
400 on 5min (4:35)
2 x 200 on 2:45 (2:18, 2:14)
4 x 100 on 1:20 (108s and 107s)
8 x 50 on :40 holding 33s
Nice way to finish up actually. Havent gone 5k in a while.
daved
Well of course you could swim that time now and then some, but yes 30 years ago you were probably repeating under 8 minutes! All relative, 30 years ago I was doing my fastest 1/2 ironman race in 3;46. No doubt have to add a couple hours now if I could even do one!!
Did this one yesterday, pool still hovering at 84+ and that feels ok in comparison to the really bad days. Still working on short stroke stuff with filler inbetween. Doing 3 to 4 dolphins on back, and 3 on fly. I have resisted this part of the new stroke paradigm because just feel that I’m not moving like I see the top folks these days. Then it dawned on me, I dont have to be as fast or nearly as fast as them, I just have to be faster than “me” when I’m on top of the water. So doing some timed stuff to find out if indeed that is true, and early results seem to indicate so.
2x(3x100buoy@1;40/100back@2;00/2x100frog@2;00)buoys(1;28 to 1;24) backs(1;33/1;29)frogs(1;56 to 1;52)
4x(2x100p@1;40/1;50/2x50stroke@1;10/100frog)pulls(1;19 to 1;16’s)fly(38/36+)back(42/41)brst(44/43)free(35/34)
6x50kick@1;20, odds dolphin, even frog–dolphin(64/62/60)frog(56/55/54)
4x50p@1;00(39/38/37/36)
3500SCY in 68 minutes
evening 4x400IM, unplanned ascending 
7:40,50,8:02,8:07
tweaked my lower back a week or so ago, pulled a hamstring on yesterday’s run, cramps in calf and foot during 3rd and 4th reps
between all that and the 8pm workout time, going to excuse myself for slowing down… ha