Help - Heavy legs!
MattRobins
Posts: 15
in General Chat
Been swimming regularly for about a year but still find swimming with a pull buoy makes a remarkable difference to my swim technique. For a 15 minute swim I struggle to complete 28 lengths (25m pool) with what feels like an untidy thrash up and down the lanes, struggling to breath. Add a pull buoy and I can comfortably complete another 5 or 6 at a comfortable and relaxed pace. I feel like a completely different swimmer. Most frustrating. Have started to try and swim downhill, press the T etc, but so far felt little difference, other than putting my head deeper in the water is making breathing harder. Any advice out there. I have been told that I may have negative buoyancy, heavy runners legs etc. Short of reducing them in length, what can I do? Any tips? [&:]
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Comments
What are you like in open water in a wetsuit, does the increased buoyancy make a big difference to you ? What is your pull like, do you have a dropped elbow?
To me sounds like your balance in the water isn't correct alas the buoy, think about keeping your body including your legs horizontal in the water, use a good leg kick for balance ( kicking harder does not necessarily make you swim faster) if you have a weak or poor leg kick, you could find your legs dragging putting a strain on your arm technique. Slow down your stroke, think long and smooth out the stroke tilt your head to breath, when you head is in the water you breath out, are you lifting you head out of the water each time your breathe? cause this is incorrect affecting your balance in the water plus it will make you more fatigued. Swimming correctly involves a lot of technique you can possibly google for more answers. To summarise briefly horizontal body position, rotate shoulders into the water with each long and smooth stroke, tilt head to take breath, kick a little harder(but not as if your sprinting) to keep legs afloat (my personal tip is keep ankles together and pitter patter above the water I have a slow leg kick but this helps me keep legs afloat).
With the pull buoy my stroke feels fine and is much more efficient.
I shall persevere!