swim team

[__penguin__]

Okay. I did swim team at school freshman and sophomore year, but not last year 'cause I didn't really have time. I never really lost weight while I was on it, though, 'cause my diet was terrible in those two years I did it. Anyway, I'm doing it again this year, and I have a couple questions about it.

1. Is swimming aerobic, anarobic, or both? I'm talking about just lap swimming (back and forth doing different strokes, mostly freestyle, sprinting once in a while but usually going at a steady pace). And if it's anarobic, does that mean I have to do some cardio also if I want to lose weight? I really hope it's aerobic, though, cause I know I'm already getting some anarobic from the weight training class I'm taking as P.E. in school. It just started this semester, too. Oh yeah, which reminds me of another question...

2. Sore muscles. HALP? My body is like, going crazy. I hadn't excersized at all for the past like, 2 months, and now all of a sudden I'm lifting weights (like 5 lb ones but still), doing squats and pushups, and swimming for an hour, soon to be two hours, every weekday (the weight training class is only 2-3 times a week, though). I'm happy to be getting excersize, and I already feel better in general than I did when I wasn't, but HOMG, I think just about every muscle I have has been sore at some point in the last couple weeks. So... is the sore-ness going to stop happening once I get used to excersizing again? And in the meantime, how do I make it go away ASAP?

3. How big of a breakfast should I eat? We have practice from 6 AM - 7:15 AM (although it's going to change to 3:15 PM - 5 PM after water polo season is over, hopefully after next week). I've been having a cereal bar and some fruit juice (good fruit juice, not fake stuff from concentrate), but should I be eating more? If so, what else would be good to have?  

[Groovy Spleen]

If you're eating breakfast before swimming, make it something that takes away the hunger, but doesn't leave you FULL. So, something like a heaping bowl of porridge or eggs and bacon is probably out.

Something with carbs, protein and complex sugars will give you the energy you need to get up and go. A cereal bar and real fruitjuice sounds good, as long as it's a good cereal bar and not packed with simple sugars, which will spike your insulin levels and leave you crashing and listless. Something like a half a cup of a healthy cereal (without added sugars) with a splash of unsweetened soymilk for protein might be better. Maybe something like Allbran with a sprinkle of flaxseeds added. (Flax is so great, btw, it will also make your hair shiny and your nails strong)

Swimming is EXCELLENT aerobic exercise, it is one of the best.
It is great cardio, and strengthens your muscles without putting undue strain on them, is great for the joints, and everything. The only thing I can say, is it overworks the bicep, so make sure you;re balancing that out by strengthening your tricep in your weight lifting routine.

As for soreness...make sure you're getting at least a days rest between weight lifting sessions, as the muscle requires rest to repair and strenghthen, but as you said it's only 2-3 times per week.

If you are VERY sore, you can reduce the reps you do with your weightlifting until you are more into the routine, but some muscle soreness at first is pretty usual. If it's excrutiating though, yeah, cut back your reps and slooowly work back up to the amount you want to do. Like, if you;re doing 20 reps, work at 15 reps for a while until your body is used to your new routine, then add the 5 back in, as your body will be stronger and more able to do them.  

[Divash]

Breakfast before exercising:

I'm great at this. You need a little bit of starch and a little bit of protein. The starch (fruit, a SMALL cup of oatmeal) will give you a quick kick of energy for your workout, but the protein (boiled egg, couple slices of cheese, 4 to 8 ounces of fat-free yogurt) will start to rev up your energy level right about when the starch-induced energy is fading. After you swim, have another little bit of starch and another little bit of protein. That'll keep you going until lunchtime.  

[Iconised Ghost]

i might be a bit late to post this, but Antiflamme really really helps sore muscles. I do a martial art and we all practically worship the stuff. Its a topical anti-inflammatory, and you can probably get it under a different name where you are if you cant find it as Antiflamme.

Here's the website: http://www.anti-flamme.co.nz/product.html It lists the ingredients too so you can find something similar  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

swimming is aerobic, it's probably the best one, not the #1 for weight loss, but because you can get your workout without straining your knees etc it really is the BEST aerobic workout (skiing and jogging gave me terrible shin splint)

Sore muscles should go away, your body is kind of in shock. When you do your anarobic, your basically tearing your muscle tissue, the new muscle growing back is what gives you that definition. stretch after your workouts AT LEAST 30 seconds, more is better, breath deeply, oxygen helps your stretch. My gym teach told us once after a particularly tough workout that whatever we do, don't go home and rest, go for a long walk, exercising even though it kills will really help you not be stiff and sore the next day (and since the next day is usually worse, your better off to tough it out right after your workout.)