Tired. My ITBS. "Total Immersion" swimming.
Got many replies from triathletes and runners to my questions yesterday about my neck and knee pain. Much of my body is still sore now: my trapezius, outside of my right knee (which I definitely feel when I walk), hamstrings, quads, and calves. Also, my throat is a little sore, sign of a diminished immune system....All of this tells me I am overtraining and need to slow down.
I would kill for a full body massage right now!
Also, I feel and hear my neck and both shoulders crack when I turn them. Didn't do any kickboxing or swimming today. Stopped all exercise and plan to reduce my intensity.
A girl asked me what I've done for my ITBS (Iliotibial Band Syndrome) problem. I said:
"I had begun to run in the hills, but then all the ITBS stuff says to stay off hills now till I recover. It's ok. I don't get bored running laps or swimming laps, since I try to be in a Zen state.
The first thing I did for my ITB is to NOT exercise today at all. My body is exhausted and needs the rest. I plan to reduce my exercise intensity in general. I may rollerblade for a while instead of running, since that hurts the knee less, strengthens the gluteus medius, and works hip abductors.
Yes, I've been stretching the ITB. Also, I will do lots of lateral thigh lifts to strengthen those hip abductors. Plus, I'll balance on my right leg only and slowly bend down and up several times. That's supposed to strengthen all the muscles that stabilize my knees, and it helps prevent knee injuries in general.
Since I don't have a foam roller, I plan to roll my thigh on my rolled up yoga mat instead. And I'll ice it."
Also, I finally looked into Terry Laughlin's Total Immersion swim techniques. They look fabulous and mind-blowing. He emphasizes swimming more SLOWLY and EFFICIENTLY, continually striving to develop a perfect form---instead of brute force whaling away at the water. He, a 50-something-year-old, was able to swim 28.5 miles nonstop but use much fewer strokes and energy than his competitors.
Terry wrote the books Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier and Triathlon Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Anyone to Master Open-Water Swimming. I own and have begun to read the second book. Triathlon (open water) swimming is very different from pool lap swimming. I plan to start swimming the Total Immersion way next Tuesday.
Kurt Stephens gave this glowing review of the first book, on Amazon.com:This book explains a swimming technique based on science and years of observation of top swimmers by a very gifted professional coach. This technique is about balance, active streamlining, gliding on your side between strokes and using your whole body to swim, not simply focusing on kicking, stroking and endless laps. It is based on proprioceptive training and learning to relax in the water, not swimming workouts. You will train your nervous system first, then you will get the strength and endurance training for free. Water is 1000 times denser than air, thus good technique will out-perform raw strength. You will not find many swim workouts in this book; you can learn at your own pace. This book is an easy and fun read and the technique is easy to learn.
I'm 34 years old and I began training for my first triathlon 6 months ago; I could not swim 25 yards. I dreaded doing the pool workouts and was a bit afraid of deep, open water. Now I'm swimming over 1600 yards a session and I can sprint 50 yards in under 48 seconds. I learned to swim without lessons by following this book. I like swimming now more than cycling, which I've been doing very often for almost 15 years.
I am a beginner swimmer, yet people at the pool and beach regularly ask me why my stroke looks so different and easy. You can explain and demonstrate the basics of this technique in 5 minutes. I'm convinced that anyone can learn it; it's common sense and fun to learn. I recommend this book to anyone who asks.
If you want to learn efficient, relaxed, fish-like swimming, using the least number of heart beats and strokes, this is the book. If you want to slap and churn water for hours like a "pool robot", kicking furiously to keep your legs from dragging or just looking a workout, don't read this book. If you've never swam freestyle before, get this book. If you are looking for a swimming coach, make sure s/he is familiar with this book.
I'm looking forward to doing a Total Immersion clinic as soon as possible!
I would kill for a full body massage right now!
Also, I feel and hear my neck and both shoulders crack when I turn them. Didn't do any kickboxing or swimming today. Stopped all exercise and plan to reduce my intensity.
A girl asked me what I've done for my ITBS (Iliotibial Band Syndrome) problem. I said:
"I had begun to run in the hills, but then all the ITBS stuff says to stay off hills now till I recover. It's ok. I don't get bored running laps or swimming laps, since I try to be in a Zen state.
The first thing I did for my ITB is to NOT exercise today at all. My body is exhausted and needs the rest. I plan to reduce my exercise intensity in general. I may rollerblade for a while instead of running, since that hurts the knee less, strengthens the gluteus medius, and works hip abductors.
Yes, I've been stretching the ITB. Also, I will do lots of lateral thigh lifts to strengthen those hip abductors. Plus, I'll balance on my right leg only and slowly bend down and up several times. That's supposed to strengthen all the muscles that stabilize my knees, and it helps prevent knee injuries in general.
Since I don't have a foam roller, I plan to roll my thigh on my rolled up yoga mat instead. And I'll ice it."
Also, I finally looked into Terry Laughlin's Total Immersion swim techniques. They look fabulous and mind-blowing. He emphasizes swimming more SLOWLY and EFFICIENTLY, continually striving to develop a perfect form---instead of brute force whaling away at the water. He, a 50-something-year-old, was able to swim 28.5 miles nonstop but use much fewer strokes and energy than his competitors.
Terry wrote the books Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier and Triathlon Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Anyone to Master Open-Water Swimming. I own and have begun to read the second book. Triathlon (open water) swimming is very different from pool lap swimming. I plan to start swimming the Total Immersion way next Tuesday.
Kurt Stephens gave this glowing review of the first book, on Amazon.com:This book explains a swimming technique based on science and years of observation of top swimmers by a very gifted professional coach. This technique is about balance, active streamlining, gliding on your side between strokes and using your whole body to swim, not simply focusing on kicking, stroking and endless laps. It is based on proprioceptive training and learning to relax in the water, not swimming workouts. You will train your nervous system first, then you will get the strength and endurance training for free. Water is 1000 times denser than air, thus good technique will out-perform raw strength. You will not find many swim workouts in this book; you can learn at your own pace. This book is an easy and fun read and the technique is easy to learn.
I'm 34 years old and I began training for my first triathlon 6 months ago; I could not swim 25 yards. I dreaded doing the pool workouts and was a bit afraid of deep, open water. Now I'm swimming over 1600 yards a session and I can sprint 50 yards in under 48 seconds. I learned to swim without lessons by following this book. I like swimming now more than cycling, which I've been doing very often for almost 15 years.
I am a beginner swimmer, yet people at the pool and beach regularly ask me why my stroke looks so different and easy. You can explain and demonstrate the basics of this technique in 5 minutes. I'm convinced that anyone can learn it; it's common sense and fun to learn. I recommend this book to anyone who asks.
If you want to learn efficient, relaxed, fish-like swimming, using the least number of heart beats and strokes, this is the book. If you want to slap and churn water for hours like a "pool robot", kicking furiously to keep your legs from dragging or just looking a workout, don't read this book. If you've never swam freestyle before, get this book. If you are looking for a swimming coach, make sure s/he is familiar with this book.
I'm looking forward to doing a Total Immersion clinic as soon as possible!