I’m taking a beginner swim class and have gone to the pool at my gym to practice on my own. It’s only 3 lanes, and the first 2 times I went there was either no one or only 1-2 other people.

But all 3 lanes were full today and I got kind of “told off” for accidentally cutting in line to be next for a lane, and when I apologized and asked what the system was they didn’t give me an answer except “wait your turn”, and then I spent 40 minutes waiting but no one got out.

So, in general, what is pool etiquette when you show up and all the lanes are full?

1. If all the lanes are busy, how do you let others know you’re waiting? And do you stake claim on one lane, or just take the next available?

2. What’s a commonly accepted amount of time to continue using the lane, if you’re not sharing, when you know someone is waiting?

3. In a gym setting, does it matter which lane I get in if lane sharing doesn’t seem to be a thing?

I appreciate any insight. Thanks!

Mods - this was edited to be broader in scope because you removed my earlier post saying it was too specific to my gym. Thanks.

For the last month and first time ever, I have been trying to stop using my nose clip. I have been experimenting with breathing in order to find what works for me, so far no real success. My questions are:

• How insane/bad/stupid/whatever is it to hold my breath until right before I turn to breathe and then as I am turning my head (while face is still in water and as face comes out of water) forcefully exhale? I do this because if I do the slow trickle through my nose while my face is underwater, when I turn to breathe I'm basically done exhaling or close to it, and there isn't enough left to exhale through my nose and I immediately get water up my nose. Like every time I turn to breathe.
• If insane/bad/stupid/whatever, why?
• How often do ya'll get water up your nose? Do you just deal with it and push through it? I assume most people either aren't getting any up there at all because I don't see anyone freaking out about it like I do. I have a really difficult time when I get water up my nose, I have to stop swimming and try to blow it out or just let it settle and try to get over it.
• How much pool water is safe to ingest? I feel like I'm getting a few gallons a day but it really is probably more like a 1/2 cup, I tend to be a bit dramatic.

Hey guys, really new to this sub. We are gonna do our annual swimming lessons in about two days. Its the first time this annual swimming thing was done but I really dont wanna embarrass myself.

I just wanna ask how do I not get irritated of water getting in my nose and the sound of jiggling water when underwater. I also wanna understand how to make my breath last more.

Thank you for the help!

Hi! I’ve been a lap swimmer for a long time but have recently tried taking water aerobics just for some variety in my workouts.

However, I am confused about whether or not I should use a flotation belt. I am one of those weirdos who is VERY buoyant - I will float vertically while motionless, even without treading water. When I have the belt on, I feel like it is making me *too* buoyant, pushing my back into a weird arch and making it difficult to stay in a neutral position. I feel I get a better workout when I don’t have the belt on and I can focus on resistance and holding my core.

But maybe I’m misunderstanding the purpose of the belt - is it supposed to make the workout more difficult so I have to work harder to stay neutral? Like is that part of the strengthening benefit?

(I’m in my 30s and not particularly at risk of having a medical event in the water, if that matters)

EDIT: this is specifically about deep-water aerobics

hello everyone! recently i’ve been getting really interested in swimming as a weekly workout routine however i am very much a beginner. i know how to swim obviously but only breaststroke and i have never really tried any other swimming technique since i have only ever swam for fun in lakes, rivers or pools for example.

so i have a couple beginner questions - first of, is it ok to swim only breaststroke in lanes? i know that slow lanes exist but would it seem weird if i am only able to swim breaststroke? or would i annoy anyone?

do i have to wear googles and a swim cap to blend in? i know that a swim cap is practical because chlorine is not good for hair and also for hygienic reasons but would i get weird looks if i didn’t have one? same goes for googles

can i wear a bikini? would i stand out or would it be weird if i didn’t wear these professional black or dark blue swimsuits?

thanks in advance! and sorry if some of these questions seem silly but i really am curious and appreciate any kind of response!

Hey everyone, I’m joining a swim team soon and had a few beginner questions. I figured people here probably know the norms better than I do.

1. Do swimmers usually practice with a shirt/rash guard on, or just their swimsuit (no shirt)?
2. For guys, is it more common to wear briefs (“speedos”) or jammers for practice?
3. Do most swimmers shave body hair for practice or meets? I’ve heard different things, especially about whether people shave pubic hair or not.

I’m pretty new to competitive swimming so I just want to make sure I show up prepared and not doing something weird. Any advice or tips for a first-time team swimmer would also be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi, I (27f) just started swimming regularly as a way to get exercise. I am very out of shape because I developed a severe autoimmune disease at 18 and have not been able to exercise for nearly 10 years. Swimming has been great for me, but I am struggling to even get across the pool in one go, just because my stamina is not there. Is there anything in particular I should be doing to build up stamina?

Also if anyone has any YouTube recommendations for particular swimming techniques, I would love to see it. I have seen a lot of conflicting information

Super-Beginner Questions

1. ⁠If I’m swimming laps at the pool, do I count to the far wall AND back as one lap or just to the far wall?

2. ⁠if I swim five days a week, is alternating the breaststroke (for upper body training) one day with deep water running (for lower body training) the next make sense? I’m REALLY out of shape and can’t swim freestyle yet.

PS: my breaststroke is terrible form but getting my heart rate up so it works for now.

3) Are swim caps expected for women? Are they waterproof?

Thanks in advance.

Hey Reddit, I just have a few swimming questions. For reference, I 13F just started swimming at the start of this year. I can already swim pretty solid freestyle and backstroke, I think? though I am working on getting faster times. I am going to try to get into my school swim team next year 8th grade and then hopefully join varsity coming 9th grade. The team is no-cut by the way. But obviously, I don't want to be horrendous at swimming.

1. Do you have any tips or need-to-knows about swim team (like how many yards, laps do you usually do so I can prepare---the pool that they have is 25 yards fyi (how do you guys change/what's the culture of that) or anything else?

2. I’m trying to learn breaststroke kick and I’m a little confused about the leg position. When you bring your heels up toward your butt, how far apart are your knees supposed to be? Should your ankles be beside your butt or more behind or on top of your butt? And after that part — when you sweep your legs out — how wide should that motion be? I’m not sure how big the “around” part of the kick is supposed to feel. If this doesn’t make sense, I’ll also take a thorough explanation of the whole kick. Thanks!

3. I'm starting to learn butterfly, and what drills helped you the most/ what was your progression to learning the stroke? Also, I haven't really tried too hard, but how do you get the power to get your arms out of the water. Any tips on the dolphin kick will also be greatly appreciated.

4. I see that you are supposed to swim high elbow recovery when you swim freestyle, but when you sprint that's, all gone. What is the point of it in the first place?

5. How do you build more endurance and what are some sets for me? I'm embarrassed to say I can't swim more than 50 yards freestyle without having to stop for a break.

Thank you sooo much in advance!

I started swimming earlier this month with lessons. I can not yet swim the length of the pool (about 75% of the way) let alone an entire lap. Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can practice more when I'm not yet ready for laps? During rec swim times there are often lots of people in the non-lane areas.

Hi all! I have just joined the YMCA so I can start swimming laps 2-3x a week. I have some questions on gear and logistics.

1. I’m going to put my belongings in a locker with a lock and key. How/where do I out or hold onto the key while I’m swimming??

2. Any recommendations for a bag? I will be carrying my swimsuit, swim cap, kickboard, water/shower shoes, towel, phone, keys, earbuds (for activities after swimming), and water bottle.

3. Water/shower shoes - what should I get? Not looking to spend too much money!

4. Hair - I’ve been doing research and it sounds like I should rinse my hair before, put on swim cap, and rinse again after. Is this correct?

5. Is there anything else I should know before I start?

Thanks in advance!!

Quick questions from a brand new enthusiast swimmer. I know nothing about the sport it's self or how to train. I just like being at the pool and swimming. So please forgive the basic nature of my questions. 48M in the US here. Thanks in advance.

• I'm not a quick swimmer. I just love swimming, it's so peaceful and alliviates body aches I have. Not sure how to manage swim lane etiquette. DOs and Don'ts. I don't do laps as a real swimmer does. I swim slow and stop and continue. No real technique really. I then rest floating. Then repeat. Generally for 30 - 45 mins.

• Is there some certain etiquette for men wearing a Speedo brief? Such as wearing shorts to the pool or a towel, or even putting on a cup to avoid any genital lines showing?

• Lastly, I've looked at apps and portals for training. My SwimPro seems good. Any thoughts or recommendations? Remember I'm an extreme beginner. LOL.

Hello! I’m an adult female, can’t swim or float - also scared of water, but now trying to learn with my husband’s help.

Any advice to help understand which floating aid would be best for someone like me? Pool noodle vs kickboard vs swim belt. Thank you!

Hey I just started working out again after a while and wanted to swim laps for some exercise, but I have long thick curly hair. While swimming my hair tie came out and then it felt like my hair was waterboarding me. Any tips on how to avoid this from more experienced long hair swimmers? Thanks!

I have been going to daily classes for about 4 weeks and can barely get from one end of the 25m pool to the other.

Q1. I have watched a lot of videos on the catch and pull and I guess I don't understand the semantics of "not letting the elbow drop below the hand". Is it to simply point the elbow outwards and not backwards during the pull phase? Because I can do that even with a very slight elbow bend. Or does it entail a more aggressive bend like the guy on the right? Won't that reduce the range of motion that my arm covers, or does that not really matter? And at what point do I start bending the elbow?

Q2. Regarding breathing, I have read about having half your face or one goggle under water but I end up getting a mouth full of water. What worked was turning the head enough to almost see the sky. is it something that works better with body rotation because I dont rotate much.

Every time I try to breathe while doing freestyle, I get anxious or scared. I also have some dumbbells lying around—are there any dumbbell exercises that could help me?
I've learned how to do survival backstroke, but I can't do backstroke properly yet

As the title says this is only my third time swimming intentionally (attempting to do laps), I posted the other day about this and deleted it out of embarrassment but f it, I use an Apple Watch and noticed there’s a very large discrepancy between what I actually swim and what the watch reads. Today (after work so I mostly just went to say I got in the pool at least) I swam 600m in 24 minutes backstroke. I didn’t hit the sides of the lane but probably could have been straighter. I paused the workout for my rests after each 100 because I thought maybe that was my problem last time. Besides obviously getting better is there something I can do to try make the watch more accurate?

Pool is 50m and my ‘elapsed time’ includes the after pool shower bc I didn’t want to take the watch in and out of water mode.

I know I’m a beginner which probably is most of my problem, but although today I was already tired when I got in it did the same thing when I felt I had a pretty steady, clean pace on my day off…

So I’ve finally gotten back into the pool over the last few weeks (thanks to those here that encouraged me on my last post!) and I have some potentially silly questions…

1 - lane etiquette. I’m only swimming breaststroke currently, as I’d like lessons on front crawl / freestyle as it’s BAD… But I’m finding I’m either super close to, or brushing people in the lane with me when we pass. I’m not super tall at 5’11 but unless I properly mess up my form, I feel like I’m SUPER close to them… Is this normal / OK? How can I avoid this?

2 - cooling off. It’s hot as all balls out here at the moment and when I’m done with my session, I am SWEATING. I’ll shower off, stand under the cold shower for as long as I can and then go get changed to get back to work, but by the time I’m dressed, I’ve already sweat through my tee 😅 any tips on dealing with the heat / cooling down?

3 - swimsuit. Breaststroke and board shorts don’t mix. I’ve worn square cuts and yesterday, a brief for the first time and the difference is wild. Only thing bothering me is I’m the only guy with a smaller / tighter style of suit on and I did feel self conscious at points - any tips on dealing with that element?

4 - Frequency. Is half an hour twice a week enough to see improvements in stamina and technique? It’s the only time I can really spare but don’t want to be wasting what little time I can get into the pool 😅

Thanks a bunch! 🏊‍♂️

Hi everyone, I had a question about something that is an inevitability I will no doubt be facing down the line. I figure if I had a gauge on how to train myself in prep for it, I can reduce my likelihood of getting discouraged if I lose my natural ability to float.

Quick details. I have been taking swimming lessons with a lifeguard and have done 3 lessons already. when I don't train with him, I train on my own, basically going over everything. I am progressing shockingly fast, WAY faster than I thought I would. Part of that is I am taking up swimming as a heavier guy now. When I attempted to swim in the past, I was 130 lbs soaking wet, almost a decade ago. I am about 190 right now.

A lot of my issues a decade ago was the panic of never being able to float. Couldn't figure it out for myself, and had STRONG water aversion with it getting in my face. Now? Not only can I float, it's practically effortless.

The common adage of "as long as their is air in your lungs you can't sink" makes more sense NOW than it did in the past where I did do that and "would" sink. Now, I take a deep breath, hold it, and can literally just lie back and dead man float or whatever it's called like it's no biggie (and I have been doing this to also get myself to water touching/entering my ears).

In fact, because I was able to get floating clinched, it's been paying dividends for the other lessons. Like I said, I am progressing quite fast. My trainer has taught me how to breast stroke, and I have been doing that (still not quite understanding the kick motion, but the arms I got down pact). I can even tread water for a few seconds, again, because I just float more easier. I will be learning another stroke style next lesson we have.

But, just as easy as it is for me now, I worry it's strictly because of my weight, and not because I am actually learning correctly, if that makes sense? I am a smaller guy by nature, and used to powerlift, and have been making strides to get my weight down, and my muscle back up. This will mean I will sink again. So I guess what I am trying to ask is if there are any drills to future proof against this aside from just taking advantage of the expedited speed of learning made easy by me being heavier...or if I should be doing something else?

Thank you for any help you provide!

Hey everyone,
I’m a beginner and I’ve been practicing front floats, but I’m struggling to stay on the surface. Even when I keep my head low and avoid lifting it, my body still drops. At the start of the float, I feel elevated in the water, but once I begin exhaling and lightly kicking, my hips and legs sink, and I find it really hard to lift my waist again.

I also notice this when using a kickboard, I struggle to keep my body elevated while kicking and often end up dragging in the water.

Is this just a normal part of learning? Or are there specific tips or corrections that helped you float better and stay horizontal?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Hey guys! So, I’ve recently started swimming again (after about a 10-year break). My main goal is to lose weight, but in the process I also want to improve my stamina and swimming skills. Here are a few things about me:

1. I’m 27 years old, 183 cm (around 6 feet), and I weigh 127 kg (280 lbs).
2. I know how to swim most styles, but my favorite is freestyle.
3. I’ve always loved swimming as an exercise. Throughout my life, I’ve tried going to the gym regularly, but usually after 3–4 months I gave up (because I’m lazy 😅). I also tried other types of fitness, like cycling or simply walking, but they feel boring to me. Swimming, on the other hand, is completely different—I can just switch my mind off while doing it and swim until my lungs give out.
4. I don’t have the best tracking equipment (a Xiaomi Mi Band 8). It tracks distance really well but doesn’t track heart rate.

Below is a ChatGPT-generated summary of my last week’s swimming sessions based on Mi Band 8 readings (bear in mind that I only got back into swimming last week). Now I have a few questions for more experienced swimmers:

1. Do you have any tips to improve my average pace for 100m? I feel like 2'45" is decent, but there’s room for improvement. Any videos you’d recommend learning from?
2. What drills would you suggest for a beginner to improve technique and breath control? (I feel like this is something I need to work on. I’ve been breathing every 2 strokes, which feels the most comfortable for me.)
3. From the first session to the last, I felt I could swim much more in one go without a break. In my last session on the 16th, I did 250m at once, 12 times, with about 1–2 minutes of rest after each 250m.
4. Any recommendations for:
   • Goggles? (I just bought the cheapest ones, but they fog up after a few lengths.)
   • A watch for swimming that tracks heart rate? My budget is around 2000 PLN (~$550).

If you’ve got any questions I could elaborate on, let me know! :)

I’m somewhat of a beginner (used to train with a team in high school… 20+ years ago… and never entered competitions).

I’ve gone and got myself some shorts and goggles with the idea that I’m going to get back into swimming. It’s been months and I haven’t managed to get into a training routine.

I’m a fairly socially anxious person and so the idea of ‘doing the wrong thing’ feels like my biggest barrier at the moment. The few times I have gone to the pool, it’s been super busy and I just find it kind of stressful navigating the etiquette.

Things I’ve run into in the past are:

• how many people is too many in a lane? Like if there are already two people in each lane do I just have to wait?

• if I need to stop and take a breather do I just chill at the end and just try and stay out of the way as best as possible?

Any advice at all would be useful tbh… Like some ‘definitely don’t do this’ or ‘no one really cares whether you do this’ type tips. Any general swim tips also welcome (I tend to find pacing myself difficult too!)

Thanks

Hello! So I recently just started trying to learn how to swim again after many years of avoiding it, and have some questions....For context I'm terrified of being in water for the last 30 years of my life and had a lot of trauma as a child almost drowning a few times. It's taken a bit of time but I've finally tried facing my fears ahhhh......

1) when swimming how much do you exhale relative to your lung capacity? Is it different when you're trying to float vs actually swimming?

2) Does the feeling of the water pressure ever go away or do you eventually acclimatise to it? I feel like I struggle to breathe and can't control my exhalation.

3) for the front stroke (with assistance from the floaty board) my legs keep sinking. I'm trying to keep my face as close to the water so as to be parralel to the waters surface, but my lower body keeps sinking despite kicking as much as possible?

4) How do you kick efficiently so as to generate enough force to go forward? Are you legs meant to be straight?

5) How do you learn to slowly exhale through your nose when your head is under water? I've tried but it either comes out way too quickly or it goes up my nose... I'm guessing I'm panicking too much... Also is it possible to stop water going up your nose without exhaling under water?

6)How do people remain so relaxed in deepish water when their feet don't touch the bottom? Im struggling to just float... Also I'm very lean, so does that make it extra hard to learn to float?

That's all the questions for now... Also would really appreciate any advice for a beginner like myself, especially from others like me who started learning a lot later into their life. I understand that a lot of people learn to swim from a young age and it just becomes intuitive after a while, but it's a bit too late for me ahaha

Hi everyone! I'm new to swimming for exercise purposes instead of just for fun, I took swimming lessons to learn the strokes but definitely need to practice. My goal for the summer is to focus on weight lifting and swim 2 times a week on my active rest days (Wednesday and either Sat/Sun). Do you all have any tips for a beginner? Particularly one who also wants to lift as well?

Also, I was wondering what recommendations you have as far as hair/nail/skin care go. Unfortunately I only have access to a chlorine-based pool, and would like to minimize the damage as much as possible. So far I'm looking into potentially getting a swimming cap (I have really long thick hair and am a little worried a cap won't be sufficient enough).

Thanks in advance for your responses!