Swimming pain, speed, and water in ear
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577 days
pcolatri posted 1 year ago.
I think thst height does make some difference, not a ton, but some. Look at all the olympic guys, andy potts, and the guys at your pool. All of them are usually well sized in height. From what I've seen larger people usually float a little better thus not having to pull or kick as hard. The taller guys on my team are not always the fastest but I do beleive they do have an advantage. Just my thoughts and assesments.
Not really sure about the secound but I'll chime in.
Have you ever been hit there playing football or something? After putting my shoulder into someone pretty hard and it '"popping" , it started hurting every now and then when swimming or running.
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RunMDC posted 1 year ago.
It almost sounds like you are talking about the pectoralis minor? This muscle runs from the chest and connects to the shoulder at the front and is also the muscle you feel at the front of the armpit. Now this is only a guess, it could be a ligament too. I should put a disclaimer in that I am only going off of your description and my own experience "I am not a doctor or a PT". If it is the muscle there is a great technique that I have used to release tension in that spot. I will try to describe it but it is much better if somenone shows you.
You need a small ball like a racquet ball or baseball used for T-ball. Something harder than a tennis ball but softer than a full size baseball and a 2 inch piece of stiff foam or even a thick book can work. Lie face down on the floor or you can stand up against a wall and put the book down under that shoulder and then place the ball on the book with the ball resting on the spot that is feeling the pain. Now starting with your arm down at your waist and slowly raise your hand above your head. The pressure of the ball on the muscle will make this hurt but it is the same as if a massage therapist were to place pressure on that area and have you move the arm. Do this about 10 times and you can reposition the ball in different spots if needed.
You will be sore the next day but it should release tension in the muscle or ligaments. It is worth a try.
2766
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1445 days
tri-ac posted 1 year ago.
unless you're absolutely sure you have the same pool time that the others you're swimming with, i don't think you can attribute the difference to height
on the pain issue, are you trying to chase the others too hard?
just swim lightly until it goes away and then build up again slowly...no need to injure it any further
1117
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1087 days
Ironmom posted 1 year ago.
WanaBSpeedy wrote:
I am an average to below average swimmer (38-40mins or so for 1.2mi ave), but I have to wonder if height does in fact play any role in speed? I am 5'7" and all of these other guys are 6'0"plus and just seem to kill me every lap. Is there any truth to height making a difference in swim speed?
Yes and no. There are many factors that influence *potential* swim speed, including height, ratio of body length to leg length, size of hands and feet, flexibility of joints, etc. That being said, technique is the greatest limiter of swimming speed for 98% of all swimmers I've ever met.
I'm your height, and I swim a sub-30 1.2m. So height isn't the only predictor of swimming speed.
WanaBSpeedy wrote:
Second, during my warm up and beginning of my drills, I kept feeling this intense pull/pinch on that ligament that runs between my right shoulder and chest. (You know the one, if you lift your arm to the side, its the hard feeling tendon/muscle/ligament thing in front of your arm pit). Anyway, I kept feeling this pinch/pull/uncomfortable sensation on every right arm stroke, and even with stretching I couldnt get it to go away, so I quit after my first set of drills for the simple fact that I didn't know what was going on. Any help or experience with this?
I don't know, but one thing that comes to mind is to make sure your pull goes underneath your body, not to the outside of it. The old "S" stroke that used to be taught (as in this video full of terrible stroke advice) can injure the pectoral muscles and the shoulder muscles. Instead, pull underneath your body without letting your hand travel to the outside.
See for instance (watch the first part of the catch and the pull):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm-vSqlWmgs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr8PT8fF7b8&feature=related
Most swimmers I've helped with shoulder and/or pec discomfort or injury while swimming tend to pull towards the outside. Other than that, I don't have any ideas except that maybe you pulled something and to give it a rest.
Blue Skies, -Robin-
http://ironmom.blogspot.com/
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WanaBSpeedy posted 1 year ago.
Well I go swim 45mins today or roughly 2400yds, so I will try the pull technique you described. Thanks for your advice, as I am sure you are all much more experienced in triathlon than I am. I will also try the massage technique with the ball, I do believe I understand how to do it. Thank again all!
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382 days
chris4tris posted 51 weeks ago.
I thought I would try to help with the first part of your post. That is if height has anything to do with speed... I read a triathlon swimming article about the ideal body type for swimming that may interest you:
http://www.dobkanize.com/swimming_physical_characteristics.asp
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CoachTy posted 50 weeks ago.
Question? This is difficult to explain in writing but....In the recovery do you let your arm go behind your body? another way of putting it...On the recovery is the angle of your chest to arm larger on the front or backside of your body? If it is larger on the front of your shoulder this could be part of the problem. Try to have the angle be smaller in the front than the back of your body (a more natural motion which protects from shoulder injuries).
Hopefully that makes sense...if not let me know.
-Coach Ty
First I would like to say that I tried the "stand on one leg, tilt the head, and jump up and down" technique to rid my ears of water, and IT WORKS GREAT! thanks for that tip, much better than swinging my head side to side violently almost knocking myself out!
But anyway, I was swimming today, and notice two things. First, also part of a previous post; I seem to be slower than all the other males swimming in the lanes next to me. Now I am an average to below average swimmer (38-40mins or so for 1.2mi ave), but I have to wonder if height does in fact play any role in speed? I am 5'7" and all of these other guys are 6'0"plus and just seem to kill me every lap. Is there any truth to height making a difference in swim speed?
Second, during my warm up and beginning of my drills, I kept feeling this intense pull/pinch on that ligament that runs between my right shoulder and chest. (You know the one, if you lift your arm to the side, its the hard feeling tendon/muscle/ligament thing in front of your arm pit). Anyway, I kept feeling this pinch/pull/uncomfortable sensation on every right arm stroke, and even with stretching I couldnt get it to go away, so I quit after my first set of drills for the simple fact that I didn't know what was going on. Any help or experience with this?
Sorry about the long post...figured I'd address a couple things at the same time.