Breathing is such a pain!
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oztrigal posted 1 year ago.
It takes a while to get used to a new technique.. Stick with it!
It's especially handy to be able to breathe on both sides if you're in a rough open water swim, where breathing to one side only could result in you breathing in waves of water..
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ston_ar posted 1 year ago.
It took me months to be able to learn to breathe on both sides comfortably, but it is well worth it. It really helps to level your stroke out and make sure you're rolling well to both sides.
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cherelli posted 1 year ago.
hey you've only been at it a week...don't worry just make sure you're not rolling too high to get your breath on your unfamiliar side, once your body gets used to it, you'll get back up to speed. Try to find a pattern that works for you in training (eg 3 breaths on one side then 3 breaths on the other side). If you try to breath every 3 strokes continuously you'll eventually run into oxygen deficit...
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Sully800 posted 1 year ago.
It's amazing how difficult that switch can be as first, but once you practice for a while it seems so natural. It's a lot like flip turns IMO. My first 1.5 years of training I struggled immensely with flip turns because I would always get disoriented, so I stuck with open turns. I figured since flip turns aren't needed for tris it didn't really matter, though I always felt a bit foolish. Eventually I just committed to practicing them, and I slowed down a lot at first, but now I'm much smoother and they seem pretty natural.
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psychosyd posted 1 year ago.
Definetely keep with it. You are working slightly different muscles. You probably are bracing a little too much with your arm as you breath, this often results in a little extra ffatigue. Just keep an eye on your balance and how you are bracing when you breath. Make sure to rotate fully as well. THis should help get rid of the fatigue a bit. As with anything in swimming. Practice, Practice, Practice!
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Tikal Dog posted 1 year ago.
I guess my only advice would be not to do it in races until you feel completly comfortable doing it during training. During races you want to go as fast as you can so if you haven't nailed it yet... don't do it until you do.
as said before.....practice, practice, practice.
Hyperactive Trifueler!!!! (I refuse to let the status go :p)
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stewarba posted 1 year ago.
Be committed to the change and do it - muscle memory can be a b1tch to overcome. Also, as you fatigue the muscle memory has a tendancy to take over. Slow and easy until your new technique really starts seeming natural and then build speed back up.
Pain is the sensation of weakness leaving the body!
I'm a seasoned swimmer but new to the triathlon scene. I've decided to revamp my swim to breath alternating left and right. Unfortunately, in making this change I've slowed way down. So instead of breathing just on my left and being fast I'm now alternating left and right and am getting passed. I've also noticed that my left arm and left side of my neck are much more tired then they used to be.
I've only been doing this for less then a week. Is my change worth it? Has anyone else done this?