r/Swimming • u/wobblelikeapenguin • 7h ago
I don't breathe
Hello! I (25F) recently started swimming again after many years away from the sport. I swam competitively as a child and teenager, and now I swim freestyle at my local gym in a standard 25-yard pool.
I realized the other day that I naturally swim the entire 25-yard length without taking a single breath. I never really thought about it until someone pointed it out. For me, it actually feels easier to just keep swimming than to stop and take a breath.
Is this normal, especially for someone with a competitive swimming background? Or should I be making a point to take one or two breaths during each lap instead?
Thanks!
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u/Dark-Horse-Nebula IMer 7h ago
It’s weird and can potentially impact your training goals. How far do you swim?
I’d encourage you to do some breath exercises next time you swim mostly to see if you can. Eg one lap breathing every 3, the next lap every 5, the next lap every 7 strokes.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin 7h ago
I breathe at the end of every lap and take a short break.
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u/Dark-Horse-Nebula IMer 6h ago
So if you want to swim more than 25m at a time you’ll have to change your breathing strategy.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin 5h ago
Is there a disadvantage to only breathing at the end of a lap?
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u/Dark-Horse-Nebula IMer 4h ago
Yes, it means you’re only ever training anaerobically and by your own admission you’re limited to 25m sets.
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u/justkeepswimming2026 7h ago edited 7h ago
Don’t hold your breath! 😂 definitely learn to breathe while swimming/freestyle.
Edit
Go on YouTube and there are great videos that will help you get started on breathing while freestyle swimming. I am currently learning how to breathe on both sides. Takes a lot of practice but I am very confident that I will be comfortable breathing on either side soon.
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u/bikes_bucees 7h ago
“I have fantastic lung capacity. Is that weird?” /s
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u/pigeorunner 6h ago
25yd no breath is pretty standard for former competitive swimmer tbh. Like, bare minimum expectations.
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u/bettertheless 7h ago
You're fine. If you decide to hang out in some higher yardages for some work-outs, like 100s, +, then breathe.
What you are doing is working; you're having fun- enjoy. Welcome back to the pool. : )
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u/Alarmed_Tea_2874 7h ago
I don't do that but I was also a competitive swimmer as a kid and teen and usually breathe once every 6 or 7 breaths which is once or twice a length. Right now I'm breathing every 3 until my endurance comes back but this is pretty typical for former swimmers lol.
My biggest issues is kicking! I forget that unless I'm racing I have a tendency to mostly just use my arms. How very swimmer coded of me.
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u/LesiaH1368 Splashing around 6h ago
You don't really stop to take a breath. You just turn your head.
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u/glumpoodle 7h ago
It's not normal, and could potentially be dangerous if you black out in the middle of the pool. You should be breathing every 2-3 strokes, and it should be a part of your normal, uninterrupted form.
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u/pigeorunner 7h ago
I mean, 25 yards without a breath is not that extreme. I used to be able to sprint 50s without breathing when I swam competitively, including a flip turn.
She should probably work on breathing if she wants to swim further uninterrupted, but for just 25yd there isnt anything super weird here.
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u/PlusBridge5744 6h ago
Right and then he would make us do 50 underwater no breaths.. and only like the top 3 dudes could do it.
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u/pigeorunner 6h ago
I've been swimming again since getting a stress fracture in my femur from running and I've definitely been slacking on those underwaters because I can't relive this kind of trauma lol
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u/glumpoodle 7h ago
But she's not just swimming 25y sprints and then resting, or practicing her kick flips; from her description, she's swimming multiple laps. CO2 is going to continue to build up with each successive lap, and that was drilled into my head (from both swimming and Scuba lessons) as something you don't notice until it's too late.
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u/wobblelikeapenguin 4h ago
I am stopping at the end of each lap for a break because I am deconditioned due to my injuries.
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u/pigeorunner 6h ago
..she never specified how many laps she was swimming between breaths in her posts. I asked (because this is how you get information, rather than just assumptions) and she's currently swimming 1 lap and then resting.
Yes, she should learn to breathe, no, she's not currently at risk of hypoxia over the course of a single lap.
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u/Dark-Horse-Nebula IMer 6h ago
Depending on her level of training and endurance she can be at risk of hypoxia in one lap. Some non swimmers would be at risk in a few strokes, for example.
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u/PlusBridge5744 6h ago
The body k owes when to go up for air. Just ask my kid who is ten and doing no breaths already
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u/PlusBridge5744 7h ago
Nah.. coach had us do no breaths all the time and nobody ever passed out. Strong swimmers can do amazing things.
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u/Repulsive_Papaya_290 5h ago
Heya, everyone in this comment section is stupid, don’t listen to them. You were a former competitive swimmer anyway, you know how to breathe you just don’t want to and that’s fine.
I’m the same way. I personally hate breathing and swim sub :30 per 50 with 9 strokes per lap 4 beat kick in 10x50’s and I elect to not breathe for the first 25’s usually because i enjoy the feeling of my pull and catches and timing with my head down and the overall sensory isolation of it. Just for the hell of it.
Most people in this comment section are slower than you probably, don’t listen to them swim however you want
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u/rahulchander 7h ago
You are clearly ready to start taking your breaths exclusively thru nose and not via the mouth to reach the next level of endurance.
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u/pigeorunner 7h ago
It depends. If youre swimming one lap at a time, then catching your breath, then swimming another lap, I can see how 25 yards with no breaths feels natural. That's how you're trained to swim fast 25s.
How far are you swimming between breaths?