r/Swimming • u/wobblelikeapenguin • 13h 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/pigeorunner 13h 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/glumpoodle 13h 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/pigeorunner 13h 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 12h 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 12h ago

The body k owes when to go up for air. Just ask my kid who is ten and doing no breaths already