As India currently emerges as one of the hottest countries in the world, it’s safe to assume that almost everyone is nursing the desire to dive into a pool at every chance they get. There’s no arguing that rising temperatures can disrupt your fitness routine, but access to a pool also offer a refreshing change from lifting weights in the air-conditioned yet often stifling confines of a gym.
A lot of people associate a workout with being slightly out of breath—marked by a high heart rate, sweating, and muscle soreness—all of which signal a decent pump from lifting. These markers can be replicated in a pool workout, sure, but it’s also largely true that very few exercises can replace swimming. Being out of breath in water, however, is very different from being breathless on land. It follows that one of the biggest challenges for beginners and even moderately experienced swimmers is avoiding fatigue midway through their lengths. Not knowing how to manage this can be frustrating, especially for those who have built stamina in another sport or through running but can’t replicate the same in water. It’s hard to accept that you might not actually be tired, but simply out of breath while trying to swim even 20 to 50 metres.
For the past few months, my biggest deterrent to swimming has been straining my neck and upper shoulder muscles by using the wrong technique: lifting my mouth and nose out of the water for a breath every few strokes. This has often meant taking a week off to recover rather than risk aggravating the strain. The solution, as with any fitness activity, lies in applying the correct technique. In water, where you’re prone and unsupported, it becomes even more crucial to follow the dos and don’ts to ensure you breathe efficiently between strokes. In this piece, we focus on freestyle, as it’s the stroke most people use.
The Global Triathlon Network’s YouTube page has an excellent video on this. Its first rule sounds simple but is often the hardest to follow: don’t hold your breath. The body’s natural inclination is to do just that when your head is underwater during a freestyle swim. This leads to a build-up of carbon dioxide, causing the brain to panic and making you feel more tired and winded by the end of a lap. It takes practice, but the key is to breathe rhythmically—gently inhaling from your nose and exhaling with a short burst just before taking the next breath in.
Now we come to the technique of how your head, shoulders and neck must be positioned while you inhale. “Lifting your head is a common breathing error, one made by many swimmers. It causes your hips to drop and forces your arms to compensate, negatively affecting your pull. A second key aspect of effective breathing is rotating your head to breathe rather than pulling it to the side. Pulling your head sideways creates alignment problems. Many swimmers tend to both lift their head and turn it to the side due to a lack of rotation. Rotating your head, however, keeps it aligned with your spine, allowing your body to move straight and smoothly through the water,” notes an article on the U.S. Masters Swimming website titled Freestyle Breathing: The Complete Guide.
All of this advice sounds simple, but it rarely feels that way when you try to apply it. What helps is breaking it down into steps. A friend who has been swimming regularly, often in open waters, pointed out that I was lifting my head, which explained the strain in my neck muscles. She also shared a couple of pointers that helped me understand where I was going wrong. The key is to let your head rest on the opposite shoulder from the side you’re breathing on. For instance, rest your head toward the left shoulder as you turn to breathe on the right, just as that arm comes out of the water for the stroke. This helps keep the head low and aligned. Another useful cue is to imagine keeping one side of your goggles in the water while lifting the other side just enough to take a breath. It’s a simple marker for how low your head can lie when you come out for air.
The last step is realising how often you must breathe. The most common advice is “every three strokes” though some swimmers prefer five, while others breathe every two strokes. Top triathletes often train themselves to breathe every two, but it ultimately comes down to your comfort level, the setting, and whether you’re sharing a lane with someone. Breath-control exercises can also help. A good starting point is to hold onto the edge of the pool, take a breath, submerge while holding the wall, and exhale gently underwater. Come up to inhale, then repeat. This simple drill trains your body to keep exhaling underwater and helps override the instinct to hold your breath.
Pulasta Dhar is a football commentator and writer.