Why Swimming Every Day Makes You Slower? Fix This Now

I'm almost certain you're making one of these 10 mistakes that's holding you back. From ever realizing your full potential in the water. Let's say you're getting in the pool every day and putting in the work. You're working hard, but the results just aren't showing up. Your progress is stalling. You're wiped out, and your pace may even be dropping. So stick around, because I'm going to explain exactly how to fix this. For example, picture Mike. Tell me in the comments who Mike is. Even if you aren't Mike, that's not really the issue. He's doing a typical warm-up set. A common drill would be to cover 200 meters swimming, then repeat the same distance with your kick. Then he might swim either 10 100s or 5 200s. A fairly straightforward set. The issue is that he isn't doing interval training. He just shows up whenever he wants. He might be repeating the same interval. He rests for 30 seconds. He rests for 40 seconds. He takes 40 seconds rest. He spots a friend by the pool. He strikes up a chat with a lifeguard. The problem is that he's not really getting anywhere. He has no real sense of his pace. Or the actual breaks between each set. Because his training doesn't have any real progression. And he never mixes it up. He's essentially repeating the same workout routine. Day after day, again and again. As for technique. For example, if the swimmer is 45. I mean, he got the hang of swimming literally 40 years ago. Mike is stuck in the past. Back in the 1980s. I mean, that was back in the arcade boom. Goggles had just been invented. And the connection wasn't working. It felt like a whole different world altogether. And he still swims like he never left the 80s. Think about the fact that goggles hadn't even been invented yet. It comes down to your technique, the drills, and how you teach yourself to move through the water. Are completely different. It's a whole different world of swimming. Back then, in the 80s, 90s, even the 2000s, chances are. Today's swimming is far more streamlined, and we know how to conserve energy, because the bottom line is. Swimmers are getting quicker than ever. So if you're not riding that momentum. You're going to get left behind, because the truth is people swim faster with less energy than ever before. As for your lifestyle. Sure. He's got a job, or maybe you're in school and have a lot going on. Getting only 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night is awful. He's got a sedentary job, or maybe he's sitting in class, and because of that. Outside the pool, he's pretty inactive, all he really does is show up to swim, and his mindset is, well. I'm heading to the pool for a training session. So I barely have time for anything else. So I'm just going to sit at my desk all day long. Does that sound like you? As for fueling your body. It's basically, eat whatever I see. I'll just do a few laps and burn it off. This is a major mistake. That's a mistake people make, because it's not true. You probably aren't burning nearly as many calories as you believe. If you don't plan your meals ahead of time. Your meal schedule and eating style. You're setting yourself up for failure. And with that sedentary life outside the pool, and not really tracking nutrition. Mike has basically gained 2 to 3 pounds every year for the last 10 years. He used to be 175, 180 pounds, you know. He's starting to notice he's really losing pace. So what's his goal? He wants to get back to his fighting weight. He wants to be in better shape. He's aiming to slim down by 20 pounds, swim quicker, and feel better. Like he used to. He's plateaued, and if anything, he's getting slower every year. He gets in the pool, but he still can't match those times. Even though he isn't really putting in the work. Intervals anymore. He's not matching what he used to do or how he used to feel. The technique is starting to feel harder. Butterfly is starting to feel. He's trying to force it, but he still isn't any quicker. The simple truth is, he's doing this because he. He wants to set a better example for his children and turn things around because he. He wants to set the pace, feel more at ease in the water, and. Build real confidence, knowing he can do better than he is now. Gain that self-confidence because he knows he can be better than where he. Is right now. The reality is Mike is basically a swimming newbie. It's. It's pretty simple to mix up your routine and still make a lot of progress. We're. We're talking about Michael Phelps here, right? If you're Michael and you're tuning in, let us know in the comments. But the reality is, most of you here have never raced at the elite international level. If. If that's the case, great. Most people still have plenty of room to get better, which is why. So, based on all that I just covered, there are plenty of easy tweaks we can make. To make a major course correction and sharpen things up so we can. Reach major improvements in a very short time. I think over the next three months we can accomplish more than we could in three years. When progress stalls. So if you've hit these plateaus and you're thinking, yeah, how do I fix this? How can I swim faster and cut through the water more efficiently? I'd like to enter a master's meet and race. I want to get better. I want to start swimming. Pay attention. First, we need structured intervals. Say goodbye to the days of. Cranking out 10x100s, 5x200s, or swimming non-stop for 15 minutes. You're capable of that. Once in a while. It's a great way to clear your head, but we need to know. The pace we keep on each rep, instead of resting for 20. 30, 40, or 3 minutes on the wall, we use a set interval. The. Interval is simple, your swim time plus your rest time. So. You can cover 4 pool lengths in just 2 minutes. So you only have 2 minutes to swim. Rest for 30 seconds. It's crucial to add structured intervals like this. If you're thinking, coach Ferris. That's a little too complex. That's not something I want to do. I just can't dwell on that. I'm not sure how much downtime I actually need. And that's why we built the MySwimPro app. Enter your goals. And the app takes care of the rest for you. It does more than just track your intervals. Along with the times you're aiming to hit. How hard you set should be, what strokes to do, and it'll build a. Progression around your goals with the equipment you have. It's. Fantastic. So check it out, link below. It also. I'm going to give you drills with a clear purpose, like I mentioned earlier in the technique section. The 70s, 80s, or 90s, whenever you learned how to swim. The world is. The 80s or 90s or 70s or whenever you learn how to swim the world is. The difference is, we're still learning how to make swimming more efficient. Basically, it's learning your technique and how to control your body in the water. For example, this drill really helps with alignment and rotation. In freestyle and backstroke, those long axis strokes. It's called a six-kick switch. All you do is hold one arm in front, one at your side. Kick six times on your side, then rotate and stroke to the other side. An even more advanced version. Do it with your arms down by your sides. It's a little harder. You can wear fins when you're starting out. Then take them off as you get more advanced. Another good progression is single-arm freestyle. Again, it's harder and more advanced. So it's not just about repeating drills. It's building on it every week. And adding complexity so your body adapts. And your stroke is getting better. So this drill progression is really important. Now, when it comes to lifestyle. You can train really well, and that will only partly fix this. We're really talking about training here. You don't need to train six times a week. Because sleep, nutrition, and overall activity matter even more. For sleep, you'll often improve more just by giving yourself an extra hour. That way, you can use your time better and get your recovery in, with seven to eight hours a night. Personally, that's been one of the biggest changes I've made. It's helped me improve my performance by recovering better. And improve my physique by building more muscle and keeping my body fat low. And that brings me to the next point, nutrition. Keep a food log for a week or two, down to every bite and sip. Make sure you track it. Take a photo, drop it into ChatGPT, or use an app like Macrofactor or MyFitnessPal. You need to know exactly what's going into your body, because chances are you're just guessing. And that's how we got here. To the situation we're in right now. So make sure you're getting your protein and enough of all your macronutrients. I've covered this in the Swimmer Body Blueprint. Because fueling is only one part of the equation. And how you train, both in the water and out of the water, makes a huge difference. Check it out, link down below. And when it comes to activity. You can't be sedentary. You can't sit in a chair all day and then think, okay. Now it's time to go swimming. That's like smoking a pack of cigarettes, sitting still all day, and then going to the pool and saying, okay. Now you swim for an hour, but you've been sedentary. That's exactly it, studies have shown. It's actually more damaging than cigarettes. That's just incredible. If you want to stay active, we need to do strength training. Lots of swimmers neglect dryland training. And even if that doesn't mean going to the gym and lifting heavy weights, start. With bodyweight work, stretching, a dynamic warm-up, push-ups, squats, pull-ups, band work, all of that will help build strength out of the water. So rather than swimming six times a week, you may even be able to do fine with fewer sessions each week. Hitting the pool on three days each week. And you'll pick up speed in the water. Because you can bring more intensity to your swims. On the days you're not swimming. You can also build strength on dry land. If you're trying to fit that into your swim sessions. No worries, just keep this in mind. You want to layer these things in gradually. Maybe you're getting in five swim sessions a week. Or about four sessions a week. Now you're only getting in two or three workouts. On land. And once you're in the pool. I want you to aim for 7,000 steps a day. You can keep tabs on it with your phone or smartwatch. Just make sure you hit it. If you're not swimming that day. There's really no reason to skip your 10,000 steps. Stay active, boost your metabolism. You'll lean out, you'll be healthier. And it'll be great. If you put all that together. You'll see far more progress over the next three months. Than you've done over the past three years.