The other day I was doing research for senior swimming and ran across something I had never thought about. I know how good swimming & pool aerobics are for senior fitness. I thought about it and realized competitive swimming for seniors might be an even better exercise. Although seniors may not have as much competitive spirit as younger people it’s still there swimming is probably the safest way for seniors to compete.
Getting Started with Competitive Swimming For Seniors
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Maybe you aren’t interested in competing against others but if you are then this is for you. If you are now doing laps or pool aerobics competitive swimming might be a natural progression. No matter the age it seems like the competitive spirit is always there.
Your competition may not be other swimmers but instead the clock or some other measure of your prowess. Some times it’s just an impromptu race you win that makes you start thinking about swimming against your peers.
Once you’ve decided to move forward you should check into joining the groups below. These are the main ones but look at Google for competitive swimming for seniors & you’ll find some local groups.
U.S. Masters Swimming
There is an organized adult swimming program for adults called U. S Masters Swimming. It’s an organized program of competitive swimming for seniors and other adults. It was founded in 1970 & is a nonprofit membership national governing body. Although it is for all ages you will find that it is a good organization to join if you plan to compete in swimming.
Google U.S. Masters Swimming or got to their website to get more information. https://www.usms.org/
National Senior Games Association-Swimming
This organization is kind of like the Olympics but features competitive swimming for seniors only. There are qualifying meets in almost every state.
Here is their website where you can get more information. https://nsga.com/swimming
Exercising
With competitive swimming for seniors, like every sport, you’ll do more exercising than competing. Although exercising in the water will be the most fun. Exercising on land is going to be an essential part of your program as you may not have access to a pool all the time.
Dryland exercises include such exercises as Flutter Kicks, Squats, Planks, Jump Rope & Medicine Ball.
To learn more about these & how to do them, go to this website https://www.coachup.com/nation/articles/swimming-dryland-workouts or just go to Google to find more.
Pool exercises include such a number of exercises I won’t try to name them all.
Here is a great site with 40 different exercises covering every type of swimming competition. https://www.yourswimlog.com/swimming-workouts/, as usual, go to Google for more information.
Competitive swimming for seniors Training
Dryland exercise Although not much equipment is needed for most of your training. If you have access to exercise equipment such as rubber cables, iron weights, treadmill, etc. it’ll be helpful.
If you have access to a gym you will find all of these there.
Pool exercise Again not much is needed for a good training program. Some of what’s available are Aqua Dumbbells, Water Jogging Belt, Pool Noodle & AquaLogix Resistance Fins.
Amazon has one of the most complete inventories of equipment needed for senior competitive swimming. Go here to take a look.
If you are looking for swimming accessories check out Swim Outlet. They have 1,000’s of products, all at the best prices.
Coaching for senior competitive swimming
When you’re starting out you probably won’t need a coach but it won’t hurt to have one. If you can find a group that is into competition join them as they will probably have a coach.
As you progress up the competition ladder coaching will become a lot more important, so look around & find one you can learn from. If you get lucky and find a pool that has organized swimming classes you will probably find someone skilled enough to train you until you get to the point where you’ve outgrown them and really need a professional to progress to your highest level.
In conclusion
Swimming & pool exercise is probably the best exercise for seniors. Sometimes just swimming gets boring so you should join a pool aerobics group.
Because most people are competitive by nature your natural progression is to have friendly races. What can you do if you find that you don’t have much competition?
When you’ve beaten all the swimmers in what you consider your class then it might be time to check into competitive swimming for seniors.
Most of the time you can find a swim club, YMCA or gym with a pool close enough to go to on a regular basis. If you live in the country or a small town there is usually a swimming hole nearby. Lakes, rivers, and oceans are all places you can swim.
If they don’t have an organized program for competitive swimming for seniors, you should think about starting one. Start doing this by contacting every place that has a pool and pick one that gives you the most encouragement or has what you consider likely candidates for your idea. I’ll think you’ll be surprised at the amount of interest in this once someone comes up with the idea.