Should I Swim Even When My Body Is Tired
The five factors to consider before you continue your open water swimming training when you’re feeling low on energy.
We’ve all been there, that feeling of overwhelming tiredness when all you really want is a nice comfy sofa. Training for an event is the last thing on your mind. But we also all know that sometimes it’s important to push through a bit of tiredness. Sometimes, exercise can really revive you and you always feel much better for it. So If you’re training hard and you come across that feeling of total exhaustion, does it mean that you should take a day off?
This feeling can sometimes be down to mental exhaustion. If you’ve been busy at work or you’re juggling a lot then taking some time out for yourself to go swimming could re-energize you and make you feel much better in yourself, particularly if you take it easy and just enjoy the water, rather than putting too much pressure on yourself.
However, if you’ve been training a lot and it’s your body that feels tired, rather than your mind, you could have muscle fatigue. In which case, it could be time to take a rest. How do you know that it’s time to take a break from your training? Here are our five top things to consider.
Are you sleeping well?
If you’re an active person, chances are you train hard and sleep like a log and that’s to be expected. If you’re sleeping perfectly well after a day’s training then you should be in tip top condition to swim the next day if you choose to. Even if your body feels tired, if you’ve slept well, it should give you the energy you need to continue on with your session, though you might simply choose to take it a little easier than usual. It’s important not to give up at this stage as your body is getting stronger.
However, if you’re sleeping poorly in general, this may be a sign that you’re overtired. This may or may not be down to how much training you’re doing but it is a sign that it’s time to give your body a break. Spend a day or two doing something more gentle, like a walk or a cycle or simply having a well earned rest.
How long do your muscles ache for?
It’s perfectly natural for your muscles to ache after a swim, after all, swimming is a brillant full body workout. Working all of your muscle groups simultaneously is bound to burn through lots of energy and so it’s easy to understand why many swimmers report feeling so sleepy after a session.
If you find that your muscles are still aching after a day or two then you may have delayed-onset muscle soreness or DOMS. Again you may feel fine to do a light swim during this time but if your muscles are feeling extremely sore and tight, it might be better to take a rest day, to avoid it turning into an injury, so why not put your feet up.
What’s your resting heart rate
Just like sore muscles, it’s normal for your resting heart rate to be slightly elevated after training. But as you train more and get fitter, your resting heart rate should get lower over time. If you do take note of your RHR before and after your swim, you will likely notice that it’s slightly higher after your session, but probably not for very long. You should ideally take a note of your RHR in the morning, for best results.
If you’re finding that your RHR is still elevated 24 hours after your swim, this could be a sign that you’re fatigued and not allowing your body the recovery time it needs. If this is the case, it’s a good time to stop swimming for a day or two and enjoy some downtime.
Are you drinking enough water?
There’s a misconception that you don’t sweat whilst swimming and it’s easy to understand why. The combination of cool water and even just being in the water at all, would make sweat difficult to detect. But if you’re working hard and pushing yourself during your training, it’s likely that you will be sweating.
It’s commonly understood that when you sweat, you need to rehydrate, and nobody would look out of place with a water bottle after a heavy gym session. But often in swimming, people forget to re-hydrate and actually, it’s equally as important as it is in any sport.
If your body is feeling tired and you have a session planned then try drinking lots of water ahead of time or use a rehydration drink if you don’t have all day to catch up. If you start to feel less tired then you’re good to go for your swim. If it is a case of dehydration, then you are perfectly safe to continue your training sessions and in fact, you should! Just make sure that you’re taking lots of fluids with you for when you leave the water.
Are you resting in between sessions?
Muscle fatigue is often caused by excessive lactic acid, which accumulates in the muscles. The best thing you can do to remedy this, is to take a rest. If your body is feeling tired, you will probably know in yourself whether or not you’re resting appropriately in between swims.
There’s no issue with swimming daily if you feel happy to do so, but if you’re doing a tough training session in the water, followed by a busy day on your feet or you’re combining your swimming training with running or cycling on the same day, it’s reasonable to suggest that you might not be allowing your body time to recover. If you’re training for a triathlon, it’s perfectly possible that you can combine your swimming with other forms of training, but just be careful to not overexert yourself. Try a long run, followed by an easier swim, or crush your laps but then go for a gentle cycle.
Swimming is a wonderful way to feel reinvigorated after a busy day or week, especially in the calming environment that open water swimming can provide. So if your body is feeling tired and you still feel motivated to swim, give it a go. But make sure you listen to your body at all times. You know your body better than anyone else, if you think it’s time to take a rest, it probably is. Sometimes a little rest, can improve your training and allow you to come back to the water refreshed and raring to go.
Our Straight-Line Swimming membership comes with a free training plan, a great way to maximise your efficiency in the water without feeling muscle fatigue. Sign up here.