Should You Take Time Off From Swimming?

One of the questions I’ve often asked myself is “Should I take some time off” from swimming. Well this spring I did just that. Over the winter I had felt a little run down, tired, and sore during my training. I thought this would go away with tapering for the big meet I train for all season. But it didn’t. I didn’t have a very good meet and my times weren’t nearly as fast as I thought they’d be.

So I decided to take some time off from swimming. I took five weeks off. During that time I saw a physical therapist to help with some nagging pain issues. Back, shoulder, hips. I had some serious pain issues. I also continued to see my chiropractor. But I was still tired and achy. So I decided to take time off from the PT and chiropractor too.

Taking Time Off

Then I started swimming lightly again. 2 days of recovery, easy swimming and 2 days of hard training. I’ve also been stretching most days and doing some exercises that my PT suggested.

Surprisingly, I’m swimming faster now and training less. Overall I feel like I have more energy and less pain.

Taking time off is a personal decision. I know many swimmers who swim year round without taking any breaks.

For me, I have realized that taking a little time off from swimming from time to time helps me recover. It’s not easy to do. I like to swim and feel a little empty when I’m not in the water.

But knowing how good I feel today, I will continue to schedule “time off” into my workout schedule. And I’ll also search for fun cross training activities to keep me motivated and active during my down time.

Do you take regular time off or breaks from swimming?

Please share your story.