Road Cycling - swimming to supplement riding

does anybody swim to supplement their riding? i am thinking of trying it out, only i suck at swimming. does it help? how about endurance levels? i would love to hear about your experiences with this.:)

I don't swim but I run. Helps keep the VO 2 max high, if you swim hard it will be better than nothing, you can use a lot of energy that way.

I have not tried it, but suplimenting cycling with another form of training can be beneficial. For winter/off season training I try to do one or two different endurance exercising on my non riding days.

Swimming will probably work muscles which do not get worked out much when riding, and so it will probably make you a bit stronger on the bike.

good luck :)

I coach my high school's swim team so I have been able to get in the pool since the beginning of December, and it has been great. It gives you a full body work out and is an excellent aerobic workout...you'll earn every lap.
If you are a trainingbible.com member you can download a ton of workouts, and work them into your cycling training plan.
Good luck.

Swimming makes you a stronger biker and a stronger runner, absolutely! Biking makes you a better swimmer and runner!

Swimming is very hard to get into. Many strong athletes (who would otherwise kick buht) poop out halfway thru the swim event of their first triathlon (much to their surprise), because it's definitely a learned skill, in a different environment, that uses a different set of muscles.

Just hit the pool regularly and get used to being able to swim only short distances at first. One suggestion is to swim as many laps as possible at a moderate pace (don't expect much the first few times), then stop before you're badly tired. Rest a few minutes and do it again, repeat at least three cycles per workout. This will get you swimming a longer distance per workout, than just swimming till you drop. Which will get you into aquatic shape in a relatively short time.

Swimming for speed and distance is more a function of skill than strength, so if you really want to do well you can hire a coach for half a dozen lessons at a very reasonable fee, and learn to do it right, right from the start. Also, if you notice the lap swimmer next to you is doing really well, ask for their advice and they'll be happy to give you pointers.

http://www.trinewbies.com/2Swim.htm
Has great info geared for newcomers.

Good luck, spinner1, hope this helps.

Swimming is really good for flexibility, which is where cycling sucks.
I was a useless swimmer when I was at school, but at college I decided to take advantage of the free pool, and swam every day. After a few months I was doing a hard 40min workout, which I did daily for about 7 years , till I started cycling seriously.
Learn to swim with an efficient stroke, and the technique of breathing, before you try to work hard in the pool.

I swim to supplement my cycling. I started in November. I only go once a week. I started out and was only able to do about 20 laps (about a 1/4 mile). With in a month (4 times) I was able to do 60 laps (about .85 miles). I swam today, but only did 1/2 mile. It has REALLY increased my cardo when I'm on the bike. I really notice it when I'm on hills. In the first 3 weeks of swimming I noticed I was breathing MUCH easier on hillls and I was able to keep a higher cadence on the hills. I'm planning on sticking to swimming at least once a week. My goal is to get up to swimming 1 mile each time.

Unfortunately, the swimming seems to have re-aggravated a rotator cuff injury I got about 7 years ago while playing softball. I tore it throwing a softball and never went to get it fixed since it was the end of the season. And since i didn't play the following year, I never really had a need to get it repaired. It's never bothered me much thru the years except if I throw a football or baseball too hard or too often. And I don't exactly play catch very much (maybe once a year). But the swimming motion is almost exactly the same as the throwing motion and my shoulder is now in almost constant discomfort/pain. So I'm going to the doctor to find out what can be done. At the very least I'll probably be unable to swim for a couple of months.... but I definitely plan to get right back into it as soon as possible. The cardo benefits are tremendous. Plus it allows me to work my upper body which I don't get while cycling.

PBW

thanks for all the advice everyone. it is well taken.

hey P.B. Walker, i too have rotator cuff issues. before you let any surgeon cut on you, go see a sports physical therapist. you may only need to strengthen that area. :p