post-workout swimming - thoughts?

[scotty-win]

I'm 29, 6'1''/195. I've been lifting 3-4x/week for about five years. I used to run outside, play basketball, or play soccer a few times per week for fat-burning, but I have a torn meniscus and always had to ice my knee afterwards, so I've been looking for non-impact cardio lately. I switched to doing 20-30 min on an elliptical after every workout, but that still hurt my knee, so last week I started swimming.

My goal is to lose fat w/o losing muscle, get down to 185-190, and maybe eventually build the swimming endurance to do a sprint-triathlon next summer (of course the running will hurt my knee again but I'll deal). I just finished a 2-month HIIT workout and it didn't do much for me, but that's another topic.

I've been trying to swim every weekday. I know how to do freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke, but have never been on a swim team or anything like that. Right now I'm still working on my form and endurance, and can't do more than 3 freestyle laps (standard 25-yard pool) w/o stopping to catch my breath. MWF I'll do 6-8 laps after lifting. TTh I'll do 8-10 laps w/ no lifting. I'm trying to increase my laps every day, depending on whether I lift or not. Obv I'm in the beginning stages right now.

My questions for H&F:

1. What do you think about swimming combined with lifting in general?
2. Is swimming going to hurt my lifting progress?
3. Is it pathetic that I can't do more than 3 laps without resting for a minute?
4. What are some recommended swim workouts for beginners?
5. What are +/- of different strokes?

[mattnxtc]

I would save swimming for days when youa rent working out...it is an extremely muscle intensive workout and you will feel it...

[shemp]

I enjoy swimming, and like to do it after working out where there's an available pool or lane. I can't speak to the fat loss or how it combines with lifting, but I'd be shocked if the super short distances you are talking about would be bad for anything.

3 continuous laps is not pathetic. It's fine. You can try to gain endurance at your inefficient stroke, or, basically, learn how to swim-- fine either way, but be aware of the choice you are making.

The modern training "bible" is called "Total Immersion." The key beginner drills are learning to float.

http://konamoxt.com/library/articles/total-immersion-3/

You do just that first drill before your next swim and I would bet money that your stroke count will go down drastically on your first lap afterward.

Learning multiple strokes is a good thing I would guess because it increases "hydrostatic awareness"-- your brain/body's comfort in the water.

edit: Here are some videos of the first couple drills:
http://www.totalimmersion.co.uk/02Fr...f--Videos.html

[scotty-win]

Thanks Shemp. Those videos are good. I definitely want to learn how to swim better before I build endurance with a crappy stroke, especially if I end up doing a tri.