Bilateral Side-Breathing

Had a great session today for about 45 minutes after a water aerobics class.  As instructed in Swim Smooth, I made an effort to exhale consistently and powerfully under water which attributed to a more relaxed rhythm of swimming. The C02 builds up in your body if you hold your breath and you get desperate for air which can make you tense and tired.  Nailing down the breathing aspect is really critical for a beginner - it made a difference for me.

Once I got the hang of that, I tried breathing on the opposite side which I don't use (the left).   As I'm building muscle memory I thought I'd better be ahead of the game by training myself to side-breath in both directions.  Boy was I wobbly !  Why ?  Because my stroke was too curved down and not as developed and it threw off my balance.  It was a rather klutzy attempt but I am determined to keep at it.

According to Swim Smooth it takes about 2 weeks at 6 sessions to get over the "bilateral hump".  This means my practice swims changes from breathing every 2 strokes to breathing every 3 strokes.  Or they recommend going one lap side-breathing to the left and the next lap side-breathing to the right.  Guess, I'll have to experiment and see which works best.

Apparently, you can develop asymmetry in your back musculature from using only one side to breath.  This makes complete sense because the mechanics involve balancing with one outstretched arm as you turn your head to the side to get a breath.  The repetition of this movement creates more developed muscles on one side of the back.  Another reason to learn bilateral side-breathing.   Probably the most important besides achieving symmetrical stroke technique is in open water if you have to look out for landmarks or avoid sun glare or obstacles.

I'm learning so much each day and each swim is nothing but pure joy.  I'm getting verklempt here but I feel that I've been given a gift from God.  Truly.  Conquering this fear of water and transforming it into pure joy means the world to me.  I love swimming !   Where's my hanky ?