In this guest blog, MySwimPro community member Júlia Csepi shares how living in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting her training schedule, walking us through how she designed a weekly training schedule that works for her!

Julia Csepi

Exactly three weeks ago I finished my last swim workout for an uncertain period of time. Time has gone by fast and slow at the same time. I can’t believe that I haven’t felt the chlorine on my skin and haven’t swum my favorite distances for three weeks! 

Finding a New Normal

To be honest, I couldn’t quite decide what to do with myself during the first week of quarantine on a physical and emotional level. I knew that I needed to stay fit while pools were closed, but I didn’t know how. I ended up adopting a completely new routine:

  • I go to bed later because I don’t have to get to the pool at 6 AM
  • I get up later (see previous point)
  • I mainly study in the morning and early afternoon. I am studying to be a teacher!
  • I exercise every single day at home
  • I have adapted to living with my family again. I moved home for the time being to be close to them.

Building My At-Home Training Schedule

As a long-distance swimmer, I typically swim 6 – 6.5 hours per week. I decided to keep the same training volume with dryland. I put running, cycling, Yin yoga and Vinyasa yoga, weight training and of course the MySwimPro dryland bootcamps on my schedule each week.

I started doing yoga 3 years ago in England and it has helped me improve my strength, balance and flexibility, easing the pain in my muscles and joints and helping me find a sense of calm. In the midst of this chaos, I’m still trying to find these things with Yin yoga and Vinyasa yoga.

The first week, I went running twice (about 1.5 kilometers each time), went cycling once (11.5 kilometers), did a total body workout three times, worked with weights twice, did the MySwimPro live bootcamp and took Yin yoga and Vinyasa yoga classes online.

Related: Conquering My 10k Bucket List Swim!

Setting Realistic Expectations

I had a lovely schedule the first week, but I realized I needed to adapt to the needs of my body. I have lived with Crohn’s disease for 10 years and it has deeply affected my joints. Swimming has been the best medicine! But swimming is not an option now, so I needed to change my plans and make them more flexible based on how my body was feeling.

Unfortunately, running took its toll and my left knee started to hurt quite a lot, so the second week I replaced running with more cycling. I went three times (7.5k, 11.75k and 21.65k) and continued with the MySwimPro dryland bootcamp once a week, a total body workout three times a week, and yoga twice a week. I was really happy to find that MySwimPro released dryland training plans in the app at the end of the week!

Related: MySwimPro – #1 Dryland Training App for Swimmers!

Final Adjustments

My knee was feeling much better, but then my right shoulder began hurting. I was devastated because I knew how much swimming backstroke would have helped, and I decided to adapt my training schedule again. 

In addition to three amazing workouts in the Dryland for Beginners training plan and the MySwimPro dryland bootcamp on Sundays, I scheduled in three total body workouts each week. I started to do more yoga and do three 4-hour sessions per week to release shoulder pain. I reduced my cycling to once a week (21.65k) and tested my knee twice on the running track (3.33k and 4.25k), which resulted in my left knee hurting again.

After an attempt to run again and feeling the pain increase in my knee even more, I asked the MySwimPro Global Community for advice. I ended up deciding to stop running — it was never really my sport and I needed to respect my body. It was a difficult decision, but my health should come before my pride.

Related: How to do Dryland Workouts at Home

I feel like this is a vicious cycle and I managed to strain myself more than I should have (this is what I do in life in general!), but I know that I need time to adapt to the new challenges and find the best routine to keep me fit and strong. I feel strong and I know I will be able to swim again when quarantine ends, but I need to stay consistent with my training! No pool, no excuses, right? Happy dryland training!

What does your at-home training regimen look like? Share in the comments!

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