USA Swimming has released guidelines for open water swimming as swimmers start to use different training options with pools in many states still closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Many swimmers are using open water as an alternative to get back in the water. That means some swimmers who are not used to what to look out for as far as open water is concerned, might need a refresher in what guidelines to follow, especially during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Best Practices For Open Water<\/a> Here is a look at the safety concerns:<\/p>\n SAFETY MANAGEMENT FOR OPEN WATER WORKOUTS<\/strong><\/p>\n USA Swimming Step 1: Know Your Venue<\/p>\n swim. WHEN IN DOUBT, DON\u2019T SWIM!<\/li>\n Avoid sharp rocks, shallow dives or slippery boat ramps. Many venues have a \u201cbeach\u201d with a sandy bottom, which should be utilized whenever possible.<\/p>\n Step 2: Develop a Flexible Workout Plan<\/li>\n USA Swimming has a minimum temperature is 60.8 degrees and maximum temperature is 85 degrees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Wetsuits should be worn in temperatures below 65 degrees but can be worn in higher temperatures based on the athlete\u2019s comfort level. Remember: athletes are acclimatized to an 80-degree pool so flexibility should be built into training duration and the use of wetsuits vs. swimsuits. Athletes may eventually acclimate to lower temperatures over time, but this process can take several weeks and can only be accomplished by incrementally increasing the time in the water.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u27a2 Be Flexible: Each athlete will respond to open water workouts differently. A 5K pool swim is much easier than a 5K open water swim. Do not get caught up with chasing specific distances initially.<\/p>\n USA Swimming Step 3: Have a Safety Plan<\/p>\n Questions? Feel free to contact… Safety personnel should be able to reach a swimmer in no more than 20 seconds at any given point during the training session.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" USA Swimming has released guidelines for open water swimming as swimmers start to use different training options with pools in many states still closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3915,"featured_media":218584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[122077,11],"tags":[2690],"class_list":["post-433430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-americas","category-open-water","tag-usa-swimming"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n
\n\u2022 Open Water Workouts<\/a>
\n\u2022 Open Water Workout Examples<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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\nKaitlin Pawlowicz (kpawlowicz@usawimming.org) Bryce Elser (belser@usaswimming.org)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n