I assure you, the thought never even occurred to me. :eek: If I were to see someone doing it, though, I’d probably have a hard time not laughing, which might be misinterpreted–probably just as well I don’t make a habit of drying my hair, and thus don’t go into that part of the locker room.
It sounds like my intuition was just about right–act more or less like there’s no one else there (within reason!) and keep the eyes fairly high without being weird about it. Thanks to everyone on that.
As to the breast & butterfly: I don’t seem to get a lot of power off the breaststroke kick. I’m told (I’ve been taking group lessons; I had very limited swimming experience prior to a few months ago) that I’m scissor/fluttering one of my legs, and kicking harder with it than the other. Oddly enough, I don’t seem to have any problem with the elementary backstroke, which uses essentially the same kick but on the back. (Right?) If I do a double kick (kick-kick-glide-pull) I seem to get better results off the second kick.
Butterfly is just a mess. I think I can do the dolphin kick well enough on its own, but add the arms and I’m surprised the lifeguards don’t think I’m drowning. I just turn into an uncoordinated mess.
It’s not essential that I learn either stroke, but I’d like to have them in the repertoire for variety and the chance to work different muscles. I think I’ll see how things come along, and if I’m not happy with it when the lessons end in December, I’ll look into finding some private help.
One last swim question: Is there any particular advantage to breathing on both sides in freestyle/front crawl? Or, is there any DISadvantage to breathing on one side exclusively? I always breathe to my right, and while I’d rather not have to change my habits, I probably could if there’s some reason to.
Practice the breaststroke kick with a kickboard, and exaggerate your leg motions. I often found it helpful to get students to keep track of where their toes were pointed – out to the sides when you’re pulling up to kick, ending up pointed behind you after you’ve kicked through. And pay attention to the “feel” of pushing against the water – most of the power comes from pushing with the inside of your legs and the flats of your feet. If you slow your kick down, it’ll be easier to get the timing right.
Alternate breathing is advantageous in freestyle races, as it can allow you to check out where competitors are you on both sides without interrupting your stroke. It is not necessary, and you’re not going to overdevelop one arm or anything like that by sticking to a preferred side. There are some Olympic swimmers who only breathe one side.
edit: Also, for fly-kick practice, try treading water using the dolphin kick motion. Hold your hands out of the water, and it will exaggerate the required movements. That will really show you how your body needs to move; you’ll probably be surprised at how much effort it takes from your hips.
I am not naked any more than is necessary. I shower, I dry off, I get dressed. I don’t shave at the sinks naked. I don’t walk around the entire locker room to get to my locker…naked. I don’t pee while naked. I don’t start conversations while naked. I don’t take a half an hour to put on the first article of clothing. And I never, ever, EVER dry my balls or my ass crack at the hot air dryers!
I’ve been meaning to post about this topic for over a year. I was going to do it under the title of “People You Find at the Gym,” but lately I’ve been wanting to ask about:
Unnecessarily Naked Man
Who IS this guy? Usually older, but not always. He takes 20 minutes to get dressed. He walks everywhere naked. He uses the Americans with Disabilities Act shower…the only shower in plain view of the entire locker room. (He’s not disabled. Far from it. In fact, some of his acrobatics involving the bench and the sinks are quite…abled.)
The guys drying their bodies off at the hand/hair dryers are who I can’t understand. The dryers in the locker room at my gym are in a short hallway between the two locker areas. A narrow hallway. It’s very difficult to get by them without hugging the wall or…well, you know.
Yesterday, one guy was at the sink. Naked. As I walked past the sink area and to my locker, he came out, crossed in front of me, and went to his locker. I put my stuff away and walked back out…he was still naked. No big deal. Five minutes later, I realized I still had my keys in my pocket so I went to put them in the locker. Same scenario! He walked away from the sink area, naked, and stood in front of his locker. For all I know, he’s still there. Naked.
This thread is hilarious…I thought my gym was the only one
I think the etiquette’s been mostly “covered” (er… sorry). Just don’t stare, and do what feels comfortable to you. But most importantly don’t thrust your junk in a guy’s face. If there’ a dude on the bench behind where you’re changing, turn a bit when puttin on the undies so you’re not bending over and thrusting your bare ass towards his face. That ain’t cool.
Now story time. The first time I went to an Onsen (public bath) in Japan I didn’t know where to get a towel, so I stripped down, realized I didn’t have a towel, then wandered around looking for one (everyone wanders around naked, it’s a BATH house, not just a locker room, so it was more acceptable). Anyway, finally I just ask some guy where I can get one, and for the entire conversation he was staring straight at my junk and covering his mouth. Eyes never left the chinko (japanese word for cock). So, being an American, I didn’t bother covering up but put my hands on my hips and posed proudly for him, hehehe Also, if you’re ever in an Onsen, don’t be surprised when the cleaning ladies walk by. They’ll only giggle at you more if you yelp and dive into the nearest bath
I thought you all were joking about the ball-drying with hairblowers. Tonite at the Y, a guy in the same locker row as me pulls out a handheld hairblower – a rather large one, at that – plugs it in, and proceeds to blow-dry his bush. Not his hair, though – he’d put on a grunge-ish stocking cap as soon as he sat down. So there he was: naked, sitting on a towel, stocking cap, with a blow-dryer in his crotch.
And here I thought Naked TV Nazi (subspecies of Unnecessarily Naked Man) was strange…
Also on the topic of etiquette: if you have foot crud, and need to treat it with chemicals – for Og’s sake, buy a topical cream! Using an aerosol spray is an open invitation to Beat You Down.
… fortunately, stocking-cap blow-dried crotch guy turned his overpowered hairdryer on the aerosol cloud, and saved us from asphyxiation. May be weird, but that guy was okay.
For the breaststroke, my advice is unless you are competing in something with it, you should not be going fast. Breaststroke is the most relaxing and rhythmic of all strokes, and it is best utilized as a transitional/cooldown&warmup/relaxation stroke. You can push yourself with it if you want to, but it’s much nicer to go slow with it.
Don’t stand in front of the full length mirror flexing your muscles and admiring your physique. It’s annoying.
Also use a towel when you’re not geting dressed or you’re not getting wet.
And for the love of Og, if you feel the need to chat some one up while you are naked; don’t do that bit while you’re standing, where you prop one leg up on the bench to lay you elbow to rest on your knee. Nobody wants to see that.
1.) No hurry, but clothe yourself as soon is conveniently possible. Nobody is comfortable around the “is a tad too comfortable walking around the men’s room naked” guy.
2.) Don’t sit your naked ass(hole) on the communal benches.
I have no worries wandering round the locker room naked, or with anyone else doing it. We are all the same.
But please, if you have a scrap metal yard hanging from your delicate bits, I’d prefer it if you didn’t spend too much time checking and drying every individual piercing after your shower.
And clanking your Prince Albert on the sauna bench as you sit down is just … :eek:
Oh, and don’t discuss your supplement program or compare needle sites with your mates, either. That gets really old real quick.
No idea, my own advice would be the same as yours.
People wear more or less depending on how comfy they feel with more or less and on things like the temperature of the room. AFAIK there’s no rules about how much to wear, although in Spain people would definitely stare and might say something to someone sitting on a bench with no intervening cloth.
I have recently started going to the gym. I don’t know if it’s just the gym I’m going to (nearby university) but damned if I’m not one of the only guys there who gets naked. It’s not like I make a big production of it, either – gotch off, towel on – but I swear like nine-tenths of the guys either do that ludicrous undies-off-under-towel routine or else, I swear, they walk to the shower clothed and take off their clothes in the shower stall. It’s so bizarre. What in heaven’s name do they think is going to happen?
Also, if you’re ever in an Onsen, don’t be surprised when the cleaning ladies walk by. They’ll only giggle at you more if you yelp and dive into the nearest bath 