I Can Swim FASTER AT 30! (20% Faster Than In My 20's)

Well, when I was in Syria, it was not easy to access the pool as well, because, you know, hard times. Life doesn't always follow the lanes we've mapped out. For Hussam, a swimmer whose life once revolved around the pool, the current suddenly shifted. Forced to flee his home country and seek refuge, he traded the rhythmic strokes of the water for the unpredictable tides of survival. After leaving Syria, going to Turkey, I've been out of the pool for a long period. Now, amidst the demands of work, marriage, and raising a two-year-old, Hussam strives to find a balance that allows him to keep his passion for swimming afloat. This is a story of resilience, a testament to the unwavering human spirit that refuses to be extinguished, even when life throws its most challenging waves. I'm Hussam, 31 years old. I'm from Syria. Been in Turkey for 11 years. The first time I swam, like, I learned how to swim. I was 20 years old. I didn't know how to float in the water. I was, like, afraid of the water. I used to live in a city which is near the coast in Syria. It's Latakia. So I used to go in the sea. I was, like, afraid. I couldn't know. I didn't know how to swim. My friend was with me, and he told me, like, just have to leave yourself, like, to the water. After that, I went regularly to the pool, like, trying to just, you know, swim 50 meters, breathing out of the water. Was really not competitive swimming. And then, in the college, that's when I decided, look, I should be competitive, and I started my swimming journey. Unfortunately, life had other plans for him. The conflict in Syria escalated. Caught in the crossfire of Syria's civil war, Aleppo is being destroyed. Hussam was forced to make the difficult decision to leave his home country. Well, when I was in Syria, it was not easy to access the pool as well because, you know, hard times. Then, after leaving Syria, going to Turkey, I've been out of the pool for a long period. Like, moving to another country, your life is changing. I was always trying to go to the pool whenever I can, which was not really possible. But I hit the pool when I could. When I have, like, some routine going on in my life, I always have the pool. But now, for me, it's, like, been three to four years of consistent swimming, which is amazing. I feel good every morning. The day that I miss the workout, I don't go to the workout. I don't feel well. I have a two-year-old daughter. I have a wife. I'm married, which can be, you know, challenging. But yeah, going to the pool was a main part of my life in the last 10 years, which is amazing. It really changed my fitness level, my mindset. I am really in good shape, mentally and healthily. And if you think it was happily ever after from there, you're wrong. Even after relocating to Turkey and getting back to his regular swimming routine, he grappled with doubt, questioning if all his effort was really worth it. Swimming is a hard sport. You have to wake up in the morning, get in the cold water, you know, change your clothes twice, which is not easy. You could do running in the morning, and that's easy. I was, like, questioning myself. Like, should I do this? Should I continue doing this? Maybe I'm, you know, swimming too much and staying away a bit from my family, which is something not good. Should I really do this? Like, it's really hard to improve sometimes. Like, you go to the pool. You think you're fast. You're not fast. Which is really, you know, you're not progressing. And you feel like you don't have the time for this. It's just too hard. Then after that, I said, let's give it one last shot. Let's see. And here you go. I progress. And that one last shot paid off. The really good year for me was 2022 till 2023 after the pandemic. I was, like, continuously swimming morning workouts, getting to the other side of the pool, getting back, and that's it. But I just got stuck at some level. I think that something was wrong. So I started to search. And then I found out that my swim club has an app. At that time, I was two minutes per hundred. And I thought, like, I was fast. You know, I was two minutes. That was good. But then I continued, like, to go two times, three times a week to the pool. I think the thing that got me really fast was drills, workouts, structured workouts. In the routine workouts that I've done before, it's just workouts for everyone. But this specific workout that I've done with my swim pro was specified for me. And this was really good for me, which was the game changer here. My swim pro changed my swimming life. I took the time from two minutes to 135. That was amazing for me. Now I'm having a daughter. It's a bit hard to hit the pool, like, every three, four times a week. I'm trying so hard. But yeah, I'm really excited to hit the 125. Swimming may not always have been present in Hussam's life, but it was always there when he needed it, not only as a form of physical fitness, but also supporting his mental health during tough times. Before swimming, like, my life was, fitness was not good. I was 90 kilograms, I think. 90, 95. So I was heavy. I was overweight. After swimming, I lost weight. Now I'm down to 83, 82. I've tried many sports. Basketball, football, running, cycling. So swimming was the best. The feeling after swimming is really amazing. You can never have that in any other sport. I feel good. I feel relaxed sometimes. I feel strong. So it's a mixture of feelings, you know? Yeah, we get it, Hussam. Sharing this passion for the water with other people is priceless and can even make you faster. That's something Hussam only understood very recently. I came here to the retreat. I've never known that I could push myself that much in the pool. One of the really good memories here, I've never swum with a team. I've never swum with a coach. It was really interesting for me. I was, like, a bit curious. How will it be? Like, I was anxious a bit. Like, these people are going to be fast. I'm not going to meet, you know, the standards. But sharing the experience with this group was amazing. Many people who are passionate about swimming, want to improve and, you know, workouts in the pool. And the normal times when I was, like, training myself, I would just stop and call it the end of the day. But doing another fast 50 was, like, crazy for me. But I was faster. So it was amazing for me. It was an amazing moment. Right now you're entering the water with your thumb. You need to enter the water with your ring finger. Because what's happening is you're slicing in like this and you're not catching the water immediately. If camaraderie, friendship, fun workouts, hard work, and a great destination are your thing, join one of our next swim retreats. And if you don't want to take it from us, take it from Hussam. It was really amazing here in the retreat. I met other people from all around the group. And they were, like, sharing their experiences, swimming in the pool. It's not all the time. You can do it once, twice a year. That's fine. Sharing the experience with another fellow swimmer is really a good thing that I should be doing in the future. And speaking of the future, for Hussam, swimming is here to stay for good. Right now I'm focusing on, you know, getting my swim to the next level so I can go to competitions, local competitions in the first place. I live in Turkey. Open water competitions in Turkey is amazing. I would like to take my daughter with me to the pool, teach her how to swim. And yeah, we can spend the time together in the pool. So I can swim, she can swim. Let's see how it will go. We know it can be hard to make progress in swimming, especially when you're training alone. But Hussam has some valuable tips if you're struggling with that. Anyone who really wants to improve in swimming, have a structured workout, focus on the water, just do what you can do. And if you're not able to reach your target soon, it's fine. It's gonna happen. Show up. Just go to the pool, even if you're tired, even if not feeling you have to go to the pool. You just go there, show up, make some progress, make small progresses. But you have to put the good work in.