Greetings -
I'm looking for some input. I am a 61 year old male who primarily swims freestyle and butterfly. My structured swim workouts are Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings. I swim in meets occasionally, mostly sprints, and want to increase my competitiveness.
Lifting weights is also a part of my workout regime. I have been advised to only exercise each muscle group once a week, but do so with extreme vigor, going to failure or near failure on my sets. I've got that currently split as follows, and with my swim workouts, my schedule looks like this:
Saturday: Delts, Lats, Traps, Triceps, Forearms
Monday: Pecs, Biceps, Glutes, and Quads
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: Swim
My strategy is to work with weights on the most heavily used muscles for free and fly on Saturday, giving me three days rest before my swim workout. (Weight lifting interferes with my swimming if I try to do it the same day or even the day before). The Monday lifting workout is meant to focus on muscles less used in these strokes and therefore have less impact on the quality of my swim workout for the rest of the week.
If you both swim and lift, I would value your observations on this strategy. Thanks.:)
Like you, I swim and lift. 58 years old. Major caveat; just because the following works for me, doesn't mean it will work for anyone else.
Couple of things struck me immediately. First, the long stretch between lifting on Monday and not again until Saturday. Second, only working each muscle group once per week. I'm not sure you're ever going to get much benefit with that kind of frequency. I would never feel like I'm "in shape" with that kind of schedule and suspect it would just make me sore. It would also always feel like a struggle to get through a weight workout - feeling tired and beat up rather than "good tired". You might consider at least 3 weight workouts a week and not breaking up the muscle groups,
Swimming is all about the core to maintain stability, proper position in the water and a stable platform for your kick and stroke. Can't tell what exercises you're actually doing, but make sure you are working your core.
Strength training that engages the entire body has been very helpful to me. For example, instead of just doing a seated military press; stand on an upside down Bosu ball with weights in each hand, start with a squat to standing, curl the weights to shoulder height, then press above your head. This engages almost your entire body and is also aerobic. Look for other opportunities to add additional movements to your "main" lift. Avoid machines. Kettlebell exercises are also excellent. Finally, higher reps/lower weights seem to work well.
I usually alternate two swim days with one weight day.
Again, all of that is for what it's worth which may not be much. Best of luck to you!!!
Like you, I swim and lift. 58 years old. Major caveat; just because the following works for me, doesn't mean it will work for anyone else.
Couple of things struck me immediately. First, the long stretch between lifting on Monday and not again until Saturday. Second, only working each muscle group once per week. I'm not sure you're ever going to get much benefit with that kind of frequency. I would never feel like I'm "in shape" with that kind of schedule and suspect it would just make me sore. It would also always feel like a struggle to get through a weight workout - feeling tired and beat up rather than "good tired". You might consider at least 3 weight workouts a week and not breaking up the muscle groups,
Swimming is all about the core to maintain stability, proper position in the water and a stable platform for your kick and stroke. Can't tell what exercises you're actually doing, but make sure you are working your core.
Strength training that engages the entire body has been very helpful to me. For example, instead of just doing a seated military press; stand on an upside down Bosu ball with weights in each hand, start with a squat to standing, curl the weights to shoulder height, then press above your head. This engages almost your entire body and is also aerobic. Look for other opportunities to add additional movements to your "main" lift. Avoid machines. Kettlebell exercises are also excellent. Finally, higher reps/lower weights seem to work well.
I usually alternate two swim days with one weight day.
Again, all of that is for what it's worth which may not be much. Best of luck to you!!!
