Is this type and amount of weightlifting enough?

From Dr. Kip "Certainly doing it correctly is better than incorrectly, but I am still opposed to bench press for the following reasons: 1) Very hard to get people to do it right, and there is risk of injury when they do it wrong. 2) A common problem seen in weight lifters, and linked to bench press, is inflammation and later arthritis at the acromio-clavicular joint. There is even a "disease" called osteolysis of the distal clavicle seen in weight (read bench press) lifters. This is , I believe in large part caused by a fixed bar which doesn't allow normal protraction of the scapula as the arms come forward. If one is going to bench press, it should be with dumbbells, not barbells. (the Chicago Cubs, who are very concerned about expensive shoulder health , only allow bench with dumbbells)" It's simply a matter of "risk vs. reward"....I'm in the camp with folks I have already mentioned that believe for the most part that this weight training exercise can be excluded with minimal impact on performance...yet those that choose to do it...particularly adults who have "read" about it on forums and men's health magazines are at high risk of having it be a negative impact on their SWIMMING career. Fritznh....love weight training and have found it to be very beneficial...just think there are far better exercises for adult competitive swimmers. Swimming is also responsible for its fair share of shoulder problems. Dumbells vs barbell I doubt is that big a difference and I personally found barbell to be noticeably more effective. Either way, if the guy was benching 275lbs it would be one thing, but at 140lbs bench is still the best exercise and that weight is simply not enough to be a significant injury risk.

No disagreement here, with regard to being careful. Bench has never bothered me, but I don't lift as an end in itself, rather as a way to keep injury at bay. Pushing weights at the very limit of what your body can withstand can be very hazardous. Especially bench or squat, where muscleheads that frequent weight rooms love to put up big numbers and, at least with squats, it is easy to add a lot of weight quickly until you break form. Breaking form with heavy weight is usually a disaster. So I concentrate on higher reps at lower weight with the best form I can muster. Personally, I've found bench beneficial, but as with anything you've got to be careful. I would maintain that if you have something that works for your physiology, you should use it and maximize the benefit of your time in the weight room. For the OP, keep it up in the weight room, but make sure you're doing stroke work in the pool to get all that newfound power to the water effectively. Be careful with bench and squat, and stay healthy!

Swimming Anatomy Amazon.com: Swimming Anatomy (9780736075718): Ian McLeod: Books is a great book to have if you want to see which weights to do and what parts of your swimming they help. Most can be done at a home gym but some require gym machines. This is an EXCELLENT book! :applaud: I found it to be quite helpful for targeting specific strokes.

All the negative opinions on the exercise is certainly not without cause. In part because most people overload, have bad form, and do it too often. But just because most people do it wrong doesn't mean you should choose not to do it at all. Great exercise to build strength to lift weights lefty...high risk/minimal if any reward relative to swimming. Adult swimmers, many of whom forgo much technique work in the pool and often are over-trained are already incredibly predisposed to impingement related issues from over-development of the upper chest muscles and weak supportive muscles in the back as Dr. Kip explained...and a very large number of elite level swim coaches agree! But hey...great for working the mirror eh??!!

For most, some exercises are excellent tools for developing overall power, like the squat. But some folks with unusual builds (like myself) have to avoid them at all costs, no matter how light or properly executed. If I did, my back would be done. I also gave up bench pressing for shoulder reasons years before I even knew how to swim.

Bench press is a good triceps exercise for swimming, especially with a shoulder-width grip. Absolutely agree. Everyone has to do their own risk-benefit calculus, especially as we age. But Paul, don't you think "high risk" is over-stating things? Your own example, the Chicago Cubs -- with millions of dollars of investment -- do not forbid the bench press outright. Personally, MY high-risk/low-return exercise is the deadlift: I am generally more concerned with back issues than shoulder issues. Yes I know it shouldn't hurt the back if done correctly...but with so much weight involved, I feel like a moment's inattention is all that is needed to seriously screw up my lower back. But I would never go so far as to declare that it is a low-return exercise for all swimmers.

Chris, feel free to disagree but my argument is based on having been through two shoulder surgeries for just what I explained. I'll take my own experience along with the Doctors who treated me and/or we have worked with for our team (Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail and Dr. Kip Sharpe orthopedic surgeon for the Chicago Cubs) along with at least a dozen college and club coaches who's programs I highly respect and who have left bench press many years ago. A swimmer can go through their career never getting injured doing bench press but those that do this exercise without doing strength training for the surrounding muscle groups in the shoulders and supportive muscles in the back are at higher risk...for minimal gain (in swimming)....IMHO! Just one of many articles that offer a very good overview of what I'm talking about: www.livestrong.com/.../ I think bench press is the best exercise for developing upper body and chest strength. And I don't think the gain is minimal for swimmers. But it has to be done right: 1) With a spotter 2) Aim for the middle of chest, not the top 3) Push with lats, not with the deltoid 4) Maintain control of the bar at all times All the negative opinions on the exercise are certainly not without cause. In part because most people overload, have bad form, and do it too often. But just because most people do it wrong doesn't mean you should choose not to do it at all.

Great exercise to build strength to lift weights lefty...high risk/minimal if any reward relative to swimming. Adult swimmers, many of whom forgo much technique work in the pool and often are over-trained are already incredibly predisposed to impingement related issues from over-development of the upper chest muscles and weak supportive muscles in the back as Dr. Kip explained...and a very large number of elite level swim coaches agree! But hey...great for working the mirror eh??!! Chest chest chest. If you think conventionally, you will never have good ideas. Bench press is a good triceps exercise for swimming, especially with a shoulder-width grip.

Chest chest chest. If you think conventionally, you will never have good ideas. Bench press is a good triceps exercise for swimming, especially with a shoulder-width grip. Yep. Depends on the grip. for powerlifters (especially those who use bench shirts) bench is a tricep and lat (yep, lat) exercise moreso than chest. While maybe bench does not lead to that much specific advantages to swimming even if done with a wide grip for chest, it is one of the best if not the best overall upperbody mass builder and increasing muscle mass, especially if one is only benching 140lbs, is going to help swim faster.

Absolutely agree. Everyone has to do their own risk-benefit calculus, especially as we age. But Paul, don't you think "high risk" is over-stating things? Your own example, the Chicago Cubs -- with millions of dollars of investment -- do not forbid the bench press outright. Personally, MY high-risk/low-return exercise is the deadlift: I am generally more concerned with back issues than shoulder issues. Yes I know it shouldn't hurt the back if done correctly...but with so much weight involved, I feel like a moment's inattention is all that is needed to seriously screw up my lower back. But I would never go so far as to declare that it is a low-return exercise for all swimmers. Chris...everyone has to make their own decision based on research and trial and error. I have done bench press...I also pretty badly injured myself doing overhead triceps extensions in college. All I can say is with respect to the majority of people (I never said all) on a forum for "masters swimming" IMHO they would be far better served avoiding this particular exercise. Jazz....I don;t think this has anything to do with "thinking conventionally"...I put far more stock into what Frank Bush and Dave Marsh have found to be successful with regard to strength training for swimming than you apparently do but to each his own! Lefty....silly me, thinking that masters swimmers who put more emphasis on technique in their swim training than volume would not do the same at their local 24 Hour fitness!