Since I seem to be having difficulties today. I figured I'd try this again.
Hi All! I just recently joined Masters Swimming after a 9 year break from the pool and I am looking for some tips. In high school I was a butterfly swimmer, but drills especially the ones focusing on kicking always seemed faster than my actual swim. My high school coach told me to work on my upper body strength which helped a little. Last week my Masters coach said that my body motion was faster than my arms which was why I was better at the drills than at the swim. Can anyone give me some tips (drills or drylands) on how to improve my arm speed or was my high school coach right and its just a matter of upper body strength?
Thanks in Advance!
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Former Member
Periodize your weight training. Move from endurance, to strength, to explosive power, then repeat. Include recovery weeks. For example, do a week of 12 reps, then 15, then 20, then 12/10/8, then 10/8/6, then 6/4/2, then recovery, etc. Lower reps = heavier weights. I would also recommend adding pull-ups, deadlifts, and squats to your routine.
I've been doing this. Last week was a recovery week, and I did a set of 8 x 50m fly LCM the other day. I felt strong and smooth, and my turnover felt noticeably faster than before the weight training cycle. I often have the "slow arm" feeling doing fly when I am tired, but I've noticed less of that the more I lift.
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Former Member
Periodize your weight training. Move from endurance, to strength, to explosive power, then repeat. Include recovery weeks. For example, do a week of 12 reps, then 15, then 20, then 12/10/8, then 10/8/6, then 6/4/2, then recovery, etc. Lower reps = heavier weights. I would also recommend adding pull-ups, deadlifts, and squats to your routine.
I've been doing this. Last week was a recovery week, and I did a set of 8 x 50m fly LCM the other day. I felt strong and smooth, and my turnover felt noticeably faster than before the weight training cycle. I often have the "slow arm" feeling doing fly when I am tired, but I've noticed less of that the more I lift.
