Calling all USMS members. Your response to this post will be used to create an article in Swimmer magazine about cross training. What types of training do you most commonly do outside of the pool? How often? What cross training works the best, and what types are the least helpful for swimming? :bliss:
Perhaps because swimming is such an individualistic sport, devotees may be less interested in more team-oriented approaches. But I am a little surprised that options like basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, and the like aren't included (other than in the "other" category). Surely I am not the only masters swimmer who enjoys doing something as far from swimming as one can get, in my case, tennis (occasionally singles but more often doubles) where victory doesn't depend solely on the pitiless timing system but can be influenced by factors unrelated to pure physicality, such as trash talking.Agreed! I love my Sunday afternoon soccer matches for all of the above reasons. While soccer may keep my waistline down a little, I don't see it as effective cross training for swimming. Come Monday morning, I'm usually nursing a variety of aches an pains. Plus, I'm one bad slide tackle or mis-planted foot away from a nasty injury. On the other hand, swimming is great cross-training for soccer. A 90 minute match is aerobically no problem for me and I do no running outside of playing soccer.
Perhaps because swimming is such an individualistic sport, devotees may be less interested in more team-oriented approaches. But I am a little surprised that options like basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, and the like aren't included (other than in the "other" category). Surely I am not the only masters swimmer who enjoys doing something as far from swimming as one can get, in my case, tennis (occasionally singles but more often doubles) where victory doesn't depend solely on the pitiless timing system but can be influenced by factors unrelated to pure physicality, such as trash talking.Agreed! I love my Sunday afternoon soccer matches for all of the above reasons. While soccer may keep my waistline down a little, I don't see it as effective cross training for swimming. Come Monday morning, I'm usually nursing a variety of aches an pains. Plus, I'm one bad slide tackle or mis-planted foot away from a nasty injury. On the other hand, swimming is great cross-training for soccer. A 90 minute match is aerobically no problem for me and I do no running outside of playing soccer.
