I am considering getting some personal training sessions this spring but I'm not sure what sort of training would be most beneficial. I've been working on improving my core strength and I think that helped. My focus events are distance freestyle and backstroke but I would like to improve my short-axis strokes.
I have pretty good uppper body strength already and don't want to bulk up. I can tell that my left knee is weaker than my right and my breaststroke kick is imbalanced. Ideally I would like to improve my SDKs and power off starts and walls. And, of course, I'd like to look better in my bathing suit. :D
Recommendations?
I think you are doing fabulously well on your own. There are not all that many people who can train themselves to a national top ten time in an endurance event. You are already a pretty fit customer.
What value added does a personal trainer bring to the party? If you know someone who is really, really good, who understands your athletic goals, and can cost effectively design a set of efficient and effective exercises to help you reach them, then maybe you can justify the cost. But pretenders are all-too-common in the personal trainer business, and you can easily wind up wasting your money. Caveat emptor.
Personal trainers who understand swimming are rare. If you can find someone knowledgeable and trustworthy, then maybe they can help. Personally, I'm skeptical.
The book Swimmming Anatomy by Ian McLeod (Amazon or B&N) provides a good soource of basic information and exercises specific to muscles and strokes, and it would provide you with some background info before engaging a trainer and also allow you to "truth-test" the program and to be sure it's what you want- Knowledge is Power.
I agree with Swimosaur that it might be hard to find a personal trainer that knows swimming, can evaluate your needs, and set you on the right track, but not impossible. Probably not avaialble at the average gym, and perhaps you're more likely to find such a trainer in and around college swimming program and/or recommended by a college coach. I think using a trainer would be helpful in designing a program specific to your needs, tracking/testing response, checking dryland techniques, motivating you, and could eliminate trial and error. Might also prevent injury or over training. From what i've read, there really isn't one-size-fits-all training, as everybody responds differently- having someone that can adjust the program as you go along to your response would be pretty helpful, i think.
Preliminary top ten!
Good points, and something I had thought about a little bit. I actually just returned from a meeting over at the Rec and as I had a few extra minutes I talked to my friend who is the exercise physiologist there. She said that she doesn't know much about swimming and she didn't think offhand that any of the current trainers have much experience with it.
I didn't have to go any farther than the floor above my office to find that Swimming Anatomy book, so I'll take a look at that. Mostly my desire to have some training sessions is to make sure I'm not doing an exercise completely wrong.
I think you are doing fabulously well on your own. There are not all that many people who can train themselves to a national top ten time in an endurance event. You are already a pretty fit customer.
What value added does a personal trainer bring to the party? If you know someone who is really, really good, who understands your athletic goals, and can cost effectively design a set of efficient and effective exercises to help you reach them, then maybe you can justify the cost. But pretenders are all-too-common in the personal trainer business, and you can easily wind up wasting your money. Caveat emptor.
Personal trainers who understand swimming are rare. If you can find someone knowledgeable and trustworthy, then maybe they can help. Personally, I'm skeptical.
The book Swimmming Anatomy by Ian McLeod (Amazon or B&N) provides a good soource of basic information and exercises specific to muscles and strokes, and it would provide you with some background info before engaging a trainer and also allow you to "truth-test" the program and to be sure it's what you want- Knowledge is Power.
I agree with Swimosaur that it might be hard to find a personal trainer that knows swimming, can evaluate your needs, and set you on the right track, but not impossible. Probably not avaialble at the average gym, and perhaps you're more likely to find such a trainer in and around college swimming program and/or recommended by a college coach. I think using a trainer would be helpful in designing a program specific to your needs, tracking/testing response, checking dryland techniques, motivating you, and could eliminate trial and error. Might also prevent injury or over training. From what i've read, there really isn't one-size-fits-all training, as everybody responds differently- having someone that can adjust the program as you go along to your response would be pretty helpful, i think.
Preliminary top ten!
Good points, and something I had thought about a little bit. I actually just returned from a meeting over at the Rec and as I had a few extra minutes I talked to my friend who is the exercise physiologist there. She said that she doesn't know much about swimming and she didn't think offhand that any of the current trainers have much experience with it.
I didn't have to go any farther than the floor above my office to find that Swimming Anatomy book, so I'll take a look at that. Mostly my desire to have some training sessions is to make sure I'm not doing an exercise completely wrong.
