Personal training for swimmers

Just to echo some things already mentioned and add my two cents... if you hire a personal trainer, do make sure s/he is a swimmer or at least a triathlete; they'll have much better insight about your ultimate goals. I like Habu987's selection of exercises a lot. You mentioned maybe having a trainer watch to make sure you're doing the exercises properly. Sometimes it's tough to tell what the exercise is supposed to look like if you're just reading a description in a book. The Salo/Riewald book I picked up this X-mas ("Complete Conditioning for Swimming") came with a DVD with demonstrations of all the exercises.... that might help.

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. Recommendations? First, you should know that there are no studies showing improved distance swim performance with strength training you might do in a gym. There IS a study showing improved 50 meter swim performance with strength training www.lakeshoreswimclub.com/.../EFFECTS OF DRY-LAND VS_ RESISTED- AND.pdf Importantly, in keeping with a theme that has played out over the past 6ish years or so, the exercises performed were heavy resistance, 3 sets of 6 at 80 to 90% of 1 repetition maximum. This accords well with the limited data from running and cycling that also show improved performance in experienced athletes but also using the same type of high resistance work. This is in contrast to much previous work using the more generic 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps that is often used as a starting point. The preponderance of studies with trained athletes from the 80s was using more of the 2 sets of 10 type model and most of those showed no gains. Unfortunately there are very few studies showing positive performance gains in swimming from strength training, and none that I have ever seen for distance swimming. A GOOD, performance oriented trainer should know this. A wellness-oriented trainer might or might not. So if you use a trainer, get one that the ATHLETES like and understand that while the strength training will have benefits for you all on its own, strength training is a good thing to do, improved swim performance may not be one of the benefits you see.

I think the best reason for doing any conditioning outside the pool is to avoid injury and stabilize your core and joints; it may not improve performance, but if it keeps you from sitting out half a season with a shoulder or knee injury then it's worth it. :agree: +1! And, may add "correct muscle imbalances" to your reason list? I went to a PT for the very reasons you stated. And, what I learned from my evaluation is that I have muscle imbalances that are probably the cause of my repetitive injuries. I am already starting to see improvement, even though I have only been doing her prescribed exercises for less than a week. I can't wait to return on Thursday for my lower body evaluation, so I can get my breaststroke kick back up to speed (and strength)!

HI EKW, I hope this message finds you well! My name is Joey Pedraza, I swam for Team USA in the Open Water National Team. I am a certified Personal Trainer and a Nutrition Specialist. I believe I can help with your personal goals. If you are still interested in looking for help, please feel free to reach back to me. Cheers, Stay Safe, Joey