I'm not training for a particular time of year or event or anything. I am swimming because I love the water and I really need to be more active to be healthier. I've read that adding lifting can really help with swimming, and I'd like to try it, but most of the pages I find are all about what to lift leading up to a season or when tapering or whatever.
My one concern is that my right shoulder gets sore easily and my coach said to avoid shoulder-focused lifting. He also said to stick with lower weight and higher reps.
My good friend has been lifting for several years and is counseling me to to the opposite - higher weight, lower reps to build muscle which would make me stronger. And to specifically work the shoulders to build muscle to support the shoulder so it is less likely to be injured. He's not a swimmer, though.
Perspectives? Any ideas on where can I go to learn more about this? Thanks! :)
How about you go to a doctor that will give you a Medical opinion of what you can do and why something hurts now --- before you do damage just trying to get in shape.
How about you go to a doctor that will give you a Medical opinion of what you can do and why something hurts now --- before you do damage just trying to get in shape.
+1. Another option is to get a solid referral to a sports physical therapist and have your shoulder evaluated. Your therapist will recommend specific exercises (or weights) for you based on your needs. Do NOT take well-meaning advice from your good friend unless your friend happens to be a medical doctor or physical therapist. ;)
Along with the strength training, be sure to do a lot of stretching/yoga moves to keep flexible. Like Mark said above, it's easy to lose range of motion and get tight when you're doing this kind of training so keep that in mind.
Absolutely.
It can't really harm to get stronger, can it? But the route you take to getting stronger does matter.
A good strength and conditioning specialist will work with medical information and give corrective exercises as well as gradually building weight and difficulty.
In my 40 year break between youth age group swimming and returning to Masters swimming, I was an avid weightlifter/bodybuilder.
While I built a lot of strength and muscle mass, I also lost some range of motion, particularly in my shoulders.
My Masters swimming coach encouraged me to continue to do strength training as part my dryland workouts, but to do more body weight exercises and to use stretch band where you can more closely replicate the range of motion required in swimming.
If your goal is to get strong and build big muscles, then heavy weights & low reps (lifting to failure) works. If you're looking to build or maintain functional strength then moderate weights with high reps are probably the ticket.
I'd also mention that in my experience, shoulder pain is more often related to poor technique as opposed to lack of muscular strength.
