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! :)
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.
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.
