I have some questions regarding lifting. I feel compelled to lift - typically 2X per week - for two reasons: 1) just good strength training in general for an aging body. 2) Shoulder and knee injury prevention, but, I really don't enjoy it.
I'm beginning to think that lifting is not helping my swimming, and probably hurting it. The fatigue makes it harder for me to follow through on my intended training sets - intervals, # of reps, or speed.
I also wonder if lifting is contributing to the soreness/tendonitis I often feel in my arms.
I do a variety of exercises using the weight stacks as 3 sets of 12. People tell me that 12 reps means I'm lifting light. Sheesh! to me it feels difficult enough, tiring/burning by the 12th rep, and definitely more so with progressive sets; in short, my weights don't feel light!
I'm thinking I should persevere with my lifting schedule because maybe its helping me "get slower, slower". I'm afraid to run the control experiment.
I'm wondering if I can abandon lifting completely 4 weeks out from my target meet and still maintain whatever strength I have?
I'm wondering if I should drop all lifting from my program now and permanently, and only do shoulder pre-hab, planks, yoga and things like that?
Anybody have any insight on how lifting affects your swimming and how you manage it close to a meet?
For me I need to cut the weights 10-14 days before the target meet. Lifting weights will make you slower for sure while you are lifting. When you taper you can get quite a bit faster than no weights at all. The benefit depends on how relevant your weight route is to your strokes and distances you swim. Dips/assisted dips and pull ups or lateral pull down are probably the most relevant. Number of reps depend on your target events. Some do a power cycle of heavier weights for a couple months and then an endurance cycle of higher reps.
For me I need to cut the weights 10-14 days before the target meet. Lifting weights will make you slower for sure while you are lifting. When you taper you can get quite a bit faster than no weights at all. The benefit depends on how relevant your weight route is to your strokes and distances you swim. Dips/assisted dips and pull ups or lateral pull down are probably the most relevant. Number of reps depend on your target events. Some do a power cycle of heavier weights for a couple months and then an endurance cycle of higher reps.
