Weight Training

I swim 2-3 times a week, and go to the gym 1-2 times a week (as schedule permits). On gym days I also try to do 30 minutes of stationary bike. I am not at all a competitive swimmer, so I cannot comment on whether this creates an edge. But, for the purposes of getting exercise and buring off the calories, this seems to be a pretty good mix. The weight training has helped a great deal with shoulder and elbow aches, which I used to get more often when I started out at the pool. I am 42. I read in a physiology book that weight training and aerobic training should not be done one right after the other, or else the aerobic component will erase some of the training effect of the resistance exercise. How much of a time gap is needed to overcome this has not been established, apparently. Thirty minutes might be sufficient. I wonder if anybody knows more about this?

i sometimes have to WAIT before TRAINING......lol sorry couldnt resist..seriously i used to do weights even have my own set i think they help,but i havent used them in a year or so,actual swimming is the best improvement i find,this i think because swimming is mainly aerobic excersise and weights improve muscle mass,but im no expert

Complementing pool workouts with dryland is beneficial. When a weight program is implemented make sure a properly trained health professional (physical therapist, sports medecine trainer, to name a couple) design this. Unless you have knowledge :) A weight program is designed to improve your swimming. It has to be specific to your needs, body type and style of swimming. (Eg sprinter vs marathon swimmer). You don't want to end up bulked up like Mr. Atlas -- how much more resistance in the water do we need ;) Usually a 12 week weight program is recommended. It is also recommended that a person swims first and lifts weights after. Trying to swim with already heavily worked arms will not enhance your technique. Putting the wrong movement into the muscle memory takes a very long and frustrating amount of time to undo those bad habits. Included in a weight program will also be your shoulder prevention exercises, core strength exercises and a most important an too often overlooked Stretch Program. When we use our muscles they work hard, and will shorten. To use a muscle efficiently we must have a very good range of motion. Stretching ensures this as well as the health of our muscles and joints. And it will help to prevent injury. How many swimmers do dryland and stretching after a workout? How many swimmers do dryland and stretching? How many times a weeK? "To motivate, add water" "Fear is a reaction, courage is a decision"

I was told that lifting before swimming increases your risk of injury, esp. the rotator cuff.

I have a dry land program that has helped my shoulder--I have osteoarthritis of the ac joint that was causing causing impingement (mainly the biceps tendon). I use elastic bands for rotator cuff exercises, and I use a weight machine for lat pulldown and triceps. The program was designed by a sports medicine physical therapist. She also told me which exercises to avoid. I'm not sure that this has made me swim faster, but I'm swimming without pain for the first time in many years and have been able to increase my yardage. It took about six months to see results. Of course Glucosamine and Vioxx have helped too.

I have been lifting since October, going 3-4 times a week except for the week of a meet. Yes it has helped, helped a lot in some ways. My free doesn't seem to have come down much, but the rest of my strokes have. I just did 4 out of 5 personal bests two weeks ago. I dropped 4-5 seconds on my 200 IM, from late october, about 2 seconds on my 200 free, 2-3 on my 100 *** and a huge 13 seconds on my 400 IM. (converted from LC to yards though). This was all done in a pair of jammers and a pool with slippery walls if that makes much difference. I can also say that I the weights have helped out, I can also see muscles that I couldn't before. I also have a chest and arms.

read in a physiology book that weight training and aerobic training should not be done one right after the other, or else the aerobic component will erase some of the training effect of the resistance exercise Come on, do you really think that doing gym weight workout and following up with aerobic training (swimming) will erase some of the training effect? That is beyond belief. Many college teams do weights and hard (for us) swimming every day. If properly done, weight training causes immediate effects to the muscles at the cellular level. The hormones and other substances released by properly stressing one body area actually flows through the blood stream and affects the other body parts. It is called the "training effect". Injured body parts benefit from working out other body areas. If fact, I have long been a proponent of doing a hard full body weight workout, followed by aerobic training - swimming. Swimming soon after doing weights clears lactic acid out of the muscles and allows faster recovery from doing weights. Note I am saying aerobic swimming, not hard sets that generate additional lactic acid like sprint sets and reduced breathing sets. I have an article on weight training at www.breaststroke.info. Note all swimmers should be aware that they need to take charge of their workouts. If they are swiming under a good coach 5-6 days a week, you will get a variety of workouts, some freestyle, one day might have long distance freestyle sets. Another day might have shorter sprint sets, yet another day may have IM sets that work more muscle groups. This is what is ideal. But what about the average master swimmer that swims three days a week. They might miss the long slow day, and do nothing but sprint sets because they are working the shorter sets hard. This can be very detremental to your muscles and your swiming improvement. You as an adult masters swimmers needs to be aware that you can vary your intensity every single day you swim. So on a day you do weights, take control of your workout and swim slower, stretching out more. Work harder (lactic acid) at least one day a week, but not two in a row. I am one of those who is lucky if I get three workouts in a week. But EVERY day I swim, I work on something beyond what the coach is giving us. Every turn is a race turn. Every pushoff the wall is for perfection, when I am doing breaststroke I try to go 13 to 15 yards underwater, every single length. I work on small things like sucking my stomach in (large:D ), back straight with no curvature, one thumb wrapped over the top of the other hand, and about ten other things, EVERY length I swim. With a 3000 yard workout that is 60 lengths to work on things. And that would be a short workout, most of us are covering more yardage. Hope this helps Coach Wayne McCauley ASCA Level 5 18 years in a row Top 10 :drink:

Tudor Bompa, a leading researcher in training periodization, advocates doing weights on the harder workout days; not the easy ones. The reasoning is that if you swim hard one day and then lift weights on the "off" day, you never really get a complete chance to recover and your glycogen never completely "tops the tank" either. He has a number of books, but the one that I saw this in was "Periodization Training for Sports" - kind of a misnomer, since it really is focused on strength training; not general training. It is a very good book. -LBJ

Originally posted by Dominick Aiello A lot hasto do with age. Also how hard you weight train or swim. Also the duration of weights and swimming time. Also recouprating. Also if you are a beginner of swimming or weight training. Or if at a younger age you did these phyiscal actives. You then have a base for either activeity. But rule of thumb , is tif you are in the weight room one day then do not swim that day . Unless you weight train 15 - 20 minutes and are ging to swim 15 minutes. but if you are swimming say 2500-meters , then dont weight train that day.Same goes for weights then dont swim.:) :cool: I'd say if you're gonna swim more like 4000 don't weight train on the sme day (at least not a full workout). And ... I'm half ways out of shape 34-year old girl, and not a very fast swimmer (yet). ;)

I lift weghts 5 days a seek and swim 5 or 6 days a week. Almost always lifting first and then swimming. I vary my weight and swimming workouts according to how I feel. I think that is the answer - just use common sense. If I have completed a hard weight lifting session I take a little longer to stretch before jumping in the pool. I also warm up more gradually and see how it goes. Sometimes I follow a hard weight workout with a vigoris swim session, and sometimes not. I have been doing this for about 4 years, and have suffered no injuries related to the workouts. Granted I am not a world class athlete and am not training for specifically competition. I am a fitness swimmer who competes only occaisionsly. Also I have found that having a day off every 3 or 4 days is very beneficial, I come back stronger every time.