I would like to hear thoughts on strength training for masters swimming. Here are a few questions of interest to me and also, I hope, to other forum members:
1. Is dry land strength transferable to the water? As far as I know, this is a very controversial question. The answer to this primary question is of the utmost importance. I remember reading that the great Australian coach Forbes Carlile didn't let Kieren Pierkins weight train because he felt that the answer to this question was no. Pierkins was the first swimmer to break 15:00 in the 1500m.
2. Most of us master swimmers have very busy professional carrers and our time is limited. So - should we cut into pool time to strength train?
3. If we conclude that strength training is beneficial to the swimmer then what method of strength training to employ? Free weights, machines, cables, cords, bodyweight exercises - combinations of these?
I have some more questions but I think that this is enough for openers.
Former Member
Yes, strength training is transferable to the water both in terms of core body strength as well as increased power through the end of your taper period. Weights offer obvious advantages for things like distance off starts and walls, power in your kick and in particular arm speed and body position during raw sprinting.
Weights will make you tight and tired during pool workouts and pool workouts will make you tired in the weight room. But consider it a form of cross training.... i.e. anaerobic vs. aerobic. They may feel like opposites but they are complimentary for the best results in the pool for the 200's on down.
John Smith
to add to John's points
if you do less aerobic work in the pool
ie ( long hard swims with not much rest)
then you won't get as broken down
which will allow you keep lifting and improve on weights
you'll get stronger in the weight room
which will hopefully make you faster in the pool
provided you are doing
technique work,
sprints, and
race simulations in the pool
also remember the paradox of training
the more training you do in the near term
the more it will hurt you in the short term and
help you in the long term
the less training you do in the near term
the more it will help you in the short term and
hurt you in the long term
ande
I beleive dry land works really well if done correctly and will improve but not to replace work in the water.I've heard Ian Thorpe an Matt Welsh have less pool and more land work than many other Aussie swimmers.
I don't think Perkins trained under Forbes though.It doesn't sound like a Forbes Carlile idea.Forbes was and is quite innovative.He'd be more likely to try anything and was the first to introduce many land drills in Australia.
Time is the issue for me so I tend to focus more on stretching than weights.If I had time I'd definately do both .
I second Gull80's point: for those of us feeling our age sometimes, the weights can also help stabilize deteriorating shoulders, help build core strength and agility, and reduce the chance of injury.
Nothing like a little rehab time to convince me that it might not have been wise to give up the gym membership after all.
DV
