attention sprinters, have a question on your strength

what matters is strength vs body weight vs body shape plus how efficiently the swimmer applys his strength in the water ande I'm trying to determine what level of strength is required to be a good sprinter (i.e. 100 free). Could you list your max repetitions of push ups, pull ups and dips? This would give me some assesment on power to weight ratio and strength endurance. Also, what is your max bench press if you know it? or reps of 225 lbs. I'm curious about what level of pure strength sprinters have. I think I am deficient mostly in technique and then strength endurance but maybe this post would show me I need weight room work.

what matters is strength vs body weight vs body shape plus how efficiently the swimmer applys his strength in the water ande Ande is exactly right. He sums it all up in his statement!

I don't think swimming fast is as simple as lifting weights. I can tell you that the fastest sprinters on our USS team are the leanest/skinniest kids of the group. Some weights are good for us in general as they help maintain bone density but I would not count on them as a ticket to faster swims. So true! The tiniest, skinniest girl on our USS team is one of the fastest! She shivers during workout she is so lean - no body fat! But, she is extremely strong for her size. When I was in college I started doing a lot of heavy weights. I added too much bulk and never swam as fast as I did pre-college. I swam the best when I was doing low weights with high repetitions.

Fort.....IMHO your body type as well as your genetic predisposition (fast twitch/slow twitch) should dicatate not only how you train but what you compete in. Rich Abrahams, Jason Lezak and guys of like them have and can build muscle/power quickly and probably need to worry more about putting on to much bulk and loss of flexibility.....they also are pretty much 50/100 specialists and their training involves a lot of short quality based swimming and heavy weights. Thanks Paul. I guess I fit in this mode. I stretched out to longer events during youth all the time, but can't seem to as a master. I am all fast twitch and strength. I am not inflexible though, as a former gymnast. But I sure wish I was taller. Also, I don't remember starting to lift weights until I was 16 or 17 and not super intensely. But my times improved quite a bit at 17. When I went to college I lifted more, and finally found out I could swim the 50 and 100 free with big time drops. But I don't think I ever did super heavy weights. When I stopped lifting and swimming, though, I sure lost a lot of body weight. So it must have been putting on some muscle. I have seen many tiny age groupers do astoundingly well. They are very efficient and amazing at SDKs. It seems to be me though, and I have heard from coaches, that many kids don't "buy into" SDKs and they still believe they will be faster just coming out of a turn and hacking away. The elite ones I see SDK well, skinny or not, tall or not.

I have to be careful if/when I lift because I put on bulk. I'm Lezak body with a Crocker mentality - as in let's SDK the crap out of this race. Like Fort I also have good flexibility, probably mostly because of gymnastics. It was a great combo for gymnastics - strength & flexibility but I also have some injuries that are affected my lifting so basically I'm limited to core. Which as a sprinter and a sprint flyer at that is rough, but oh well. Phelps didn't lift before Athens but he did do medicine ball work which I LOVE. You can be creative, and move and work core! By the way, I'm all of 5'2", but have a wing span of about 5'6".

I have to be careful if/when I lift because I put on bulk. I'm Lezak body with a Crocker mentality - as in let's SDK the crap out of this race. Like Fort I also have good flexibility, probably mostly because of gymnastics. It was a great combo for gymnastics - strength & flexibility but I also have some injuries that are affected my lifting so basically I'm limited to core. Which as a sprinter and a sprint flyer at that is rough, but oh well. Phelps didn't lift before Athens but he did do medicine ball work which I LOVE. You can be creative, and move and work core! By the way, I'm all of 5'2", but have a wing span of about 5'6". I like that: "Lezak body with Crocker SDK mentality." Hoping it works. Stength and flexibility are great, unless you have loosey goosey tendons. Not so great. (I'm 5'4" with a 5'7" wingspan and long torso, FlyQueen.) On the weights issue, I don't think I would be as fast if I didn't lift weights. Not going to test that theory by abandoning them because I need to lift weights anyway. But I have done slightly heavier ones and done weights more consistently since I've started swimming masters, and my times have dropped. Tall and skinny is fabulous, but not everyone is tall and skinny. Swimmers come in all shapes and sizes. I recently saw someone at least 8-9 inches shorter than Kate Zeigler almost beat her in the 50 free at the Dolan meet. Granted Zeigler's not a sprinter, but I was happy for the blazingly fast little tike.

haha ... I like that, "blazingly fast little tyke." Very nice. I'd lift more (or at least think about it) if I didn't have so many problems. I can't do any type of leg press or squat because of my knee, and many of the upper body weights hurt my shoulder. I can do biceps & triceps, and rows, and that's about it. I'm going to do low weight high rep on Monday and see how it goes ... I need to work the core more though ... Oh, and I'm short torsoed and long legged, not that they are long by any stretch.

Also, I don't remember starting to lift weights until I was 16 or 17 and not super intensely. But my times improved quite a bit at 17. When I went to college I lifted more, and finally found out I could swim the 50 and 100 free with big time drops. But I don't think I ever did super heavy weights. When I stopped lifting and swimming, though, I sure lost a lot of body weight. So it must have been putting on some muscle. I should also be clear that I think there is a HUGE (no pun intended) differance in lifting strategy depending on your age.....coming out of high school I was all of 6'5" 179lbs and had never lifted...best 100 free 50.5......two years later with lots of weight training up to 195 and going 45+. For masters however.....especially those soon to be getting their AARP card (God forbid but I've come to terms!) and older.....weight training has more to do with stemming the loss of muscle and maintaining bone density than in getting stronger...excpet in the case of those just starting back after a long lay off or brand new to strength training. PS: For those whiners out there talking about snow give me a break.....(see avatar)

haha ... I'm going to do low weight high rep on Monday and see how it goes ... I need to work the core more though .... Flyqueen.....check out www.crossfit.com something that has been discussed in the past on this forum. Although there is a risk of injury if your not maintaining proper technique and progessing at the proper pace....this type of "aerobic"/high intensity weight training is something that people like Rich Abrahams, myself, Sheri Hart, etc. have been doing for the past 12-18 months....its similar in ways to what the Race Club uses as well as quite a few college programs......again a warning...BE CAREFUL trying this stuff!

To say Phelps was one of the weakest swimmers in dryland strength is one of those statements that means less than it appears to. He was also one of the youngest male swimmers. Most guys are going to be more muscular at 22 than they were at 18. Also he is not a sprinter. He can do a great 100 Free,but it is not his premier event. I think he would agree that if he wanted to concentrate only on it,or it and the 100 Fly he would do well to bulk up(which he clearly has somewhat anyway.) Cullen Jones is one long muscle now and he thinks he'll be faster with more bulk.Gary Hall Jr. is not a scrawny guy either.