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.
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Former Member
This thread is all over the swim map but it's sure good for reading and commenting. First, while it may not be necessary to lift weights for swim strength, it sure can't hurt. But all great swimmers know that you lift higher weight and less repetitions for shorter events, and lower weight with more reptitions for distance events. And I loved someone's mention that a swimmer didn't look bulked up. Well, when a truly competitve swimmer is spending endless hours in a pool, it does physically offset the bulking up. Longer muscles, toned, but more lengthened, so looks can be deceiving. However, those swimmers I have seen with huge muscles look great on the blocks, but that is where it usually ends.
SPL? I'm for it, I do it, I take about 10 strokes every 25 during warmup; 12 when racing, but now that I do distance, it is less of an issue plus it is already imbedded in my swim style.
TI is good, lots of people have benefitted from it, but I have yet to see world records set by a person who said they were TI ing. I don't know that it is all that different than what I learned 30 years ago except TI swimmers are much lower in the water which I truly believe is not a good thing; I have seen no proof of it being of benefit; I'd rather swim over the water than plow through it myself. I've read about it, I've watched it, and contrary to what has been said or written, water coming OVER the body cannot increase speed; it may feel better, but where's the speed. One thing I have been reading here in the past about the TI way is that you have to think to swim. Sorry, I can't do both when racing.
No one has talked about how they truly achieve a low SPL; what exactly they do stroke wise to accomplish this so I'll go first.
I have a huge reach, no dropped elbows, no sculling, and a more straight arm underwater even during hip rotation which is called a large rotational stroke until the finish, and I finish my stroke lower on my body than at the waist or high-hip and that finish is also controversial here. I did this years ago and I do it now but I can't time myself because I only swim ocean, no pools here, but for the 1 mile triathlon swim, I usually swim a 22 minute whatever that comes out to. Oh, and I have gray hair.
Donna
This thread is all over the swim map but it's sure good for reading and commenting. First, while it may not be necessary to lift weights for swim strength, it sure can't hurt. But all great swimmers know that you lift higher weight and less repetitions for shorter events, and lower weight with more reptitions for distance events. And I loved someone's mention that a swimmer didn't look bulked up. Well, when a truly competitve swimmer is spending endless hours in a pool, it does physically offset the bulking up. Longer muscles, toned, but more lengthened, so looks can be deceiving. However, those swimmers I have seen with huge muscles look great on the blocks, but that is where it usually ends.
SPL? I'm for it, I do it, I take about 10 strokes every 25 during warmup; 12 when racing, but now that I do distance, it is less of an issue plus it is already imbedded in my swim style.
TI is good, lots of people have benefitted from it, but I have yet to see world records set by a person who said they were TI ing. I don't know that it is all that different than what I learned 30 years ago except TI swimmers are much lower in the water which I truly believe is not a good thing; I have seen no proof of it being of benefit; I'd rather swim over the water than plow through it myself. I've read about it, I've watched it, and contrary to what has been said or written, water coming OVER the body cannot increase speed; it may feel better, but where's the speed. One thing I have been reading here in the past about the TI way is that you have to think to swim. Sorry, I can't do both when racing.
No one has talked about how they truly achieve a low SPL; what exactly they do stroke wise to accomplish this so I'll go first.
I have a huge reach, no dropped elbows, no sculling, and a more straight arm underwater even during hip rotation which is called a large rotational stroke until the finish, and I finish my stroke lower on my body than at the waist or high-hip and that finish is also controversial here. I did this years ago and I do it now but I can't time myself because I only swim ocean, no pools here, but for the 1 mile triathlon swim, I usually swim a 22 minute whatever that comes out to. Oh, and I have gray hair.
Donna
