Hi all!
In this thread: forums.usms.org/showthread.php
...there are a lot of different opinions on how to lift weights in combination with swimming. The opinions are all spread out in between other comments and quotes so I thought I would start a separate thread about this topic as I think it might be of value for everyone to get it sorted out how and why you should lift weights in combination with swimming. If you know of another thread with exactly this topic pls let me know and i will add this comment in that thread instead.
My strong belief so far is the following (not at all stating that this is the truth, but it is the best theory I have heard so far):
You lift weights to become stronger
If you are stronger you need less % of your total capability to travel at the same speed you did before you bacame stronger.
This will lead to that you can swim at the same speed for a longer period of time OR simply do the same distance as before, but faster
This means that both sprinters and distance swimmers benefit from becoming stronger.
You don't want to build muscle mass, since that creates drag. However, for most of us this is not a problem because if you train on a regular basis in the gym, 3-4 times a week in a very focused way you might add on 0,5-1,0 kg/year....if you are under the age of 30. Above this age you tend to add on much less if anything at all.:cane:
You become stronger by lifting heavy weights. High reps does not make you stronger, it increases your endurance capabilies. Endurance you typically practice in the pool. I therefore focus on sets of 3-6 reps with heavy weights. The next week I focus on fast movements (beacasue heavy lifting is often a rather slow movement), reducing the weights to 60-70% of max to practice fast movements under pressure (like swimming, but to the extreme). The week after that is for high reps letting the muscles rest a bit but dont let them rest completely....then I start all over again.
I typically focus on basic exercises like: squats, dead lifts, bench presses, chins and a variety of stomach and lower back exercisesVery interested to hear your opinions of the above and also your own experiences.
/Per
Parents
Former Member
However, Jazz Hands, you're concentrating on the 50 free. Do you think heavy lifting would be as great a benefit for longer distances? I tend to think not. The 50 requires power. The tradeoff of power vs. aerobic fitness comes into play for anything greater than a 50.
It's an interesting question. Not so interesting that I would put myself through the pain of training for longer races to find out the answer, but interesting.
Greater relative strength is always a good thing. Let's say you produce 80 PowerUnits in the water during a sprint, but you can only produce 40 PowerUnits in a longer race. You could say that your strength in the longer race is half of your sprinting strength. If you build up your strength to the point where you produce 120 PowerUnits in a sprint, you could then maintain 60 PowerUnits in the longer race if all other things are equal.
Of course, all other things will not be equal. The more you train for endurance, the harder it will be to maintain a large amount of muscle. The two just don't go together well, because each one demands a very large amount of energy. Just as it takes a lot of time and energy to build a good aerobic base for the longer events, it takes a lot of time and energy to build a strength base. Could both be achieved in the same person?
However, Jazz Hands, you're concentrating on the 50 free. Do you think heavy lifting would be as great a benefit for longer distances? I tend to think not. The 50 requires power. The tradeoff of power vs. aerobic fitness comes into play for anything greater than a 50.
It's an interesting question. Not so interesting that I would put myself through the pain of training for longer races to find out the answer, but interesting.
Greater relative strength is always a good thing. Let's say you produce 80 PowerUnits in the water during a sprint, but you can only produce 40 PowerUnits in a longer race. You could say that your strength in the longer race is half of your sprinting strength. If you build up your strength to the point where you produce 120 PowerUnits in a sprint, you could then maintain 60 PowerUnits in the longer race if all other things are equal.
Of course, all other things will not be equal. The more you train for endurance, the harder it will be to maintain a large amount of muscle. The two just don't go together well, because each one demands a very large amount of energy. Just as it takes a lot of time and energy to build a good aerobic base for the longer events, it takes a lot of time and energy to build a strength base. Could both be achieved in the same person?
