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
Interesting post. I think that the potential size of a given muscle is tied primarily to genetics. You can stress the muscle to get bigger, but at a certain point, it will cease to grow in size. It can, however, still get stronger. When powerlifting, I could shrug 675lbs for reps in good form. But I never grew monster traps that I'd see on some guys who'd struggle with 315. I also knew a kid who could bench 225 for 15 reps, but his arms might have been 14 inches and he was pretty skinny.
So if lifting weights helps make you faster, do it (this goes for the ladies as well…got my wife to bench 135 for a couple of reps, and she still looked feminine). You'll only grow to a certain point, then you'll just get stronger.
I personally have been experimenting with olympic lifting and plyometrics to assist in my sprinting. May have to try the yoga stuff as well, who knows?
I also have to wonder about the kicking component. I swam a long course 100m freestyle earlier this summer and video taped it. I had the opportunity to swim against a college swimmer who had qualified for the olympic time trials next year. What I noticed was that he had a monster kick, compared to my slow-motion flutter. His game was a little off in that he only swam a :53.01. He spanked me pretty hard, but for what it's worth, I'm sure I could out bench him :thhbbb:
In any event, I have focused more on kicking so we'll see. Ultimately, do what works best for you and be willing to try new things. Guess I'm done rambling.
Interesting post. I think that the potential size of a given muscle is tied primarily to genetics. You can stress the muscle to get bigger, but at a certain point, it will cease to grow in size. It can, however, still get stronger. When powerlifting, I could shrug 675lbs for reps in good form. But I never grew monster traps that I'd see on some guys who'd struggle with 315. I also knew a kid who could bench 225 for 15 reps, but his arms might have been 14 inches and he was pretty skinny.
So if lifting weights helps make you faster, do it (this goes for the ladies as well…got my wife to bench 135 for a couple of reps, and she still looked feminine). You'll only grow to a certain point, then you'll just get stronger.
I personally have been experimenting with olympic lifting and plyometrics to assist in my sprinting. May have to try the yoga stuff as well, who knows?
I also have to wonder about the kicking component. I swam a long course 100m freestyle earlier this summer and video taped it. I had the opportunity to swim against a college swimmer who had qualified for the olympic time trials next year. What I noticed was that he had a monster kick, compared to my slow-motion flutter. His game was a little off in that he only swam a :53.01. He spanked me pretty hard, but for what it's worth, I'm sure I could out bench him :thhbbb:
In any event, I have focused more on kicking so we'll see. Ultimately, do what works best for you and be willing to try new things. Guess I'm done rambling.
