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
Great topic!
As each day passes swimmers will be breaking new ground where bigger, taller and stronger athletes, will make a world record swimmer, who doesn't train in a regimented / goal oriented weight program, an extinct breed. Muscles adapt to stress and must be constantly taxed and stressed in different ways to grow. Muscles shrink almost twice as fast as they can grow. As we grow older our muscles begin to lose elasticity and lessen the production of different chemicals like enzymes (Co-Enzyme Q10 being one of many) and hormones ( testosterone for men) - there are many more. At the approximate age of 25 our muscles also begin to shrink unless we do something to stop or hinder the process. Your muscles will adapt and conform to the amount of stress (resistance) you put on it. If you lift heavy weights it will recruit more fibers that break during stressful training and within three to four days, rebuild themselves into a stronger unit (much like the point of a broken bone that develops a callus that makes the point of the break stronger). If you lift a light weight a lot of repetitions (until failure) your muscles will develop a tolerance to the specific time on that failure. Your body can also develop a tolerance or adaptation to the effects of lactate build-up. Lactic acid is a byproduct of muscles as they exercise and while you can't stop it's production, your body can tolerate and learn how to remove it more efficiently.
With all this being said, everyone should understand that their are basic and fundament physiological principals on a micro and macro level that are difficult to dispute. And they are:
1. The stress you put on your body will force it to adapt to that stress.
2. Specificity of training (how you stress your body) will determine how your body adapts to the stress (sprint more in training and you'll be a better sprinter with everything else being equal).
3. Muscles that are stronger can push water faster but if that speed reduces the drag coefficient (the ability to hold water) that speed becomes counter-productive.
4. Kicking and pulling are propulsive mechanisms and when they become more efficient swimming speed increases both are important but pulling creates much more propulsion.
5. Core strength is a "catch phrase" for muscles that rotate, bend and keep your body straight. Without the symmetrical develop of all the muscle groups, a strong core is only as good as the muscles that surround them.
6. A comprehensive system can be created from a base of many different training practices. Yoga and weight training (for example) do different things and both are important as they develop different and important fitness characteristics (muscles that can't stretch aren't very effective).
So, if you're not getting the results your looking for or hitting the times you'd like, you aren't training smart enough or simply don't have the time, genetic predisposition, work-ethic, stoke mechanics, or pain tolerance to do it. Come-on people, develop realistic goals and look at the limiting factors just mentioned and get where you truly want to go. Don't worry - Be happy! Good luck, Coach T.
Great topic!
As each day passes swimmers will be breaking new ground where bigger, taller and stronger athletes, will make a world record swimmer, who doesn't train in a regimented / goal oriented weight program, an extinct breed. Muscles adapt to stress and must be constantly taxed and stressed in different ways to grow. Muscles shrink almost twice as fast as they can grow. As we grow older our muscles begin to lose elasticity and lessen the production of different chemicals like enzymes (Co-Enzyme Q10 being one of many) and hormones ( testosterone for men) - there are many more. At the approximate age of 25 our muscles also begin to shrink unless we do something to stop or hinder the process. Your muscles will adapt and conform to the amount of stress (resistance) you put on it. If you lift heavy weights it will recruit more fibers that break during stressful training and within three to four days, rebuild themselves into a stronger unit (much like the point of a broken bone that develops a callus that makes the point of the break stronger). If you lift a light weight a lot of repetitions (until failure) your muscles will develop a tolerance to the specific time on that failure. Your body can also develop a tolerance or adaptation to the effects of lactate build-up. Lactic acid is a byproduct of muscles as they exercise and while you can't stop it's production, your body can tolerate and learn how to remove it more efficiently.
With all this being said, everyone should understand that their are basic and fundament physiological principals on a micro and macro level that are difficult to dispute. And they are:
1. The stress you put on your body will force it to adapt to that stress.
2. Specificity of training (how you stress your body) will determine how your body adapts to the stress (sprint more in training and you'll be a better sprinter with everything else being equal).
3. Muscles that are stronger can push water faster but if that speed reduces the drag coefficient (the ability to hold water) that speed becomes counter-productive.
4. Kicking and pulling are propulsive mechanisms and when they become more efficient swimming speed increases both are important but pulling creates much more propulsion.
5. Core strength is a "catch phrase" for muscles that rotate, bend and keep your body straight. Without the symmetrical develop of all the muscle groups, a strong core is only as good as the muscles that surround them.
6. A comprehensive system can be created from a base of many different training practices. Yoga and weight training (for example) do different things and both are important as they develop different and important fitness characteristics (muscles that can't stretch aren't very effective).
So, if you're not getting the results your looking for or hitting the times you'd like, you aren't training smart enough or simply don't have the time, genetic predisposition, work-ethic, stoke mechanics, or pain tolerance to do it. Come-on people, develop realistic goals and look at the limiting factors just mentioned and get where you truly want to go. Don't worry - Be happy! Good luck, Coach T.
