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
Excellent post by Coach T. on training elements and specificity.
Paul, I think you misunderstand a few things.
First of all, I don't train for the 100, nor have I competed in it in the last three years. I posted the 49.2 in high school, when I was lifting (with absolutely no idea what I was doing) three morning a week before school and swimming high yardage every afternoon. Perhaps we could call that a character building experience. I'm not going to do it again.
I don't doubt that if I did spend a season focusing on the 100 or the 200, my strength base from my last two years of training would match up quite well with my aerobic base from earlier years, and I would put up a personal best. I almost want to do it this year just to prove you wrong.
Also, lifting weights is beneficial for everyone, regardless of how old they are or what events they do, or even if they swim at all. Heavy lifting is simply the most time-effective method for building all-around strength. You might think that yoga makes people strong, but in terms of time commitment, heavy lifting is probably a thousand times more efficient for that purpose.
As hormone levels decline with age, muscle is harder and harder to hold on to. People lose muscle, the muscle isn't there to burn energy anymore, they get fat. Much later on, they become so weak they can't even move around effectively. It's all related, and the number one way to fight it is with a proper full-body weight training program with the goal of increased muscle mass.
Finally, lifting does not have to be a big time commitment. You can put together a good full-body program with three lifts that takes no more than half an hour. If you do it twice a week you will make excellent progress. Who couldn't fit that into a swimming program? As I discussed earlier with Kirk, mega yardage will decrease the likelihood of mega muscle gain. But regardless of other factors, adding a training element that is focused on muscle gain can only be beneficial for swimming performance and for long term health.
Excellent post by Coach T. on training elements and specificity.
Paul, I think you misunderstand a few things.
First of all, I don't train for the 100, nor have I competed in it in the last three years. I posted the 49.2 in high school, when I was lifting (with absolutely no idea what I was doing) three morning a week before school and swimming high yardage every afternoon. Perhaps we could call that a character building experience. I'm not going to do it again.
I don't doubt that if I did spend a season focusing on the 100 or the 200, my strength base from my last two years of training would match up quite well with my aerobic base from earlier years, and I would put up a personal best. I almost want to do it this year just to prove you wrong.
Also, lifting weights is beneficial for everyone, regardless of how old they are or what events they do, or even if they swim at all. Heavy lifting is simply the most time-effective method for building all-around strength. You might think that yoga makes people strong, but in terms of time commitment, heavy lifting is probably a thousand times more efficient for that purpose.
As hormone levels decline with age, muscle is harder and harder to hold on to. People lose muscle, the muscle isn't there to burn energy anymore, they get fat. Much later on, they become so weak they can't even move around effectively. It's all related, and the number one way to fight it is with a proper full-body weight training program with the goal of increased muscle mass.
Finally, lifting does not have to be a big time commitment. You can put together a good full-body program with three lifts that takes no more than half an hour. If you do it twice a week you will make excellent progress. Who couldn't fit that into a swimming program? As I discussed earlier with Kirk, mega yardage will decrease the likelihood of mega muscle gain. But regardless of other factors, adding a training element that is focused on muscle gain can only be beneficial for swimming performance and for long term health.
