Swimming mixed with weightlifting, ok?

Swimming works the whole body. You need some chest muscles to do breastroke, but it actually works primarily the legs. Swimming fast is more intense on the upper body muscles than lifting heavy. I come from a weight lifting background and I have lost no significant peak strength. The swimming has developed alot of strength endurance.....big difference. I only work the legs in the weight room. I would do some upper body, but I don't have the time. As far as recovery, runners run every day and swimmers swim every day, but the workout and intensity varies. A track sprinter may do high intensity one day, and then tempo work the next as a form of active recovery. Same for swimmers, but for swimmers there are even more choices for varying the workout. It really boils down to your goals......fitness or competition

Have a look here go down the list to strength training. www.byrn.org/.../gtips.htm

I consider swimming, and/or running, separate entities from weights. In other words, I do the 48 hour interval between weights, but might swim and or/run everyday, might even swim twice, because I am not swimming all that hard or fast. Lately I've been swimming with a coach on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, then I might or not swim a little on the other days. I try and lift weights on Mondays and Fridays, but have lifted on Wednesday, before the swimming class. I haven't been running any lately, but if I could I would try and fit some on weekends and maybe a run during the week. I actually think weights will benefit my swimming and swimming loosens up the tight muscles from the weigh machines. More experiences younger people will give you better answers. billy fanstone

My two sports/passions are swimming and bodybuilding. (Now there's a X-train multi-sport combo if there ever was one.) I have been weight training for 17 years and swim training with Masters for 4+ months now and layering the two together quite well. Some challenges/changes have been: -All my cardio work is now in the pool, I only do 5-15 min. light cardio warm-ups in the gym before weights. -I've raised my caloric intake even more to maintain muscle mass and replace calories burned during swimming. I'm eating appoximately 4000 calories a day split into 6-7 medium sized meals & large snacks. -I've been stretching more than ever (before and after both swimming and weights, especially before swimming when sore from weight training) and a full body stretch everyday, and 2-3X week in the sauna/hot tub. (I've noticed nobody on my Masters team stretches at all... I've also observed in just general conversation they know very little about nutrition as well.)

I think the questions below need to be answered so we can be a little more objective and specific. Sunday: run - How far and how fast? What kind of times? Monday: lift - How many exercises, what kind of weight, how many reps Tuesday: swim - How far, how fast, what kind of times? I've changed my routine from three lifting days per week and two cardio, to three cardio (swim and run) and two lifting (7 muscle groups / 14 exercises to failure at moderate weight (20 to 30 reps). I train about 1 hr with weights and about 2hrs of cardio ( I try to get more in of both if I can). When spring rolls around I'll start biking outdoors. Saturday and Sunday I rest because Friday I really try to do more.

Yeah good point tomtopo, I guess I'm still trying to figure it out. I posted that route down to ultimately, find out if it was OK to swim the day after lifting weights or vise versa. I really want to incorporate working out 6 days a week because I'm just to eager to have those two days off. And I'm thinking 3 cardio/3 lifting won't be bad? Than again, that might be my problem when it comes to my muscles needing rest. Heres another routine suggestion (just to let everyone know, the poll up on top will still be for the first routine): New Routine Sunday: upper body (intense 1.5-2hr: 3 sets/8 reps) Monday: run 8miles Tuesday*: Run 5-6 miles -OR- legs and maybe a little 15-20min easy cardio afterwards, to loosen up the build up in my legs (moderate to easy: 1hr)** Wednesday: swim (moderate: 45min-1hr) Thursday: upper body (intense 1.5-2hr: 3 sets/8 reps) Friday: run 10miles Saturday: rest *Might end up occasionally substituting this day to rest or for a really easy swim, depending on how I feel that day. **Not a big fan of using weights to workout my legs, since I'm only 18 and still plan on growing a little taller and from what I know squatting and excessive leg workouts could possible stunt my chance of growing that extra inch or so. Than again, its about time I start working out my legs, realizing how crucial they are to enhance other workouts. - Thanks for the help everyone, I appreciate it!

New Routine Sunday: upper body (intense 1.5-2hr: 3 sets/8 reps) - If this is to failure, you're lifting heavy, if you're not lifting heavy you probably aren't getting a lot of results (strength). If you are going to failure you need a couple days rest between workouts. How many exercises are you doing? Bi's/Tri's Abs/Back Chest/Upper Back Shoulders/Lats Quad/Ham Calves/Soleus/Lunges/Leg press EVF exercises (These are the exercises I do when I lift and do them various ways) Monday: run 8miles (Holy Smoke I'm impressed - I run like a turd (a little more than a mile) Tuesday*: Run 5-6 miles -OR- legs and maybe a little 15-20min easy cardio afterwards, to loosen up the build up in my legs (moderate to easy: 1hr)** Wednesday: swim (moderate: 45min-1hr) Thursday: upper body (intense 1.5-2hr: 3 sets/8 reps) Friday: run 10miles Saturday: rest *Might end up occasionally substituting this day to rest or for a really easy swim, depending on how I feel that day. **Not a big fan of using weights to workout my legs, since I'm only 18 and still plan on growing a little taller and from what I know squatting and excessive leg workouts could possible stunt my chance of growing that extra inch or so. Than again, its about time I start working out my legs, realizing how crucial they are to enhance other workouts. I'm impressed with your workout. You have a lot ways you can change your schedule if you'd like. I have one alternative schedule I like. Sunday is awesome in my opinion if you're lifting heavy ( you want size and strength). I think I'd rather see you go to a more moderate / endurance regime of 15 to 30 reps to failure (two or three sets if you have time) With that being said I think you might try this schedul someday. Monday Swim and Run (of vice versa) Tuesday Weights (Getting you ready for Thursday) Wed Swim and Run Thursday Weights (A tough day worthy of a long rest) Friday Swim and Run Saturday Weights (Light - go through the motions) Sunday Rest Leg exercises are important and as long as you're not doing them incorrectly or using too much weight, they can help you on turns, on the block, and improve your kicking speed and endurance. It's just a suggestion but you seem to be well ahead of the game. Keep up the great work. Coach T.

**Not a big fan of using weights to workout my legs, since I'm only 18 and still plan on growing a little taller and from what I know squatting and excessive leg workouts could possible stunt my chance of growing that extra inch or so. -Training your legs, or any weight training for that matter, cannot stunt your growth. That's a myth. If you are training your upper body be sure to train your legs as well.

Thanks for the alternate schedule Coach T and Todd for the facts behind the myth. I guess then its about time I continued working out my legs, since I haven't for probably close to a year. Coach T., yeah I did mean really heavy weights on those days. 8 reps is usually the most I can do, sometimes I can squeeze in 10 and then if I'm trying to step it up it sometimes turns out that I do 3 sets of 7,8,7 reps. I might try to incorporate your idea of extra reps for a week of lifting every month to change it up a bit and concentrate on hitting those muscles fibers I might have been leaving out. Otherwise, I've been lifting moderately (3 sets/12 reps) for the past 6 months and not too long ago jumped it up to heavier weights (3 sets/8 reps) like I mentioned earlier. I'm thinking I'm just going to stick with the type of weight lifting I do right now, but also slowly add on leg workouts and leave the swim/run days to tone/stretch my muscles after those intense workouts. Also, what if I were to decide to swim 3 days in a row, could I also work out on the middle day (upper body) and still be in the standard recommended 48 hrs of muscle rest (meaning if I swim moderately on all 3 days, will swimming have an effect on the whole muscle resting process or is it actually good to loosen/stretch those muscles right after a workout and as well as in my case the day before and after)? Example of what I'm trying to explain: Day 1: Swim moderately Day 2: Intense workout/swim moderately Day 3: Swim moderately

Not sure if this will help or hurt the process, but here is my basic workout schedule (subject to change of course): Sunday: long run AM (at about 12 miles now), followed by 20-30 min intense abs Monday: swim AM, lift PM Tuesday: swim AM, run PM (run is about 5-7 miles) Wednesday: swim AM, lift PM Thursday: swim AM, run PM (run is about 5-7 miles) Friday: swim AM Saturday: lift PM Realistically, I get in 4-5 swims/week, 3-4 runs, and 2-3 lifting sessions. My lifting focuses on chest, arms, and back...with some abs after. My long runs are mostly just cruising, tend to take the Tues a bit intense, the Thurs somewhere in the middle. Depending how I feel, I do 5 min of abs after the Tues/Thurs runs. Swims are 98% with my masters group, Sun Devil Masters, and I usually do what the coach says (Mon-IM, Wed-long/hard, Fri-Fast). My goal from all this? To loose weight and look like I did when I got out of the Army 15 years ago. So far, I've lost ~15 pounds, my waist size has gotten smaller (everyone at work asks if I've lost weight) from a 33/34 to a 31/32. My swimming improves in spurts. A secondary goal is to break a minute in my 100 SCY free (last Mar/Apr I was timed in practice off the block @1:03). About 60% of the time my job is in my office at a desk, where I'm eager to workout after work. The other portion is presenting to groups, either locally or on the road, both involve driving and/or flying (and many hotel rooms) and being at my best under stress...and it is sometimes a welcome stress relief to get in a run or lift after. Again, not sure if this helps the OP's cause, but thought I'd throw it out there. I'd also welcome any feedback.