Fort, it's an unfortunate fact that men swim faster than women, and really fast women tend to kind of look like men. If you really want to be a beast in the water, femininity might suffer.
I told Mr. Fort I intended to lift heavier, and I saw a look of horror cross his face. :eek: Not that he has read any recent theories on weight lifting (although he religiously lifts himself), but he said lifting heavy would add bulk and strength. I was thinking about track. Most of the women sprinters are pretty darn muscular ... I really don't want to add bulk, as I feel like swimming itself adds bulk particularly in the back and shoulders.
Hulk, I can't keep a weight log. That would make it not a fun, sustainable activity. I barely keep track of my swimming and never add up yardage. Same with food. I'd feel like I was on the nazi diet plan if I kept track. I know I've obsessive, but I just can't obsess about everything.
Paul: The med ball suggestions are great. But I wonder how many people can really train with partners or do this activity effectively in a crowded gym setting?
Hulk, I can't keep a weight log. That would make it not a fun, sustainable activity. I barely keep track of my swimming and never add up yardage. Same with food. I'd feel like I was on the nazi diet plan if I kept track. I know I've obsessive, but I just can't obsess about everything.
The log is just another training tool. It doesn't have to be anything onerous. Just bring a small spiral bound notebook with you and jot down your exercises. Unlike a swim log where you either have to plan ahead or remember after, you can write stuff down during rest cycles. :wiggle:
But if you can't, you can't. As I said, it's another tool in the arsenal but are you not going to get positive results if you don't keep a log? Nope. Is it going to be more challenging to maximize your results without one? Yes.
Sounds like whining to me. :wine:
Paul
Fort, it's an unfortunate fact that men swim faster than women, and really fast women tend to kind of look like men. If you really want to be a beast in the water, femininity might suffer.
Wow......how machismo can one be?
The log is just another training tool. It doesn't have to be anything onerous. Just bring a small spiral bound notebook with you and jot down your exercises. Unlike a swim log where you either have to plan ahead or remember after, you can write stuff down during rest cycles. :wiggle:
But if you can't, you can't. As I said, it's another tool in the arsenal but are you not going to get positive results if you don't keep a log? Nope. Is it going to be more challenging to maximize your results without one? Yes.
Sounds like whining to me. :wine:
Paul
No whining. Just a preference. I hate being disciplined in every little aspect of life. Sometimes I just do what I feel like even though it might be counter-productive for x goal (e.g., running, stay up late).
I can't whine anymore anyway. Tall Paul will give me a long distance drubbing. He's starting to feign sinus issues himself, so, at the first sign of bronchitis, he'll have an inhaler in tow. :bolt:
I told Mr. Fort I intended to lift heavier, and I saw a look of horror cross his face. :eek: Not that he has read any recent theories on weight lifting (although he religiously lifts himself), but he said lifting heavy would add bulk and strength. I was thinking about track. Most of the women sprinters are pretty darn muscular ... I really don't want to add bulk, as I feel like swimming itself adds bulk particularly in the back and shoulders.
Geez, and what's wrong with a little 'bulk'? See anyone at Nats that was 'freakishly' large? I'm pretty sure you won't expand to the point where you'll have to go thru doorways sideways :frustrated:
If you exercise for the next 3-4 weeks and all of a sudden you find yourself no longer fitting into your clothing, then you should re-evaluate how you are training :-) And lay off the :roids:
Geez, and what's wrong with a little 'bulk'? See anyone at Nats that was 'freakishly' large? I'm pretty sure you won't expand to the point where you'll have to go thru doorways sideways :frustrated:
If you exercise for the next 3-4 weeks and all of a sudden you find yourself no longer fitting into your clothing, then you should re-evaluate how you are training :-) And lay off the :roids:
I'm waiting for just one chick to hop on this male-dominated thread and declare that bulk is good. It won't be me. Plus, I already went through a whole wardrobe change after I started swimming! Had to get completely new shoulder holders, i.e., tops. I refuse to do it again. I'd rather go back to high rep, low weight.
More from Auburn:
www.flocasts.org/.../speakers.php
Very interesting, thanks for the links Paul. I have experience with some exercises similar to the ones shown.
The med ball exercises look great...as long as you have a workout partner (which I don't). I do leg lifts (starting position: body vertical) with straight legs and using my feet to hold added weight. Not as explosive as the med ball exercises though but good for SDK. I'll use 5-10 lbs and 12-15 reps per set, with 45 secs between sets.
As a complementary exercise I do the back exercises that are like reverse situps...I forget the name of the device, you start bent over facing downwards and then straighten. Some people around here (macho college students) will add a 45 lbs weight and hold it to their chest to develop more back strength. Instead, I'll use a lighter weight (10 lbs) and hold it out in a streamline position with both arms as I rise. Also very good to improve SDKs and butterfly.
I do the Pilates exercise that Cielo demonstrates, but without the stick or cup of water. However, instead of my knees I do it on my feet, which is significantly harder, while keep the body straight in a plank. It is a great exercise to develop core & leg strength and balance; highly recommended. (Unfortunately, I have to modify it now because of a nagging wrist injury -- I hate getting old -- so I do it off my elbows.)
The exercise with the wheel is awesome, I've done it in the past and now I am inspired and may return to it. Very challenging to do the standing version he demonstrates. Many sports stores sell a version of the wheel that comes apart so you can take it with you on trips.
I'm waiting for just one chick to hop on this male-dominated thread and declare that bulk is good. It won't be me. Plus, I already went through a whole wardrobe change after I started swimming! Had to get completely new shoulder holders, i.e., tops. I refuse to do it again. I'd rather go back to high rep, low weight.
Except the common view of 'bulk' is this:
image57.webshots.com/.../2415200240028285470lIlRLU_ph.jpg
And that is so far from realistic as to be nearly absurd.
Paul
I'm waiting for just one chick to hop on this male-dominated thread and declare that bulk is good. It won't be me.
Well, I don't usually think of myself as either a "chick" or a "lady," but I do like the muscly-arm look on myself and on other women. I know I moaned elsewhere about jackets not fitting my arms and mid-back, but I'm not about to lay off upper-body workouts just for that. I love having visible biceps, triceps, lats, and deltoids; and I love that my waist is small in comparison to my shoulders and hips. If I lost some subcutaneous fat I would like my look even more because I would have more definition, although then I would probably get cold too easily.
Anyway, I have only ever seen a few women swimmers that I thought looked unattractively "bulky," and all but one of them I can think of turned out, unsurprisingly, to be on :roids:.
A while ago, there was a (PBS?) history show on the Spartans. The narrator (attractive English lady history prof) talked about how the women competed in the same sports and training as the men. Spartan women (to a large extent) were considered more attractive than the other (softer, sedentary) Greek women. She also pointed out that "Helen of Troy" was originally "Helen of Sparta".
