Does anyone know how strong the top swimmers are? Guys like M. Phelps or B. Hansen, how much can they lift with their legs, bench, lat pull, curl, tri ex, etc. I am making weight training a big part of my workouts, but I understand, at a certain point, adding more muscle or strength is not going to be of much benefit.
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Former Member
Most of the lifting numbers come from skills with a particular lift. So, for example, the guys who do a lot of pullovers will have good pullover numbers, and the guys who do a lot of chin-ups will have good chin-up numbers. But the strength in the water wouldn't necessarily be different.
Also, just because elite swimmers aren't large and muscular doesn't necessarily mean it won't be beneficial for you to get stronger. A lot of Masters swimmers are pretty big, and fast because of it. Personally, I'm a lot faster at 190 pounds than I was at 160.
My advice is to just go for it, see how much stronger you can get without comparing to other people, and see if that makes a difference in your swimming speed.
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Former Member
Most of the lifting numbers come from skills with a particular lift. So, for example, the guys who do a lot of pullovers will have good pullover numbers, and the guys who do a lot of chin-ups will have good chin-up numbers. But the strength in the water wouldn't necessarily be different.
Also, just because elite swimmers aren't large and muscular doesn't necessarily mean it won't be beneficial for you to get stronger. A lot of Masters swimmers are pretty big, and fast because of it. Personally, I'm a lot faster at 190 pounds than I was at 160.
My advice is to just go for it, see how much stronger you can get without comparing to other people, and see if that makes a difference in your swimming speed.
