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.
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.
I think absolute strength in the weight room is very weakly correlated (if at all) with swimming prowess. If I look on the blocks next to me and see someone who is obviously a strong man, I certainly do not faint in fear. I've known many very strong men who were marginal swimmers, and many very fast swimmers who were less than impressive in the weight room.
I am NOT saying that lifting is bad for swimming, but I think that the "strength," in the sense that you originally asked, of the top swimmers is all over the map.
Use strength training to improve your explosive power, sprint speed, and muscular endurance. I think it is a bad idea to compare yourself to anyone else's strength and think you're doing fine (or not).
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.
I think absolute strength in the weight room is very weakly correlated (if at all) with swimming prowess. If I look on the blocks next to me and see someone who is obviously a strong man, I certainly do not faint in fear. I've known many very strong men who were marginal swimmers, and many very fast swimmers who were less than impressive in the weight room.
I am NOT saying that lifting is bad for swimming, but I think that the "strength," in the sense that you originally asked, of the top swimmers is all over the map.
Use strength training to improve your explosive power, sprint speed, and muscular endurance. I think it is a bad idea to compare yourself to anyone else's strength and think you're doing fine (or not).
