Thought it would be neat to share our stories about the best athlete we ever swam with. Note that it is not necessarily the fastest or best swimmer we have trained with.
The best athlete I ever trained with was a young man that showed up for my masters swim group. He was training to pass the test to be a Navy SEAL officer. Having graduated from a non-Naval Academy college, the standards for making the officers cut were tough. He was, however, a good prospect.
With no prior competitive swim background, he was able to get his 500 yard sidestroke down to a 7:30 in a matter of a few months. However, this was not the main thing that impressed me. It was the times/scores on his practice tests which I helped time him on.
Here is what he could do:
500 yard sidestroke swim: 7:30
8 minute rest
2 minutes of push-ups: # done was 112
2 minute rest
2 minutes of sit-ups: # done was 110
2 minute rest
max number of pull-ups (palms facing away from body): 25
8 minute rest
1.5 mile run done in combat boots and long pants: 9:05.
The guy was a machine. Speed, strength, endurance, and power. Doing 25 pull-ups shortly after a hard swim, pushups, and sit-ups was impressive! The young man decided not to pursue a career in the Navy but chose to stay near family. Last I heard he had started his own business and was doing well.
Phillip and Muppet - You are right in what I was thinking. I swam with a couple of USA teams and had the luck to train with a few who swam in Olympic Trials. I was in awe of these swimmers without a doubt. In terms of athleticism, however, I have never swam with a person that possessed more natural athletic talent than the young man I mentioned.
There are many swimmers who have athletic abilities that set them apart from their peers. For example, they may have an incredible vertical jump, amazing speed in water and on land, the ability to lift an incredible amount of weight, the ability to throw a baseball at lightening speed, perfect balance, or the ability to endure what others can't.
Of the swimmers in the Olympics this past summer, I have read that Jason Lezak is quite the athlete. Apparently he excelled in a number of sports and I have a feeling would likely stand out from his fellow elite swimmers on measurements of strength, explosive power, and speed on land.
It scares me to think how many pull-ups Lezak could probably do.
Phillip and Muppet - You are right in what I was thinking. I swam with a couple of USA teams and had the luck to train with a few who swam in Olympic Trials. I was in awe of these swimmers without a doubt. In terms of athleticism, however, I have never swam with a person that possessed more natural athletic talent than the young man I mentioned.
There are many swimmers who have athletic abilities that set them apart from their peers. For example, they may have an incredible vertical jump, amazing speed in water and on land, the ability to lift an incredible amount of weight, the ability to throw a baseball at lightening speed, perfect balance, or the ability to endure what others can't.
Of the swimmers in the Olympics this past summer, I have read that Jason Lezak is quite the athlete. Apparently he excelled in a number of sports and I have a feeling would likely stand out from his fellow elite swimmers on measurements of strength, explosive power, and speed on land.
It scares me to think how many pull-ups Lezak could probably do.
