Hey all. So I'd started seriously swimming recently to try and build my physique. I am admittedly not swimming for times or competition, but solely for fitness. I'm going off of The Fit Swimmer: 120 Workouts by Marianne Brems. I'm up to the Intermediate Phase (~2100 y per workout) and can see myself getting to Advanced (~3200) in good time. I'm swimming about 3-4 times per week. I'm built quite lean and am 160 lbs., 5'10".
The thing is though, as I've been doing more research and poking around, it seems like weight training is an unmistakable component for a lot of men's swim team's routines, as is other dry work, I'm sure.
So.. on my current trajectory I would be getting to 3200y per evening, but I'm not sure if that will be enough to get into the shape I'm looking for. To give you an idea, I work out at my local college and it's the men's team swimmers that made me first want to get into this, goal-wise. So, do you think I need to start augmenting my swimming with weights and other work? I just have no idea if swimming alone will help me get there. I think I'm seeing diminishing returns but I don't know if it will get more productive as my training lengths increase.
So, thoughts? Should I work in dryland? And if so, what book or guide specifically would you recommend? I do best off of books and structured programs over just "work in some weights" ;) So something geared toward swimmers with a defined structure would be ideal.
What do you all think?
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Former Member
Hey BigBrother,
Make sure you are taking care of things nutrition wise. If you goal is to get in shape, exercise burns the calories, but you have to be aware of the calories you are putting into your body.
This is what I recommend to address your desire to lift.
stronglifts.com/.../
It is not swimming specific, it is general strength training and I think it is a better place to start than a program like Lezak's, which is more targeted to swimmers. You need a strong base and a good understanding of your capabilities in the weight room before trying to tackle a more advanced plan.
Now, I don't know anything about you, so if you look at the 5x5 plan and think it is too boring or too simple, than you are going to need more help coming up with a plan that will work for you. I can tell you from experience that the 5x5 plan will make you much stronger before you start to level off, it is an easy routine to learn, and it is an easy routine to stick with.
Good luck.
Hey BigBrother,
Make sure you are taking care of things nutrition wise. If you goal is to get in shape, exercise burns the calories, but you have to be aware of the calories you are putting into your body.
This is what I recommend to address your desire to lift.
stronglifts.com/.../
It is not swimming specific, it is general strength training and I think it is a better place to start than a program like Lezak's, which is more targeted to swimmers. You need a strong base and a good understanding of your capabilities in the weight room before trying to tackle a more advanced plan.
Now, I don't know anything about you, so if you look at the 5x5 plan and think it is too boring or too simple, than you are going to need more help coming up with a plan that will work for you. I can tell you from experience that the 5x5 plan will make you much stronger before you start to level off, it is an easy routine to learn, and it is an easy routine to stick with.
Good luck.
