Just wondering how other folks here balance gym and pool workouts.
Now that I'm back in the pool I'm adjusting my lifting quite a bit to complement the swimming.
Used to, I'd alternate upper/lower body on alternate days, with one day a week off.
Now that I'm in the pool, I feel like I'm not giving my muscles enough rest time, since a swim is essentially a whole-body resistance set.
So far, I've been swimming Mon/Wed/Fri, and lifting Tue (upper), Thu (lower), and Sat (core). As I get better swim-conditioned, I plan to re-adjust, probably with more pool time.
Any thoughts, tips, experience?
Parents
Former Member
Assuming you are leading a real world life (family,career and all other obligations) you will have to prioritize. Is lifting supplementing your swimming or vice versa? If swimming is your priority then you schedule the lifting around the swimming. Never skip the swimming in order to lift. Remember, s... happens so there will be times when you have to miss a day of training. Cancel a lifting session if you have to. Remember, lifting complements and optimistically (but contentiously) improves your swimming.
I have a semi-real life. Career and house, but no family. Still, that's almost as time-intensive because there's only one person (me) to take care of house, land, and animals, so free time is hard to come by.
I've managed to split my work day into 2 half-shifts so that I have 2.5 hrs during each weekday to get to the pool/gym, change out, lift or swim, shower and dress, get back to work, and have lunch (which is usually leftovers that I bring w/ me b/c restaurant food will kill you). I I have more or less and hour to work out, including warm-up and post-stretch.
Right now I'm transitioning.
For the past couple of years, my focus has been on strength training and cycling.
Now my goal is to be competitive again within 2 years. Ambitious, I think, for someone who's been out so long and doesn't have a coach, but I do better with goals.
So I've already adjusted my gym routine to complement my swimming, swapping out some exercises, adding more core work and more stretching.
My worst enemy is insomnia, which has plagued me since childhood. Because of what I do for a living, I can't be sleepy on the job. So if I have a bad night, I'll get as much sleep as I can and sacrifice the exercise. Last week, for instance, was a total wash, but I got back in the pool today, thank goodness. And insomnia is a much less frequent problem now than it was before I got back in shape, when I was overweight and sedentary.
As for the relationship b/t lifting and swimming, I can tell you that it helps tremendously if you're returning to the pool. I tried swimming a few years ago and it was painful, and results were so poor I gave it up. After getting back in shape, it was like remembering how to ride a bike -- I had the strength and cardio-pulmonary capacity to hit my stride right off the bat.
Now I lift b/c of the proven health benefits it provides, and to keep my whole body toned and prevent injuries that can come from doing one thing (no matter what it is) too often, intensely, and exclusively.
Assuming you are leading a real world life (family,career and all other obligations) you will have to prioritize. Is lifting supplementing your swimming or vice versa? If swimming is your priority then you schedule the lifting around the swimming. Never skip the swimming in order to lift. Remember, s... happens so there will be times when you have to miss a day of training. Cancel a lifting session if you have to. Remember, lifting complements and optimistically (but contentiously) improves your swimming.
I have a semi-real life. Career and house, but no family. Still, that's almost as time-intensive because there's only one person (me) to take care of house, land, and animals, so free time is hard to come by.
I've managed to split my work day into 2 half-shifts so that I have 2.5 hrs during each weekday to get to the pool/gym, change out, lift or swim, shower and dress, get back to work, and have lunch (which is usually leftovers that I bring w/ me b/c restaurant food will kill you). I I have more or less and hour to work out, including warm-up and post-stretch.
Right now I'm transitioning.
For the past couple of years, my focus has been on strength training and cycling.
Now my goal is to be competitive again within 2 years. Ambitious, I think, for someone who's been out so long and doesn't have a coach, but I do better with goals.
So I've already adjusted my gym routine to complement my swimming, swapping out some exercises, adding more core work and more stretching.
My worst enemy is insomnia, which has plagued me since childhood. Because of what I do for a living, I can't be sleepy on the job. So if I have a bad night, I'll get as much sleep as I can and sacrifice the exercise. Last week, for instance, was a total wash, but I got back in the pool today, thank goodness. And insomnia is a much less frequent problem now than it was before I got back in shape, when I was overweight and sedentary.
As for the relationship b/t lifting and swimming, I can tell you that it helps tremendously if you're returning to the pool. I tried swimming a few years ago and it was painful, and results were so poor I gave it up. After getting back in shape, it was like remembering how to ride a bike -- I had the strength and cardio-pulmonary capacity to hit my stride right off the bat.
Now I lift b/c of the proven health benefits it provides, and to keep my whole body toned and prevent injuries that can come from doing one thing (no matter what it is) too often, intensely, and exclusively.
