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?
I had a terrible problem w/ leg cramps starting out. I added stretches after my swim and increased my stretching after my lifts, and started keeping a water bottle at the end of the lane, and that helped tremendously.
But now they're back, tho they don't come on as quickly, so I'm thinking of trying to increase the magnesium and potassium in my diet. I hate having my swim interrupted by a cramp.
I agree, cramps are the worst, especially when I am finally in that part of the workout when I feel like I could go forever! I usually don't have too much of a problem with them and I bring Gatorade or Accelerade (works better for me than water) and I try to stretch, it's just those days when I've worked myself to exhaution the night before and my body can't handle it. I should probably not swim on those nights, it's just the only time I could fit in another workout in the pool.
I had a terrible problem w/ leg cramps starting out. I added stretches after my swim and increased my stretching after my lifts, and started keeping a water bottle at the end of the lane, and that helped tremendously.
But now they're back, tho they don't come on as quickly, so I'm thinking of trying to increase the magnesium and potassium in my diet. I hate having my swim interrupted by a cramp.
I agree, cramps are the worst, especially when I am finally in that part of the workout when I feel like I could go forever! I usually don't have too much of a problem with them and I bring Gatorade or Accelerade (works better for me than water) and I try to stretch, it's just those days when I've worked myself to exhaution the night before and my body can't handle it. I should probably not swim on those nights, it's just the only time I could fit in another workout in the pool.
