Though my form still needs a lot of work, I am considering starting strength training in the near future, since I have read about how it can help swimming speed, form, etc.
However, I am still struggling with the idea of why strength training is needed. Lets assume that lifting a certain weight in a certain way improves a core muscle, which will help steady my posture (?).
Now assuming I don't weight lift, but instead try to hold the proper posture (high elbow, etc.) for a long period of time, and gradually increase the time I do that over weeks and months, won't those muscle(s) automatically improve?
It seems to me that intuitively the proper muscles would gradually get stronger in order to adjust to the frequent usage - that way the exact muscles I need would get stronger, instead of having to train a large array of muscles that have a relation to swimming.
What am I missing?
However, as one of the few people on these forums who agrees with your skepticism regarding weight lifting for swim performance, let me add a further caution: injury potential.
Weight lifting may make you faster like Jazz; then again, it may not.
But done incorrectly--and in my opinion, it is easy to incorrectly lift weights and/or execute the ever-proliferating array of dryland exercises much touted here on these forums--your odds of getting hurt (and sidelined from swimming) are much higher than if you just stick with swimming.
Regardless of what you decide, might I just leave you with a FINA-58-year-old's hard-earned wisdom about any new form of physical activity, from bench pressing to pick-up soccer games inspired by the World Cup, that you aren't used to doing.
If you haven't been doing a lot of something recently, do not do a lot of it now!
Take your time, build up slowly but surely, and err of the side of caution.
However, as one of the few people on these forums who agrees with your skepticism regarding weight lifting for swim performance, let me add a further caution: injury potential.
Weight lifting may make you faster like Jazz; then again, it may not.
But done incorrectly--and in my opinion, it is easy to incorrectly lift weights and/or execute the ever-proliferating array of dryland exercises much touted here on these forums--your odds of getting hurt (and sidelined from swimming) are much higher than if you just stick with swimming.
Regardless of what you decide, might I just leave you with a FINA-58-year-old's hard-earned wisdom about any new form of physical activity, from bench pressing to pick-up soccer games inspired by the World Cup, that you aren't used to doing.
If you haven't been doing a lot of something recently, do not do a lot of it now!
Take your time, build up slowly but surely, and err of the side of caution.
