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?
To piggyback on what was mentioned above by both lifters and non-lifters, weight training will make you stronger (for swimming), look a lot better, and become injury resistant. However, speaking from experience here, if done improperly, or even properly, weight training can also really screw you up.
With this type of activity, take a year or so to get aquainted with it to see what your body likes and dislikes before you push hard.
As to the original question:
Whether to lift or swim more, I think, depends a whole lot on the individual. If you have technique like, say, Michael Phelps but are built like, say PeeWee Herman, you should hit the weight room.
If your technique is like, say, a labrador retriever and you are built like, say, Dwight Howard, you should hit the pool.
Where you will gain the most improvement depends on where your greatest deficiency lies. And without seeing you, no one can tell you what to do.
Strength training is very beneficial when done correctly. First of all no one should be training like bodybuilders. The goal here is too make a movement stronger, not an individual muscle all by itself.
Why is this beneficial? We cannot build the strength and explosiveness in the water that we can working out on land. We can train power much more effectively with ground based activity. Example - you can do 1000 starts and that will only improve your leg power to a certain extent but if you have a good lower body plyo program(boxjumps, etc) an athlete will see increase in lower body power immediately.
Notsofast - that is a great point. Bascially if you already have enough muscle mass you probably don't need to focus on traditional lifting. However, i do believe that person can still benefit from a more dynamic and functioanl type of program such as explosive bodyweight work, core work and shoulder stability exercises.
I think we all agree that proper progression and technique are th 2 most important things.
My sense is that most overuse injury is caused by balances of muscle groups. I think weights as cross training would make a person less vulnerable to overuse injuries. This is just intuitive, but I'd guess someone has written a paper on it
Mick
I started mixing my workouts with a home-based workout that features a cross-training regime with plyo, yoga, cardio, kenpo, stretching and weights. I am 50 years old and never worked out with weights even during my competitive years. I've found these types of workouts extremely helpful. I swim three times a week and dryland three times a week. I feel better, practice better, and we will see if it adds to a faster swim. I can't see how it wouldn't.
My sense is that most overuse injury is caused by balances of muscle groups. I think weights as cross training would make a person less vulnerable to overuse injuries. This is just intuitive, but I'd guess someone has written a paper on it
Mick
I think weight training has made me somewhat faster, but the reason I am hooked on it is that it has "cured" my shoulder pain. I have modified my stroke a bit as well, but weight training has made a huge difference.
