I am looking to see what everyone out there is doing for there dryland program or strength program.
I work at a facility called IHPSWIM and we take a functional approach to our training. We are taking the intensity to the next level since taper is right around the corner,
Here is what we did yesterday with the Fort Lauderdale aquatics of Boca Raton.
Leg Circuit
3 x
24 squats
24 lunges
24 split jumps
12 jump squats
(we do this twice through non - stop in under 2:30)
That is a total of 6 sets - killer leg workout!
We finished with some core work and some rope climbing.
What are you guys doing out there or what questions do you have?
Grif Fig
Founder of IHPSWIM
Following up on the point about feet and ankles...It is critical to both assess and train the lower extremities dynamically. This doesn't mean we go straight into working on jumping skills but it does mean that the feet and ankles are very revealing of certain "core" limitations. There are many people who can achieve good ankle range of motion in a static, non-weight bearing state who lose that mobility the instant they put their ankles under a load. The cause is frequently related not to sports factors but instead to a lifestyle in developed countries that inhibits hip and ankle mobility (i.e.high heeled footwear, mechanized transportation, lots of time seated). There's nothing wrong with this, but it does help to know what is causing the limitations if the foot and ankle aren't working as desired.
Before getting into jumps, the body weight (or "naked") squat that Grif referenced is not only a good exercise, it also is a valuable lower extremity assessment tool. One reason that good strength coaches require perfect body weight squats before getting into jumps is that you can "fake" ankle mobility by adding load. If you can't do a perfect-form squat without weight, but you can get a full range of motion WITH weight (or under a jump), you have simply collapsed at the bottom. That's NOT dynamic ankle mobility; but it is a good way to hurt your knees and low back, especially for swimmers who spend most of their training time in a non-weight bearing state. We want to achieve authentic ankle flexion that flows from stable feet and knees combined with mobile hip sockets. The ankles are part of a lower extremity kinetic chain that requires well timed core activation, mobile hips, stable knees, and stable feet to operate efficiently.
Following up on the point about feet and ankles...It is critical to both assess and train the lower extremities dynamically. This doesn't mean we go straight into working on jumping skills but it does mean that the feet and ankles are very revealing of certain "core" limitations. There are many people who can achieve good ankle range of motion in a static, non-weight bearing state who lose that mobility the instant they put their ankles under a load. The cause is frequently related not to sports factors but instead to a lifestyle in developed countries that inhibits hip and ankle mobility (i.e.high heeled footwear, mechanized transportation, lots of time seated). There's nothing wrong with this, but it does help to know what is causing the limitations if the foot and ankle aren't working as desired.
Before getting into jumps, the body weight (or "naked") squat that Grif referenced is not only a good exercise, it also is a valuable lower extremity assessment tool. One reason that good strength coaches require perfect body weight squats before getting into jumps is that you can "fake" ankle mobility by adding load. If you can't do a perfect-form squat without weight, but you can get a full range of motion WITH weight (or under a jump), you have simply collapsed at the bottom. That's NOT dynamic ankle mobility; but it is a good way to hurt your knees and low back, especially for swimmers who spend most of their training time in a non-weight bearing state. We want to achieve authentic ankle flexion that flows from stable feet and knees combined with mobile hip sockets. The ankles are part of a lower extremity kinetic chain that requires well timed core activation, mobile hips, stable knees, and stable feet to operate efficiently.
