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
Recently I ran across this list of the "10 best core exercises"
exercise.about.com/.../abexercises.htm
I note that many Forumites and USMS bloggers do planks, which is #10. About six weeks ago I added these to my dry-land circuit. I'd like to see what others have to say about three issues:
1) I have tried both the regular planks and "modified planks". (In the latter, one supports body weight by elbows and knees, instead of elbows and toes as in the regular planks. There are pictures at the link above.) The regular planks seem to engage the muscles around the rib cage most, while the modified planks seem to engage the muscles in the lower abdomen most. The latter seems more appropriate for swimmers, especially if one is trying to build a better SDK, but they are slightly less effort overall. Any thoughts on this?
2) How long should one hold the plank and how many reps should one do? The web site says 20-60 s (3-5 reps). 60s x 5 reps doesn't seem excessive if they are done as part of a larger cycle. (See point 3 below.) I am thinking that maybe I should build up to holding the plank for a duration equivalent to a race, say about 2:30 if I wanted to focus on 200 IM. This would get pretty ridiculous if I wanted to focus on training for the 1500 free though!
3) Suppose I do 3 different exercises (e.g. planks, curls, squats). What are the relative merits of doing them in a cycle (planks, curls, squats, planks, curls, squats...) versus doing them serially, (planks, planks, planks, curls, curls, curls, squats, squats, squats...)?
Recently I ran across this list of the "10 best core exercises"
exercise.about.com/.../abexercises.htm
I note that many Forumites and USMS bloggers do planks, which is #10. About six weeks ago I added these to my dry-land circuit. I'd like to see what others have to say about three issues:
1) I have tried both the regular planks and "modified planks". (In the latter, one supports body weight by elbows and knees, instead of elbows and toes as in the regular planks. There are pictures at the link above.) The regular planks seem to engage the muscles around the rib cage most, while the modified planks seem to engage the muscles in the lower abdomen most. The latter seems more appropriate for swimmers, especially if one is trying to build a better SDK, but they are slightly less effort overall. Any thoughts on this?
2) How long should one hold the plank and how many reps should one do? The web site says 20-60 s (3-5 reps). 60s x 5 reps doesn't seem excessive if they are done as part of a larger cycle. (See point 3 below.) I am thinking that maybe I should build up to holding the plank for a duration equivalent to a race, say about 2:30 if I wanted to focus on 200 IM. This would get pretty ridiculous if I wanted to focus on training for the 1500 free though!
3) Suppose I do 3 different exercises (e.g. planks, curls, squats). What are the relative merits of doing them in a cycle (planks, curls, squats, planks, curls, squats...) versus doing them serially, (planks, planks, planks, curls, curls, curls, squats, squats, squats...)?
