Why swimmers need to train for power outside the water
Former Member
Bottom line is that we can improve our power more on land than we can just doing sprint sets and power racks in the water. Training for power in the water is essential for swimmers but should be complimented with a solid dryland/strength program.
Strength training does not have to include heavy lifting (in fact if you go to heavy, you move to slow and that is not ideal for increasing power output). Try simple bodywieght exercises such as squatting, lunging, pull - ups and of course a lot of core and rotational work. Once you master the basics you can progress to more explosive movements such as squat jumps, split jumps, and explosive pull - ups.
Of course there is much more to get into on this topic. It is just my opinion that to many swimmers and coaches use the "high rep to increase muscular endurance" philosophy in the weight room. Don't you think we get enough muscular endurance from all the volume we do in the pool?? I feel it is better to use our dryland time focusing on explosive movements, power is something that to many swimmers lack.
What are you thoughts out there?
Parents
Former Member
explosive movements
I concur about training explosively, especially with heavy weights and low reps. Best way to extract more work from existing muscles w/o making them bigger or increasing their size. After all, who wants to get heavier and more bulky? Getting expert training in learning to do the Olympic lifts properly is also recommended.
explosive movements
I concur about training explosively, especially with heavy weights and low reps. Best way to extract more work from existing muscles w/o making them bigger or increasing their size. After all, who wants to get heavier and more bulky? Getting expert training in learning to do the Olympic lifts properly is also recommended.
