Why swimmers need to train for power outside the water

Former Member
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
  • the amount of resistance in even "light" lifting is far greater than you ever achieve in the water. This is the thing I wonder about. If you can't achieve this kind of resistance in water then why do we need all this excess strength? It seems like a Catch-22 to me. The assumption is that we need out of the water strength training because water doesn't provide enough resistance, but if so, then what good does this strength do us in the water? The fact that there are scrawny 12 year olds who can swim faster than me seems to indicate strength isn't really that critical in swimming.
Reply
  • the amount of resistance in even "light" lifting is far greater than you ever achieve in the water. This is the thing I wonder about. If you can't achieve this kind of resistance in water then why do we need all this excess strength? It seems like a Catch-22 to me. The assumption is that we need out of the water strength training because water doesn't provide enough resistance, but if so, then what good does this strength do us in the water? The fact that there are scrawny 12 year olds who can swim faster than me seems to indicate strength isn't really that critical in swimming.
Children
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