I have been swimming for my high school for three years and now that are season is over I have been trying to get to the pool a couple times a week but its a little hard becouse it is a thirty minute drive. There is a small gym about 5 minutes away from my house that has all the same cardio and weight training things that the larger gym has except it doesn't have a pool. I was wanting to knew what dryland workouts I could do in the gym closest to me on hte days that I can't get in town. If anyone has any reccomendations for me I wuold really appreciate it. Thanks
I have not had access to a pool in 10 months. I have been doing lots of dryland training so that when I resume swim training this summer, it won't take me too long to get back into swimming shape. Here are some things that I have done:
- Running, to build cardiovascular strength
- Pilates, to build strength and flexibility, particularly in the back and abdomen area. Try a class or a video (I like Denise Austin's).
- Arm exercises with an exercise band, light hand-held weights, and pushups
- Leg exercises like squats and lunges (think of strengthening your legs to push off of the wall at turns)
At the high school level you could potentially begin weight training, but if you decide to do that, you should check with a doctor and your coach to see if this is right for your body type. Also, you should get a trainer at the gym to work with you for a few sessions to show you how to properly do each exercise and check your form. If you lift weights improperly, you could injure yourself, and that would not be cool!
I hope this helps, send me a private message if you'd like more detail on any of these exercises!
My favorite site for dryland trainings is exrx.net. They have plenty of exercises to choose from and give a lot of tips on good weight training.
But usually I prefer a good old calysthenics session for "confined" spaces. A handy excercise routine and I like it because it can be done anytime and anywhere.
Thanks for the tips. I have tried pilates in the past and I LOVE it. Its something that is fun to do and easy but yet it still works.
Somewhere I heard that biking is just as good as running for swimmers. What have you guys heard? Which one do you prefer?
I visited both of the websites you guys gave me. Thanks a bucnch I was really able to get an overall picture of what I should be doing when it comes to my workout.
Why not try some cross training or racing in a triathlon?
If you want to find out some great information on different training techniques for swimming, cycling, running, weight lifting and anything else related to fitness, check out my new message board.
www.canadiantriathlete.ca
We just opened up and are adding new content daily.
Train Hard!
- Jordin
:)
Has anyone mentioned plyometrics?
We used to set up about a half dozen cones a few feet apart and you just jump with both feet from one to the next. Then there was a 3 foot high box at the end that you had to jump on to. These jumps really help with your turns and starts.
Aside from that we did pushups, situps, and dips.
George, I've adopted your "I love TV commercials" workout program (well, the general idea anyway). It's great! I taped all the Olympic swimming and watch that instead of TV when there is nothing interesting on.
Originally posted by LindsayNB
George, I've adopted your "I love TV commercials" workout program (well, the general idea anyway). It's great! I taped all the Olympic swimming and watch that instead of TV when there is nothing interesting on. The most important part of the program is not watching but to do the exercises.
