The cross-training routine that was previously posted on this thread had a variety of advice. Although quite a few people have mentioned to me that they prefer to swim, and don't really want to lift weights. That's understandable, but attempting to compromise I suggest these 4 critical exercises, 3xweek. This could take as little as 15 minutes, but will have significant impact on your swimming base times.
Here's why:
Ankle flexibility is crucial, as this is the anchor on your ship. Even if you don't improve power or strength, having your ankles flexible will reduce the drag and improve body position. So, I recommend a minimum of 6 minutes (3x per week), on the bike with your toes pointed. This is primarily to warm up the ankles as well as training the range of motion.
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Don't be discouraged if you can't do this next stretch right away. When I started 8 years ago I couldn't get my knees off the ground, and my SDK was ineffective. Just have patience, and after several months you should notice a gradual improvement. Not everyone is gifted with natural mobility in the ankles, but the good news is this can be earned. Try and hold the stretch for 3x20 seconds.
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Moving up the body line, core stability is critical for maintaining the right trajectory while swimming. Be sure to bring the elbow all the way around the knee, and tighten the core as you go through the motion. Pick a weight that enables you to do 3x12 reps on both sides.
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This last exercise is great for your core, but I've noticed it is also really good for the upper body, especially the catch phase of the stroke, as well as engaging the lats on the horizontal axis. Again, 3x12 reps, and these four exercises can be made into a short mini-routine that most aspiring swimmers should at least consider.
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Happy swimming,
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So I finally have my video on FLOSWIMMING here it is
100 free SCM - 51.60 which converts to 46.02 SCY
swimming.flocasts.org/.../65295
You said you swam your best times after doing it continuously for ( I can't remember how long).
Syd
Usually, for about 4 months before a "personal best" attempt. Also, I've not been posting every work-out that I do, (that would be a blog). Just the ones I'm doing in the group, because they are probably more applicable. My personal program can become very difficult, especially the cross-training portion.
On another note, I've been analyzing this video of Sullivan, and if you press play and pause in succession every quarter-second you get a very interesting view of his "complete" stroke. I wanted to do this because I've been feeling like my stroke wasn't as good after a few months of adaptation, and I wanted to understand why.
In the past I was going quite deep on the top quadrant of the stroke, which is probably why it improved significantly when first trying Sullivan's stroke. However, if you look closely at this video, and pause it frequently you can see that sullivan does go deep also, but as his forearm begins to pass his shoulder line he actaully sculls sharply inwards and upwards. This was the view that I had been missing, and can be seen on the top left portion of the video, when pausing.
www.youtube.com/watch
Also, if you look at the graph, you can see that this phase creates the most thrust/power of his stroke.
Which puts this next video in context, as it is hard to see the depth at the top,
but you can clearly see the follow-through action.
www.youtube.com/watch
.
You said you swam your best times after doing it continuously for ( I can't remember how long).
Syd
Usually, for about 4 months before a "personal best" attempt. Also, I've not been posting every work-out that I do, (that would be a blog). Just the ones I'm doing in the group, because they are probably more applicable. My personal program can become very difficult, especially the cross-training portion.
On another note, I've been analyzing this video of Sullivan, and if you press play and pause in succession every quarter-second you get a very interesting view of his "complete" stroke. I wanted to do this because I've been feeling like my stroke wasn't as good after a few months of adaptation, and I wanted to understand why.
In the past I was going quite deep on the top quadrant of the stroke, which is probably why it improved significantly when first trying Sullivan's stroke. However, if you look closely at this video, and pause it frequently you can see that sullivan does go deep also, but as his forearm begins to pass his shoulder line he actaully sculls sharply inwards and upwards. This was the view that I had been missing, and can be seen on the top left portion of the video, when pausing.
www.youtube.com/watch
Also, if you look at the graph, you can see that this phase creates the most thrust/power of his stroke.
Which puts this next video in context, as it is hard to see the depth at the top,
but you can clearly see the follow-through action.
www.youtube.com/watch
.
