Swimming + Gym: Is it possible?

general rule of thumb is i'd lift first and then swim if you're doing it back-to-back. also i'd follow up the weight workout with a more power or anaerobic type workout instead of aerobic. basically whatever you're training in a window should be the same in terms of "energy systems" if you want the best results. lifting on alternating days is another great way too. remember you can look at your lifting session in 2 ways: 1) get the muscles that you use stronger to increase power output and endurance in races 2) get the muscles that you DON'T use in swimming stronger to improve posture and overall well-being keep the sessions quick and to the point. don't go more than an hour at the most especially if you're swimming afterwards.

be carefull lifting immediatly after swimming as the repetitive and flexible motions of swimming can loosen up your joints/tendons/muscles I love lifting but I always do it before a swim or at least a few hours after practice (with time to eat and rest) be especially carefull with decline / bench / incline presses and overhead presses like military press immediatly after swimming. and yes lifting will make a big difference... esp in events under 200 yards. Agreed, I always lift before. The few times I did after I would have no strength. If you are "Training" in the pool then you should be pretty beat afterwards!

be carefull lifting immediatly after swimming as the repetitive and flexible motions of swimming can loosen up your joints/tendons/muscles I love lifting but I always do it before a swim or at least a few hours after practice (with time to eat and rest) be especially carefull with decline / bench / incline presses and overhead presses like military press immediatly after swimming. and yes lifting will make a big difference... esp in events under 200 yards.

My daily swimming is for fitness unlike many of you here who are working out to compete. I'm 50. I've been back in the pool for the last 1.5 years using swimming as my main cardio training. I have also been doing high rep lower weight free weight training. But in the last 3 months I recently switched my strength workouts to heavy weights, less reps. I swim first then hit the weights. I chose that because cardio workout is main objective, strength second, and mobility third in order or importance. Here's what I'm doing and have been for about three months now: swim workout 5 days a week. Usually 40 minutes total with about 1200-1800 or so yards per workout. I go for one day medium exertion about a 1000 yard session, then slow down and finish another 500-800 yards breaking it up into 100's, 50's. Next day is light exertion swimming, usually doing 100's, 50's, and then kick/pull/swim's. 3rd day is more sprints for 1/2 workout then leisurely laps. 4th day is very light exertion for 1500yards doing anything but just keep moving. 5th day is light day usually all 50's but adding flips for 1500 yards. I go upstairs to the weight room after each swim. I've figured out I'm best if I don't do multiple body parts on the same day and stick to one body area per day. Monday: Squats 3x6, leg extensions 3x6, hamstring pulls 3x6, 2 sets of static rubber band side stepping, and 2 sets of static rubber band monster walks. Then I take about 15 minutes to work on mobility with various stretches on the ground or stretching cage. Tuesday: Bench presses 3x6, flys 3x6, overhead rows, 3x6, dips 3x6, mobility work with asian squating, small foam ball rolling out shoulders, back. Wednesday: chin-ups 3x6, rowing weight machine 3x6, deadlifts 3x6, mobility work stretching on ground. Thursday: Back to the same leg routine as monday and same mobility routine Friday: Same as Tuesday but add shoulders with military presses 3x6, sam mobility stuff. Saturday: just back work same as Wednesday. Add steam, whirlpool. Sunday: off day. I figured only doing one day of shoulder weight work cause I'm doing a ton with them in the pool. Like I mentioned I've been in this routine for about three months now. Overall I'm seeing big strength increases across the board I think due to the 3 sets of using weights I can only move for 6 times. I'm not sure what is happening to anything like lap times in the pool though. Being that I'm not competing I'm not sure it matters. As long as I dont' get into some kind of over-training problems. I plan to do this particular routine for another month then change it up a bunch. Oh yeah...I'm always hungry and sleep like a log.

I started out only weight training and running. Had a job I wanted that required swimming to get in, so I got a swim coach to teach me breastroke. Now I run three miles at my endourance pace on the treadmill, lift for @ an hour, run 3 miles fast and then breastroke at least 3k yards on my lifting days (MWF) at @ 10min per 500 yards. T/TH/SA (sometimes I take saturday off), I run and swim much more. I use to have an extensive weight training routine and really nit-picked myself over many different movements. Now lifting means, deadlifts, deadlifts, deadlifts. Weighted sets of pull-ups, drop the weight and rep out, weighted sets of dips, drop the weight and rep out. Wednesdays I throw in different forms of benching, shoulder presses and rowing moves. I lift as heavy as I can always. Also mix in 1000 yards of only arm pulls using big ass hand paddles on my non-lift days. I am very happy with how this has shaped my body and my capabilities.