Weight-train
to build speed, not bulk
This month’s Makeover Man is
32-year-old Mark Urban of Palos Heights, Ill. A middle-distance
backstroker and IMer with a desire to venture into long-distance
freestyle, Mark recently competed in the Illinois State Championships.
He wrote to inquire about how to
improve his swimming strength via the weight room.
While weight training for
swimmers has been covered in this column before, Mark’s letter sparked
an opportunity for me to design a fast and easy six-week plan. Mark is
willing to commit three days a week to weights — in addition to three
to five long-course workouts — this summer.
“I have already started in the
weight room,” Mark writes, “…lifting lightly on the bench and
incline, but more serious with the barbells, lats, tris, situps, stretch
cordz. For legs, the sitting squat press and leg curls. I started very
light — in some cases just the bar ... but I never got sore.”
His goal is to gain strength
without bulking up or losing flexibility. He would like to lift until
next spring’s Short Course Championships, but I will suggest a starter
plan he can begin for a month and a half.
After this, Mark can decide if he
wants to stick with the same plan throughout the year, or to tailor it
more specifically to his swimming needs and weaknesses.
Many swimmers struggle to find
their balance in the weight room. Traditional weight training teaches us
that more is better, no pain no gain, etc. If the goal is to add muscle
and become increasingly defined, then there is indeed some validity to
this approach.
However, swimmers are not
weightlifters, and they do not need to be traditionally “defined” in
the Arnold Schwarzenegger sense to swim fast. Most swimming muscles are
developed doing the sport, not in the weight room (the proverbial
“swimmer’s build” refers to the lean, whippet-like appearance of
most elite swimmers, obtained from continuous swimming and if anything,
a relatively moderate weight-training regimen).
Weights are to be used as a
complementary strength-building tool in order for the swimmer to retain
ideal flexibility and range of motion, while gaining applicable
strength.
“Applicable” is the key word
here: certain weights, like power cleans or bench pressing, provide less
“applicable” swimming-related benefits than simple exercises like
dumbbells and lateral-pull-downs.
Below is a brief weight workout
that involves dumbbells and a few simple dryland exercises which, if
done three times a week for six weeks, will result in obvious strength
gains in the pool. They may not be visible gains, but remember that the
idea is to gain swimming strength, not cosmetic bulk.
By the end of this mini-boot
camp, Mark should be pleased to find his flexibility intact, and his
swimming speed and endurance improved.
WEIGHT TRAINING FOR SWIMMERS:
SIX-WEEK STARTER KIT
Dumbbells
Pick a pair of dumbbells, somewhere between 5 lbs. and 20 lbs. depending
on your current strength level. Remember that the first day of weights
is always a breeze, but the second day will be a killer if you overdo it
the first time. Sit down at a bench with your arms at your sides and
alternate lifting the weights, curling at your elbows until your arm is
bent at 90 degrees. These are bicep curls.
11 reps, bicep curls
Go directly into overhead
extensions, where you lift the weights simultaneously from on top of
your shoulders to straight above your head, arms extended.
- 11 reps, overhead extensions
Put one of the dumbbells down
and use the other one to do one-arm curls with your elbow resting
against your inner thigh. Make sure you keep your resting arm
relaxed and do not rely on it during the opposite arm’s attempt to
bring the weight up (some people use their idle arm to grip the
bench, tug at the straining arm’s elbow, or even help pull the
weight up!). Then switch arms and repeat.
- 11 one-arm curls, each arm
Take a lighter dumbbell now
(if you started with 10 lbs., find a 5 or 7 lb. weight), and bending
at the waist, practice tricep extensions. This is where you take the
weight with your elbow bent, and push it back from your hip to
behind you, with your elbow now fully extended. This exercise mimics
the last bit of your freestyle stroke before your arm exits the
water to begin its recovery. It is the last part of the underwater
pull and usually the first part of the stroke to fall apart due to
fatigue. This is a very valuable exercise, and it develops your
triceps (traditionally a neglected muscle group even for regular-Joe
gym-goers), which are essential in maintaining good stroke-finishing
form.
- 11 tricep extensions, each arm
Take a break from the
dumbbells and do a set of 15 push-ups, taking care to keep your body
rigid (like a plank) so as not to simply bob your chest and head
toward the ground in quick, jerky movements. Execute the push-ups
slowly and deliberately, lifting your body away from the ground as
slowly as you bring it down.
-
15 push-ups
Find a lateral-pull-down
machine, and after familiarizing yourself with the proper technique
(ask a trainer for help, or make sure you fully understand the
diagram that should be featured on the equipment), do 11 pulldowns.
Allow the weight back up gently, as controlled in movement as when
you pull the bar toward you.
Repeat all of the above, two
more times.
(Approx. training time: 30
minutes)
The above weight workout is a
mild toning and strength-building routine that is designed to
achieve results quickly with minimal chance of injury. As with any
type of weight training, there are inherent risks one takes that can
result in muscle strains. But the lightness of the recommended
weights and the gentle nature of the routine makes this a great
workout for swimmers who have never lifted before, or those who want
to try it and see how it might help in a relatively short amount of
time.
Swimming after a weight
routine like the one above should not be agony; your body should
feel tighter and perhaps a bit sore at first, but overall a
heightened sense of muscle-awareness should strike you with each
stroke.
The weights break down your
muscles, but in the water you will be able to feel where they are
fatigued and hence, what muscles you are using during different
parts of your stroke.
Incidentally, notice the
absence of dips, extreme overhead exercises, and shoulder-rotating
drills. These types of weight-room exercises can inflame the
swimming-sensitive rotator-cuff area and also result in less
flexibility.
Remember that shoulder
rotation (and consequent body roll) is a key factor in efficient
swimming — and the more bulky your shoulders get, the less
flexible they will become. This routine purposely stays away from
those exercises.
The nice thing about swimmers
who lift weights is that they usually are less than 24 hours away
from a swim after their last weight workout (if they train
consistently). Mark will be doing something each day, and if he were
to alternate a day in the pool with a day in the weight room, his
swimming would allow him to maintain flexibility while his weight
training would result in increased strength.
By gaining valuable strength
without attaining bulk, Mark will find his times in the water
improving, even if his outward appearance remains unchanged.
After he is accustomed to the
above program and begins to feel its benefits, Mark can opt to flesh
out his dry-land workout with additional weight exercises or
slightly heavier weights.
He should consult his masters
swim coach for advice on which machines can best help him develop
swimming-related strengths without risking injury or gaining
unwanted muscle mass that can hinder performance.
Good Luck!
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