Strength Training with an eye to the swim
sarahz5
Posts: 1,363 Member
Does anyone have any recommendations for lifts/exercises that will particularly build the muscles or range of motion I need for a strong freestyle? I ordinarily do your basic major compound lifts but I really need to improve my catch, and I think part of it is that my shoulder just doesn't go that way. 
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I'm no swim expert, but I"ve been reading Matt Fitzgeralds book "Racing Weight" and in it he has a section on exercises for endurance athletes. His exercise movements for swimmers include the Cable High Low Pull: This specifically simulates the pull action under load. The movement starts facing the machine with the cable D ring at shoulder/head height. The movement is a High Left to Low Right action that involves twisting your torso to the right, shifting weight, bending to the floor and using your shoulder to pull the handle across your body. Do 10 reps then reverse position and repeat.
Also the Push up and Reach strengthens the shoulder stabilizers, in addition to strenghtening the chest, triceps, etc. This starts with a standard pushup. At the top, when arms are straight, twist body to the right and reach toward the ceiling with your right arm. Pause 1 second, then put hand back down and reach to the left extending left arm up. that is one rep.
I am fighting a limited range of motion problem myself (as opposed to a strength issue).
I'm doing several things to try to gain shoulder flexibility and range of motion in order to lengthen my reach prior to arm entry. The two movements I'm doing are 1) Hold a towel (or bar) over the head with both hands spread wide so that you form the shape of the letter Y. Then try to lower the towel behind your back while maintaining the grip with both hands. 2) Hold the towel with a spread grip and try to rotate your arms left and right around your head, going back and forth causing the shoulders to move in a circular pattern.
Finally, I have been seeing a massage therapist who is working on my shoulders to help loosen the deltoid and lat muscles.
Good luck with working on your freestyle catch.0 -
I've always been a fan of Men's Health Spartacus (just the free version, they have a paid version now). It is very leg and shoulder heavy, and I've always felt it improved my performance in the swim, but that's not saying much for me.0
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get in the pool as often as you can to strengthen your swimming.0
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1. Swimming is mostly form. You can have almost zero strength and if you happen to have the form/timing down you will swim fast.
2. If you're convinced you need to add some strength pick up Ben Greenfield's stuff. The diet stuff in his books is crap but he knows his lifting.
3. Buy some swim cords and make sure you hit your core exercises.0 -
Awesome, thanks. I have several books with suggested lifts but it's hard to parse through them all so I'm glad to have some specific recommendations.
Just to clarify, it's definitely not that I think I need to add strength for swim; but I WANT to do strength, and I figured if I could also do something to advance my swim in the process, bonus. I am also going to work with a coach for a few lessons and possibly do a masters swim. Starting to second guess that - not sure it's the best thing for my triathlon focused swimming.0 -
i know plenty of people that do masters swim and are exceptional triathlon swimmers.
and i know plenty of people that do masters swim and are horrible triathlon swimmers.
you can always tell who the masters swimmers are on race day. they're the ones in the front of the pack, thrashing their way through the water. you want to build up endurance as much as you want to build speed. and strength is a part of that. you don't want to exhaust yourself while swimming so that your form breaks down and you start going slow.
any work with a coach will be beneficial, as they'll be able to identify where you are losing power in the catch or recovery or whatever. i'm sure it's more a form issue as opposed to a strength imbalance.
and the winter is the best time to be adding strength training into your routine. good luck.0 -
check this out and give it a shot next time you're in the pool
http://triathlon.competitor.com/2014/05/training/swim-speed-series-part-3-high-elbow-pull_71704?utm_medium=whats-hot0 -
I like doing lat pull-downs and seated rows.0
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Use paddles :-) You can get different sizes and they really strengthen your arms in exactly the right places. If you are in a pool (with lifeguards) also tie your legs together with a bit of old inner tube. This stops any leg movement and it concentrates your upper body and causes you to automatically engage your core as well. This will feel weird for the first length or two but you will get used to it really quickly.0
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Lot of good tips here I started swimming with a master group this winter to improve. The tiring of feet together is a great drill and tough one. The reason we do it is to Mach sure we finish our strike by pushing all the was through if you don't your hips and feet sink. Also we use a bar and do a drill called catch up. Durn freestyle use the bar in one hand hold it out front then when you come around with the other hand reach out and grab it and keep doing that it makes you reach for something each stroke.0
