Swimming Training Program.Swimming Specific Strength And Gym Training.

Gym and strength training for swimming

How to improve your swimming times

Most swimmers already know that strength-weight training will make them faster swimmers, Finding time for swimming is hard enough, let alone for weight training.

Strength training is an integral part of a competitive swimmer's conditioning, and while the idea of spending time away from the pool and in the weight room might not appeal to you , it is however essential in building strength and preventing injury.

Weight training needs to be practiced in moderation, and you should not do more than three workouts a week. It is also preferable to have access to a pool immediately after your workout, so you can loosen up with a few hundred meters and offset lactic acid buildup and muscle tightness.

Weights can be started by swimmers in their early teens, and continued throughout most of their adult life. The basic outline for the suggested weight workout can be adapted by swimmers of any age and level of skill. The only variant is the amount of weight and the number of reps per set.

Swimmers need to be strong yet lean, powerful yet not bulky. Achieving this delicate balance takes precision and discipline in the weight room, and the workout below will help you achieve the strength you will need to maximize your swimming ability. The workout is designed to be done in about an hour, with little rest between sets, so get ready to sweat and enjoy the benefits of a cardiovascular workout and a weight workout rolled into one!

Warm-up: dumbbells

Start with a comfortable weight, ranging from 10 to 20 pounds, and build up slowly to your threshold weight; you should not exceed 30 pounds regardless of your strength capabilities, as that would mean you are probably too bulky for your own swimming good.

12 reps, alternate bicep curls.

12 reps, dual overhead extensions

12 reps, tricep extensions

12 reps, bench press (again, pick a weight you can comfortably repeat 11 times

Do the above circuit three times through.

Now that you are warmed up, you can start in on the main part of your workout, which is an intense weight circuit utilizing any type of Nautilus/Cybex machines your gym may have available.

Main set: circuit training

Pick five to eight of your favorite upper body machines, focusing on lat muscles, chest, tricep, and shoulders.

12 reps of each machine

Use four to eight plates to start

Take minimal rest between machines; keep moving!

Repeat the above circuit three times through

By the end of your workout, you should start to feel fatigued and perhaps even have difficulty finishing your 10th or 11th repetition on the weight circuit.

You should also be sweaty and somewhat out of breath. While this approach could not be more different from traditional weight training ? where few reps are done at a much higher weight, with plenty of recovery between sets ? I recommend this technique because it forces you to build strength while not building muscle, and it builds endurance and keeps your heart rate up (which also benefits your swimming).

Warm down: pool

Hopefully you have access to a pool where you can loosen up with a few hundred meters immediately after your hour in the weight room. This prevents muscle tightness and lactic acid buildup, and it can also prevent injury (a common swimmer's ailment is rotator cuff inflammation).

Proper weight training should strengthen your shoulders, and loosening swims will relax fatigued shoulder tendons and maintain your flexibility/range of motion). Swim a few hundred meters alternating freestyle and backstroke, stretching out your strokes.

Never do weight training two days in a row; after this workout, your next day should be a pool day, or a day off for recovery; once you break down your muscles, you need to give them a day to heal (this on/off pattern builds muscle strength). I generally recommend doing this workout Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or twice during the week and once on the weekend, depending on your schedule.

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