Fat loss and Swimming

[wildstang]

very good cardio workout and so easy on the joints.

[bigdig]

the fat will help you float

[Option1]

To resurrect an ageing thread, and to come at it from a slightly different angle. One thing I've found over the years was that lifting can seriously help your swimming.

To explain: I was a mediocre competitive swimmer and water polo player for years without ever spending any time in a gym. Later in life, long ago having given up swimming, I spent time in the gym, took up running, then got on the bike, then decided that maybe a triathlon might be fun so it was back in the pool I went. Weirdo. Anyway, I found that the gym workouts now seriously helped my swimming.

Note, this was certainly not any heavy lifting/building, just relatively easy weights building a bit of strength. Just by having a much stronger core and stronger arms, shoulders, chest and back, my swimming improved amazingly.

Just something to keep in mind. Or to put it another way, it all meshes.

Neil

PS: At the moment my knee is screwed from running and awaiting an MRI - so after years away from it, I'm back in the pool and the gym yet again...

[tidalwave]

Originally Posted by Option1

To resurrect an ageing thread, and to come at it from a slightly different angle. One thing I've found over the years was that lifting can seriously help your swimming.

To explain: I was a mediocre competitive swimmer and water polo player for years without ever spending any time in a gym. Later in life, long ago having given up swimming, I spent time in the gym, took up running, then got on the bike, then decided that maybe a triathlon might be fun so it was back in the pool I went. Weirdo. Anyway, I found that the gym workouts now seriously helped my swimming.

Note, this was certainly not any heavy lifting/building, just relatively easy weights building a bit of strength. Just by having a much stronger core and stronger arms, shoulders, chest and back, my swimming improved amazingly.

Just something to keep in mind. Or to put it another way, it all meshes.

Neil

PS: At the moment my knee is screwed from running and awaiting an MRI - so after years away from it, I'm back in the pool and the gym yet again...

This is something I've been wondering about.. could you elaborate on your gym routines that helped your swimming?

[Option1]

Good question. I'll try and see if I can dig up my old routines tomorrow - or at least dig some of the details out of my ageing memory.

Neil

[pliny_2001]

Just for more info, my gym-time has pretty much wrecked my swimming, though it isn't a completely fair comparison - I'm not trained up for a fast swim right now, so my stroke is pretty rough. Of course, though, I'm up over 30 lbs of muscle since my swimming days, so that's gotta slow me down a lot, too (or at least that's what I'm telling myself)

[Option1]

Yeh, I think if you're lifting to build and have added that much muscled than I wouldn't be surprised if it interfered with your swimming. For mine it was always just looking to build strength rather than size.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find my old routines, but I think my memory has it reasonably well stored. So here goes:

• 3 x 8-12 leg press
• 3 x 8-12 hamstring curl
• 3 x 8-12 leg extension
• 3 x 15-20 back extension
• 3 x 10-20 situps
• 3 x 8-12 bench press
• 3 x 8-12 pec dec
• 3 x 8-12 lat pulldown (behind head)
• 3 x 8-12 bicep curls
• 3 x 8-12 tricep push downs
• 3 x 8-12 prone flys
• 2 x 20 body rotations(?)
• 2 x 10-20 knee lifts

So a very general overall kind of set of weights and only did them about 3 times a week. There may have been one or two more exercises to it, but it was back in the early 90s after all.

However, I was very pleased with the results in terms of how much stronger, smoother, more powerful, and better able to maintain technique in my swimming.

Hope it helps.

Neil

[jorcaryvan]

I agree with what you're saying Option1. I'm lifting and swimming 3 times a week and I have really improve my swimming tremendously. Having that extra strenght certainly makes a difference. And it also has helped me to keep up with those hardcore swimmers that I swim with.