STRENGTH NEEDED IN SWIMMING
The typical thinking today is that the stronger the better, the bigger the
muscles the more physical strength you have. That is not correct. Our muscles are a part of a larger mechanism, by themselves they cannot and do not produce power or showcase strength. We will write more about it in the forthcoming articles and books, in this article we'll try to give you a simple image of what you need to aim for in swimming.
Swimming technique taught through the Pose Method is primarily about
change of support. As your body moves through the water, your arms work to provide continuos support, and as you continue to provide the required support, you continue to move.
What kind of strength do we need in swimming? We have to be strong enough to provide needed support for our body moving in water. Since the movement happens primarily with the help of our arms, strength of the upper-body is especially important, but it does go hand in hand with developing adequate strength in your mid and lower body. In general, you would do well by developing proper strength of your entire body even if you're only into swimming.
The easiest way to start working on proper strength development for swimming is to do swimming specific drills: both dry land and water drills found in the
Pose Method of Triathlon Techniques pp.287-312. The great thing about pose swim drills is that you'll work on your strength and
swimming technique at the same time. Also, include the hip strength conditioning exercises from the
Strength Conditioning Hamstring and Hips Exercises Booklet. They will help you strengthen your core. You're welcome to use the
SAMPLE TRAINING SESSION FOR SWIMMERS that we published in August.
And to conclude, let's bring up two much asked questions. What's wrong with underdeveloped muscles? Everything. It's your weak link, and you know that you're only as good or as strong as your weakest link. It's a lot easier to get injured since you're unable to execute swimming technique correctly. It's harder to execute proper technique since you're unable to provide needed support in a needed manner. It's a vicious cycle unless you make an effort to break it by working on obtaining the needed strength for swimming. But strength development should not be taken to extremes.
What's the problem with developing huge muscles? Well, besides a huge waste of time that you could have spent doing something else, you're also not doing yourself any favors. Overdeveloped muscles will interfere with proper execution of technique in ANY sport, swimming is no exception. So, don't go overboard with your strength regimen, otherwise you'll be defeating the very purpose of your
training.
Article by Dr. Nicholas Romanov
Composed by L. Romanov
