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» Intermediate Open Water Swim Training
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Day 003 - WEIGHTS

Dumbbells: 11 reps each of: alternate bicep curls, dual overhead extensions, tricep extensions, bench press. Next do 2 sets, 50 sit-ups. REPEAT ABOVE CIRCUIT THREE TIMES. Nautilus / Universal machine circuit: 11 reps of each machine @ max weight. Do all machines in a row, minimal rest. REPEAT ABOVE CIRCUIT THREE TIMES.        Training via ActiveMail

Weight training is an important part of a swimmer's conditioning, and it's a good habit to have regardless, both as a supplement to your swimming and as a way of avoiding pool burnout. I will suggest weights twice a week in this program, although 3 times/week is okay too. From my swimming days at Stanford, I have maintained the same basic one-hour circuit, with little rest in-between sets. It is pretty exhausting, and you should be sweating as if you were doing a cardio workout by the end. The intention is not to build muscle, but maintain and build strength without bulking up. Use less weight than if you were going to max out! I use 30lb.weights, so you may want to consider starting with 15-25 lbs. at first.



Dumbbells:

11 reps, alternate bicep curls.

11 reps, dual overhead extensions.

11 reps, tricep extensions



11 reps, bench press

2 sets, 50 sit-ups

DO THE ABOVE CIRCUIT 3 TIMES



Nautilus / Universal machine circuit

Pick 5-8 of your favorite upper body resistance machines (focus on lat muscles, chest, tricep, and shoulders):

11 reps of each machine, at max weight.

Do all machines in a row, minimal rest.



DO THE ABOVE CIRCUIT 3 TIMES

incidentally, "max weight" in this case means the amount of weight you can do for 11 reps, three times through, without failure. The last few should be a struggle, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE. It may take a few weight sessions to find your "max," but it's better to err on the side of less weight than to max out with failure (that builds muscle, and we don't want that).

The above workout should last you an hour if you do it correctly, and you will be tired. If you have the luxury of loosening up in a nearby pool, even 500 yards is a great way to cool down and stretch out your pumped-up muscles in preparation for the next day's swim workout. If not, take a long hot shower and stretch your upper body.