June 2022
Current Strength Program for Two Swimmers Preparing for their Upcoming Season
Currently at the Iron Lodge we are entering our 3rd month of training with two young (soon to be elite level) swimmers in the New England area. I was excited to work with them and wanted to share my thoughts in designing their program and the basic framework of the program.
The first thing I did was determine their swim schedule and work load. I didn’t want to create a program that got them stronger at the expense of slowing them down in the pool. I reached out to their swim coach and check in periodically to make sure everything is progressing properly.
I am meeting with the swimmers twice a week and started out light to focus on proper form. When this is NOT done and individuals are excessively loaded up too early there becomes a higher risk of injury and a reduction in athletic performance by accentuating poor form.
The program’s intensity (exercises and effort) has been increasing each week. Since the swimmers are new to strength training work, quality of movement is consistently covered and it is a process to find exactly the best exercises to perform that will deliver the desired training effect.
That is a benefit athletes have by training at the Iron Lodge. If I see an exercise that was programmed not being performed properly, I swap it out with something else that is safer and keeps the train rolling.
About the program:
My main goal was to design a program that would get the girls stronger without negatively affecting their swimming. A program that just focused on absolute strength above all else could possibly lead to a loss of shoulder/hip range of motion or an injury that keeps them out of the pool. I want the girls to learn the movements, and get stronger. In that order. I want to fall somewhere between minimal effective dose and functional overreaching. While researching this program I learned there are basically three parts to competitive swimming in a pool: The Start, the Swim, and the Turn. I understand that the % for each variable changes depending on the distance and the girls probably have not specialized in particular races as of yet so this program is designed to cover all the major muscles that will be incorporated in all three.
After basic movement fundamentals were covered (Proper landing techniques) we started addressing “the start” by improving the girl’s power with introductory plyometric jump training and core strength / triple extension work.
We have been addressing “the turn” by developing static strength in the bottom of the squat. In the turn the swimmers' lower body position is in the same as in the bottom of the squat, but unlike a typical squat where an athlete can utilize a stretch reflex (think coiled spring) to safely bounce out of the bottom, swimmers have to account for a rapid change of direction of both their body and the water current and generate power without the aid of the stretch reflex.
We have been addressing the actual swimming strength with the pulling and pushing exercises as well as the lower body work that will be done throughout. The MOST important key contributor here though, will be to build up the core strength and give the girls the ability to maintain spinal stability / establishing a base of support from which they can execute their proper stroke mechanics.
Without getting too deep into the weeds I just want to explain why strengthening the core is SO important. With land-based exercises a concept of power transferability is important. How much power can you transfer from the ground to the load? This is done by shirring up as many loose joints as possible (what I call “energy leaks”). While swimming, there is no interaction with the ground. The only base a swimmer has to generate power from is their core. A strong and tight core will establish a base of support where they will be able to generate propulsion with the arms and legs.
A focus is also being spent on maintaining ranges of motions that the girls currently have that are beneficial to swimming.
We are not doing any long cardio aerobic work as they should already have good conditioning in that area from their swimming. Also, a slow ramp up of their endurance is covered with their swim program in the pool with their swim coach.
In addition to making both girls stronger, my ultimate goal is to teach them the basic movement patterns / concepts to a level that when they enter their next training program (high school, college) that the new strength coach believes they are some of the best prepared athletes they ever had.
At the end of my time with the girls I would like them to have better body awareness (balance), smooth and efficient body mechanics, relative strength and stability all the while maintaining their already good mobility/flexibility.
It will be exciting to see after the 4 months of working with these 2 competitive swimmers how this program helps them with their upcoming season.
Get Stronger
Coach Needham
The first thing I did was determine their swim schedule and work load. I didn’t want to create a program that got them stronger at the expense of slowing them down in the pool. I reached out to their swim coach and check in periodically to make sure everything is progressing properly.
I am meeting with the swimmers twice a week and started out light to focus on proper form. When this is NOT done and individuals are excessively loaded up too early there becomes a higher risk of injury and a reduction in athletic performance by accentuating poor form.
The program’s intensity (exercises and effort) has been increasing each week. Since the swimmers are new to strength training work, quality of movement is consistently covered and it is a process to find exactly the best exercises to perform that will deliver the desired training effect.
That is a benefit athletes have by training at the Iron Lodge. If I see an exercise that was programmed not being performed properly, I swap it out with something else that is safer and keeps the train rolling.
About the program:
My main goal was to design a program that would get the girls stronger without negatively affecting their swimming. A program that just focused on absolute strength above all else could possibly lead to a loss of shoulder/hip range of motion or an injury that keeps them out of the pool. I want the girls to learn the movements, and get stronger. In that order. I want to fall somewhere between minimal effective dose and functional overreaching. While researching this program I learned there are basically three parts to competitive swimming in a pool: The Start, the Swim, and the Turn. I understand that the % for each variable changes depending on the distance and the girls probably have not specialized in particular races as of yet so this program is designed to cover all the major muscles that will be incorporated in all three.
After basic movement fundamentals were covered (Proper landing techniques) we started addressing “the start” by improving the girl’s power with introductory plyometric jump training and core strength / triple extension work.
We have been addressing “the turn” by developing static strength in the bottom of the squat. In the turn the swimmers' lower body position is in the same as in the bottom of the squat, but unlike a typical squat where an athlete can utilize a stretch reflex (think coiled spring) to safely bounce out of the bottom, swimmers have to account for a rapid change of direction of both their body and the water current and generate power without the aid of the stretch reflex.
We have been addressing the actual swimming strength with the pulling and pushing exercises as well as the lower body work that will be done throughout. The MOST important key contributor here though, will be to build up the core strength and give the girls the ability to maintain spinal stability / establishing a base of support from which they can execute their proper stroke mechanics.
Without getting too deep into the weeds I just want to explain why strengthening the core is SO important. With land-based exercises a concept of power transferability is important. How much power can you transfer from the ground to the load? This is done by shirring up as many loose joints as possible (what I call “energy leaks”). While swimming, there is no interaction with the ground. The only base a swimmer has to generate power from is their core. A strong and tight core will establish a base of support where they will be able to generate propulsion with the arms and legs.
A focus is also being spent on maintaining ranges of motions that the girls currently have that are beneficial to swimming.
We are not doing any long cardio aerobic work as they should already have good conditioning in that area from their swimming. Also, a slow ramp up of their endurance is covered with their swim program in the pool with their swim coach.
In addition to making both girls stronger, my ultimate goal is to teach them the basic movement patterns / concepts to a level that when they enter their next training program (high school, college) that the new strength coach believes they are some of the best prepared athletes they ever had.
At the end of my time with the girls I would like them to have better body awareness (balance), smooth and efficient body mechanics, relative strength and stability all the while maintaining their already good mobility/flexibility.
It will be exciting to see after the 4 months of working with these 2 competitive swimmers how this program helps them with their upcoming season.
Get Stronger
Coach Needham