How do swimmers train

So rather than doing a static crunch, we're working reflexively. A little more athletic than standard ab work. Specifically for swimming it's a really crucial exercise to kind of mimic the catch that you're gonna have at the top of your stroke," says Murphy. You have to brace with your abs, and then rotate along a really thin line across your body," says Murphy. So it's a really good one for swimming. My technique, learning how to be more efficient in my body position.

So my core, my back, my glutes, my hip flexors. I've always got 10 things in my head that I'm focusing on in a practice. Want more celebrity workout routines? Check out all of our Train Like videos. United States. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Some time is dedicated to improving skills like starts, turns, and underwaters.

Practices get shorter, weight training becomes less strenuous, and swimmers don't practice as often. This allows their muscles to recover in time for the big meet. The amount of time a swimmer spends tapering is situational.

Usually, it is between ten days and four weeks. Men need more time to taper than women and sprinters need more time to taper than distance swimmers. Not enough taper means the swimmer may still be sore and tired at their peak meet. Too much taper is bad because the swimmer will be out of shape. Taper is a complicated topic, and it is up to the coach to find the perfect balance between too much and not enough taper. Successful swimmers weight train and do exercises on land.

The type of land exercises the swimmer does depend on their level, age, and what they swim. Younger swimmers usually do not weight train. Instead, they do bodyweight exercises like squats, pushups, and planks.

Older swimmers will usually weight train. Swimmers typically hit the major muscle groups like back, shoulders, triceps, biceps, abdominals, quads, hamstrings, chest, and calves. Advanced swimmers tend to be more specialized in their weight training. For example, sprinters typically lift more than distance swimmers because their events require more power.

Also, sprinters will focus on lifting heavy weights with fewer reps while distance swimmers will lift lighter weights with more repetitions. Aerobic exercises are great for swimmers. Many swimmers use the stationary bike as part of their workout.

Swimmers need flexible ankles and running builds muscle in the ankles that can limit flexibility. Flexibility is the key to swimming fast. Swimmers need flexible shoulders, knees, and ankles. Many swimmers utilize yoga for this purpose. In order to make weightlifting effective, swimmers need to eat properly.

To be a good swimmer, you must recover properly. Swimmers put their bodies through a lot and need to recover after each practice to get the most out of their bodies.

Recovery looks different for each swimmer. Stretching is common after every practice and helps relieve sore muscles and improve flexibility at the same time. Some swimmers also opt for ice baths or icing particular areas of the body that are sore. Many elite swimmers see chiropractors or get massages on a regular basis. If a swimmer has an injury, they may also see a physical therapist or athletic trainer. Do your research, though, because not all sleeves are the same.

Compression technology is known to improve circulation and blood flow so waste like lactic acid is more easily and efficiently cleared from the muscles, which ultimately keeps muscles fresh, healthy, and performing at a higher level for longer.

In order for a swimmer to be successful, they have to eat right. Elite swimmers burn thousands of calories a day and need to replenish those lost calories. Eating and hydrating properly is key to recovery. To maintain proper body composition, elite swimmers need to consume a lot more calories than the average person. A typical swimmer will ingest between 3, and 8, calories per day. The number of calories a swimmer needs daily is very individualized.

Usually, the more yards a swimmer swims per day, the more they need to eat. Also, male swimmers will typically need to eat more than female swimmers. Swimmers also need to eat large amounts of protein to build and repair muscle.

Fruits and vegetables are just as important to deliver key nutrients. Swimmers should try to hit every food group in their meals. Sleep is the most important component of the recovery process because it allows the body and mind to repair itself. Even though early practice times can make achieving an adequate amount of sleep difficult, swimmers must get a sufficient amount of sleep to optimize their training results. As you can see, swimming is a complex sport with many categories of training.

Training looks different for each swimmer and can be very individualized. We hope this article answered all of your swimming related questions! Be sure to look into our other articles On Deck!

Swimmers Train Differently Based On Their Level Just like any sport, there are many different levels in swimming that require their own specialized way of training. Age Group Swimming Age group swimming usually starts when swimmers are 5 to 6 years old and goes until they are Club Swimming Club swimming has many levels of its own.

High-level club swimmers usually practice multiple times per day and supplement their training with weightlifting or bodyweight exercises more on this below. Club meets occur Thursday through Sunday.

Dara Torres, an Olympic sprinter, swims about two hours a day focusing on drills and specialized laps for about 5, meters. Janet Evans, a middle and distance swimmer, would swim up to 12 miles at some practices. Olympic swimmers are known for their broad and powerful shoulders.

Building up strength in the upper body can help propel a swimmer through the water, which is essential to increasing speed. Michael Phelps uses dumbbells in his training to work his shoulders. Some exercises he performs are the dumbbell press, the dumbbell front raise, and the dumbbell lateral raise. These three exercises work the entire shoulder joint. Many swimmers lift weights to increase strength throughout the whole body.

Dara Torres trains with weights four days a week for about 60 to 90 minutes a session. She works with a trainer using exercise balls and weights to work every muscle. Working on flexibility is an essential part of a swimmer's exercise routine. Flexibility in the shoulder is needed in every stroke.

Dara Torres calls stretching her "secret weapon. Recovery is important as well.