THE ARTICLE
Swimming, along with rugby and football, is one of the most popular sports in Australia. Not only is it a sport, it is also an essential life skill which should be mentioned in the same breath as driving a car.
Today we will take a close look at the strength training and nutrition programmes for swimmers—secrets that make them a cut above other athletes.
Swimming Strength Training Programme
Swimmers normally complete 2-3 strength training sessions weekly. It is an essential component of competitive swim teams. To optimise the benefits of training in the fitness centre, swimmers normally select exercises with mechanical relevance to the swimming action. These exercises take into account movements which propel the swimmer through the water , such as the arm pull and leg kick.
As an example, for the front crawl stroke’s arm pull down motion, a typical swimmer’s strength training programme would consist of cable rotational front and back pulls, rear pulls, medicine ball single arm overhead throw and swiss ball body pulls.
For the front crawl stroke’s leg kick movement, the strength training programme would be comprised of hip extension and flexion kicks. Barbell jump squats are thrown in for the stroke’s dive starts and push-off turn movements.
Olympic swimming coach Bill Furniss also recommends swimmers to incorporate push ups, squats, abdominal crunches and the plank. The number of sets for each exercise is two to three while repetitions range from ten to as many as thirty per exercise.
Swimming Nutrition Programme
The primary role of a nutrition programme for swimmers is to outline the general nutritional requirements to promote an overall healthy body. This programme also supplies the calories and nutrients necessary for adequate energy levels during training and competitions. Good nutrition must be practised before proper training can take place as it will also improve recovery times between trainin sessions.
Swimmers must focus on the all-familiar macronutrients carbohydrates, protein and fats. A variety of food should be consumed for each category. Swimmers consider carbohydrates as their primary energy source. This can be in the form of complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, oatmeal and whole-grains or simple carbohydrates such as fresh fruit.
Good fats come next in the nutritional hierarchy for swimmers with nuts, seeds and olive oil as vital sources. Protein provides the building blocks for muscle development and repair. They should come from lean sources such as chicken, turkey, fish and eggs.
The American Dietetic Association recommends somewhere between 3,000-6,000 calories a day during training. Daily macronutrient content ranges according to body weight. Carbohydrate intake should be 2.3 grams to 3.6 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. Protein content should be 0.55 grams to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight. Lastly, fat content should be around 0.45 grams per pound of body weight.
Conclusion
As you can see, swimming, as in any sport, requires enormous amounts of discipline. If you wish to become a competitive swimmer one day and you want to know what to focus on aside from your swimming skills, look no further than your training and nutrition programmes. By giving it all you have got in these departments, you are sure to make a big splash in the competitive world of swimming.
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