Your training goal in regard to endurance versus strength will depend on where you are in the season. The principle of periodization comes into play here. Periodization involves breaking the season into various phases, each with a different training goal. The underlying purpose is to prevent overtraining and maximize performance.
Dryland Training for Young Swimmers
An important consideration in training is the age of the swimmer. Not too long ago, strength, or resistance, training was considered inappropriate and potentially dangerous to the young athlete. Participation in resistance training was thought to increase the risk of injury to the growth plate, which could have negative consequences to the child’s growth. But the safety and effectiveness of resistance training in youth is now well documented and supported by position or policy statements from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Resistance training helps young swimmers develop an enjoyable and positive outlook by increasing their chance of success through improved performance and decreasing their risk of injury. With a focus on fundamental fitness ability, resistance training also prepares them for the demands of in-water practices. Specific benefits may include improvements in muscular power, muscular endurance, total body strength, stability around joints, body composition, and bone mineral density, all of which can improve sport performance.
The research indicates that training-induced strength gains during preadolescence are possible if the training program is of sufficient duration, intensity, and volume. Current recommendations are that to produce strength gains, young athletes should perform two or three sets of 13 to 15 repetitions for each exercise. Training sessions should take place two to three days per week on nonconsecutive days. Note that these gains often result from adaptations in neuromuscular factors such as motor unit activation, recruitment, and coordination rather than increased muscle size (hypertrophy). Younger athletes do not have enough muscle-building hormones to cause muscle hypertrophy, but following puberty, training-induced gains in males and females are associated with increased muscle mass because of hormonal influences. Resistance training will not lead to increases in height, but no data indicate that training will stunt skeletal growth.
Before a young swimmer begins a resistance program, he or she should have sufficient emotional maturity to accept and follow directions. The athlete should also be able to understand the benefits and risks associated with a resistance-training program and specific exercises. When selecting exercises keep in mind that swimmers in a given age range can vary significantly in strength and coordination. Exercises should be selected on an individual basis and modified if necessary. Guidelines are provided throughout the text about exercises that may not be suitable for young swimmers, and examples are offered about how to modify exercises to make them more age appropriate.
When designing resistance-training programs for young athletes, a progressive and stepwise approach in exercise prescription is recommended. This approach stresses proper form and technique, adequate supervision of all training sessions, and a slow, stepwise progression of exercises. Kraemer and Fleck (2005) illustrate the importance of proper exercise selection and considerations for athletes of various ages (table 1.1).
When considering the important role of each muscle in the mechanics of the four swim strokes, you can see that keeping the muscles strong and well conditioned is critical to maintaining proper technique, improving performance, and minimizing risk of injury. Each of the following chapters includes exercises that target various muscles in a manner that contributes directly to swim-specific movements.
Table 1.1 Age-Related Resistance-Training Considerations
CHAPTER 2
ARMS
The arms are extremely important in swimming because they are the link between the primary force-generating muscles of the upper extremity, the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major, and the hands and forearms, which are the anchor points that propel the swimmer through the water. Chapter 1 compared the body to a chain that starts at the hands and extends all the way down to the feet. The main point was that, as a swimmer moves through the water, movements and forces are transmitted along the chain and that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Of course, the arm muscles also aid in generating the forces that propel you through the water. Those reasons should help you understand the importance of targeting the arm muscles with a dryland program.
The elbow divides the arm into an upper and lower component. The elbow is a hinge joint restricted to two movements, extension and flexion. Elbow extension occurs when you straighten your arm, moving the forearm away from the upper arm. Elbow flexion is the opposite, involving bending the forearm toward the upper arm. The structural framework of the upper arm is the humerus. The lower arm, typically called the forearm (figure 2.1, a-b), is supported by the radius and ulna. These three bones are the major attachment sites and levers upon which the muscles of the arm and forearm originate and act on. The two primary muscle groups in the arms that are the target of the strengthening exercises in this chapter are the elbow extensors and elbow flexors. Both contribute to the maintenance of proper arm position and propulsion during each of the four competitive strokes.
Figure 2.1 Forearm: (a)front and (b)back.
The primary elbow extensor is the triceps brachii (figure 2.2). Tricepsrefers to its three heads of proximal attachment, and brachii refers to its origination in the arm. The medial and lateral heads arise from attachment sites on the humerus, and the long head crosses the shoulder joint and arises from the scapula (shoulder blade). The three heads unite to form the tendon that crosses behind the elbow joint and inserts onto the olecranon process of the ulna. The olecranon process forms the tip of the elbow when it is bent to 90 degrees. A much smaller triangular muscle called the anconeus assists the triceps in extending the elbow joint and is important as an elbow stabilizer. The anconeus is intimate with the lateral head of the triceps brachii; sometimes the fibers of the two muscles blend into one another.