Five exercises to build swim strength and endurance
By Brad Culp
Nov. 13, 2007 -- Sure, triathlon is three sports all rolled into one, so it may seem a little ridiculous to spend a few months ignoring two of the three sports, but if you really want to improve at one discipline, it’s something you have to do.
Earlier this week, I spoke to the overall amateur champion at Clearwater, Janda Ricci-Munn, about what makes him so damn fast (he went 3:58 in Clearwater). He told me that he spent a few years just focusing on his run and now the guy runs like the wind. This winter, he plans on doing the same for his swim, which has been his Achilles heel in the past. If you’re like Ricci-Munn and your swim is the one sport that’s keeping you from triathlon greatness (or mediocrity), try some of these swim-strength building exercises over the next two months and you’ll be swimming like Andy Potts next season…or at least you won’t be last out of the water.
Standing Lat Pulldowns – This is one of the best ways to target the muscles of your upper back, which are the primary power producers in swimming. Stand over the seat of a lat pulldown machine and grab the overhead bar with your hands just wider than shoulder width. Stand an arms length away from the machine and pull the bar straight down toward your thigh. Try to keep you arms as straight as possible during the pull and slowly recover the bar back to the original position. This movement is a pure power developer, so don’t skimp on the weight. Use enough resistance to do 3 sets of 8 reps.
Kneeling Cable Pulldowns – This is a similar exercise to the one above, but it targets each side individually. Facing a cable crossover machine, kneel down and reach up to grab a handle. Pull the handle down with your arms almost completely straight (a small elbow bend is okay) and pull the handle directly down, keeping the handle as close to your body as possible (mimicking a freestyle pull). Over-loading the weight can strain your shoulder, so use just enough to do 3 sets of 12-15 reps.
Rotator Cuff Cable Pulls – Move the cable pulley up the stack so that it’s even with your hip. Lock your elbow into you side and stand with your shoulder facing the pulley (turn 90 degrees from the last exercise). Grab the handle and pull it toward your opposite hip, using a slow and controlled motion. Next, turn 180 degrees and pull the handle in the opposite direction (like you’re swatting a fly with your backhand). Keeping your elbow locked into your side is critical, otherwise your shoulder will be out of line. Keep the weight very low to avoid inflaming the rotator cuff. This exercise targets the muscle group which becomes fatigued in the later stages of a swim and should be treated as an endurance builder. Do 2 sets of 20 reps in each direction with both arms.
Short-range One-arm Tricep Extenstions – Stand in the same position as with the Rotator Cuff Cable Pulls, with the pulley in the same place. Grab the handle the same way, only this time pull the handle straight down the side of your leg, extending your tricep. This is another excellent endurance builder, as the triceps (along with the shoulder) are the first muscles to become fatigued while swimming. Do 2 sets of 20 reps with each arm.
Overhead Medicine Ball Toss – This is probably the most fun of all the exercises. Stand about 8 feet from your training partner and hold a 10-pound medicine ball behind your head (with arms completely bent). Throw the ball in as straight of line as possible, aiming for a spot about 6 inches above their head (unless you don’t like your training partner, and then you can aim lower). Don’t swing your arms when you throw. Instead, throw the ball by using a powerful extension of your triceps. If the ball is arching in the air, that means your swinging too much. Do five sets of one minute, with 45 seconds of rest in between. This is another great endurance builder for the triceps.
Triathlete's Associate/Interactive Editor Brad Culp has been a competitive swimmer for 17 years. He has an Olympic Distance swim PR of 17:50, which is way faster than his 5K run.