Hey! I received my first comment! Very exciting! Please comment and ask questions. I would love to hear from you. The question was, what am I going to do to improve my upper body strength? Let me preface this by saying that I believe the best way to build strength for swimming is to swim. Likewise, the best way to build strength for running is to run and the best way to build strength for biking is to bike. Seems like a lot of people look for some sort of short-cut to improvement, but the bottom line is there isn't one.
Now, let's specifically talk about swimming. First, you need to gradually build your base, which will also start to gradually strengthen your muscles. We don't want to do this too quickly, as we need to be cautious of shoulder injuries. As every person is different, the amount and exact method of base building would vary from person to person. As you increase your yardage, I would recommend to start adding some pulling sets in gradually (no paddles at this point, too hard on the shoulders). After you have a significant level of strength built from basic base training, I like to add pull sets with paddles. Magically after several months, your strength will improve!
Let's talk about one upper body exercise that I do like and would recommend that everyone include in their program. That is none other than push-ups! Why push-ups? Because they require no equipment, very little time, and there are no excuses not to do them. Also, you get a lot of bang for the buck. Most people think of the push-up as an exercise for the chest, but the push-up actually works much more . . . the core, the triceps, the shoulders, the back.
Bottom line, as most of us are short on time, I generally do not advocate a lot of "weight" training for most people (again depends on each individual athlete though). Swimming, biking, running, and a few other basic strength exercises, like push-ups, will go along way to helping you build the strength you need to enjoy the sport of triathlon!
Today's training - took a rest day. Worked on the custom coaching website. Hope to have something online soon!
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Good luck on the website!
ReplyDeleteHey Carrie! I have been reading and really enjoying your blog commentary. I actually have a question about swimming, as it's definitely not one of my strong points. I see a lot of lap swimmers using one of those TYR floaters held by your thighs and I was wondering if that is useful or a bad idea. I am not swimming for race preparation, just general fitness.
ReplyDeleteHey there, it's cool to find other fit mommies! You mention the best way to build strength for running is to run (and swimming and biking etc). What do you suggest for those of us who are injury prone? I just ran my first marathon this year, and I had to do a lot of cross-training to prevent injuries. I'm never quite sure how much cross-training is too much and what cross-training is best.
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