Anyone try swimming after a long layoff...

[JL]

...with just strength and conditioning prior to getting in the water? I just did tonight, and it felt like my rotators cuffs were stressed the most. I'm stronger than the last time I got in the water, but I wasn't half as efficient as I used to be. With that, I really believe swimming is so unique (the crawl motion), that transfer from other sources of strength might be minimal to actual race times. Granted, my feel was not what it was, and some aspects of my flexibility were less. My kick isn't even 1/3 as fast as it was 8 years ago. Not downing gymnastics or calisthenics, just noting some experiences. I hope to stick with swimming, and strength training. Well, see where this goes. I very well could just not know how to use my strength properly. Hopefully, that is the case.

Makes me wonder how much improvement in race related results some of the people Ts00nami aided are getting from calisthenics.

[John Sapinoso]

Their coach was fairly advanced at swimming strength and conditioning and asked that I do this exercise with them daily:

Grab a bar set around eye level. Explosively leap while pulling with arms up to a support and repeat as fast a possible. I don't remember the exact time parameters (which are vital), since this was several years ago, but I believe it was 30 seconds work 15 seconds rest for 3 minutes, 5 minutes rest, repeat twice. (I experimented with a few variations of this exercise with them: hop at top, lunge, one arm, one leg, one arm one leg, I also showed them their coach a rhythmic arch hold to fast muscle up and a variation with the bar taller than fingertips and he liked the ideas but they were not as beastly as me to do such exercises)

Other exercises I had them doing in circuits: included rope climb, front lever rocks, leg raises, windshield wipers, GHR, circular back raises. I also had them play with handstands and some ring exercises (muscle ups, dips, flys) , but swimmers have notoriously weak joints and I had limited time to work with them so I now question the value of this type of work in that particular circumstance.

In retrospect, I would have added joint stability and mobility routines with bungees like Ido's