IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS, IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE

BY KATIE ARNOLD//NATIONAL TEAM COACH FELLOW

Anyone who has never used or heard the excuse, “I’m a swimmer, so I’m awkward on land,” has never been part of competitive swimming. This idea that swimmers are only athletic in the water has been around for as long as I can remember.

For a long time, swimmers and coaches perpetuated this stereotype by avoiding a lot of dryland activities that were viewed as “too risky.” However, in recent years, many of these same coaches and athletes have started to incorporate more dryland aimed at improving overall fitness and athleticism.

The best athletes (and coaches) understand that a high level of fitness is the foundation upon which optimal performance is built.

As part of the High Performance staff, I am often asked about dryland programs for our National Team athletes. What are they doing? What should they be doing? What should they avoid?

Because every athlete is different, there are a large number of options to consider when designing a training plan.

Programs like CrossFit, Insanity and P90X are great for improving overall fitness and increasing speed, power and agility. With some combination of cardio, weights, plyometrics and stretching, elements from any of these programs can be used as part of a swimmer’s training routine. These programs are also easily adapted to meet the unique needs of individual athletes.

One thing to keep in mind when implementing any of the above programs is to limit the amount of overhead stress placed on an athlete. Because swimming focuses so heavily on repetitive overhead movements, it is important to monitor this stress level to avoid overuse injuries.