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Swim for Fitness
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know
CIRCUIT TRAINING
Becoming a Better
Athlete
By Scott Rabalais
Do you have any swimming aspirations
for the New Year? Want to improve
your physical conditioning?
Wish to swim with greater strength
and control? Aim to swim faster than
last year?
If the answer is “yes” to any of the
above questions, then change is in
store for you. Change could mean
more yards, more time in the pool, improved
technique or more intense
practices.
Sample Workout
12 SWIM — JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004
Hold everything! Before tacking on
the extra 500 yards at the end of
workout or hiring a personal coach,
consider an idea that can improve your
conditioning and speed without getting
wet.
All swimmers are athletes to one degree
or another. As athletes, it is the
quality of athleticism that determines
in large part how well the challenges
of any activity—whether it be swimming,
volleyball or bowling—are handled.
As swimmers, an improvement in
our athleticism applicable to specificswimming
actions will result in improved
performance in the pool,
whether it’s lap swimming, training or
racing. But just how does one become
Exercise Equipment General Benefit Brief Description
Rope-Jumping Jump Rope General Conditioning Single jumps continuously
a better athlete?
Increasingly popular in swimming
programs across the country is circuit
training, which can be described as a
series of exercises designed to improve
strength, power, conditioning, coordination
and speed. Spending time in a
circuit training program, commonly referred
to as dryland training, enables
swimmers to bring to the pool a higher
level of overall fitness.
The physical attributes derived from
circuit training are often those that can
be developed more effectively on land
than in water, or at least enhanced on
land.
In considering a circuit training program,
there are several factors to con-
Crunches None Core Strength Pull knees up, hands behind head, bring elbows to knees
Squats Balance Discs Lower Body, Balance Stand with one foot on each balance disc, shoulder-width
apart. Slow half-squats with hands extended in front.
Lateral Lifts Light Dumbbells Upper Body Place dumbbells at side, lift laterally to shoulder height
and return to side.
Hyperextensions Gym Ball Core Strength Ball under stomach, feet on floor, hands behind head,
raise and lower the upper body
Lunges Small Medicine Lower Body Extend ball forward, step forward and touch knee to
Ball ground, alternate legs
Push-ups None Upper Body Turn hands in, fingertips facing each other
Streamline Balance Disc Core Strength Place disc underneath stomach, extend body in
Balance balanced, streamline position off ground
Box Steps Box or Step Lower Body Step up and down on box repetitively, rapidly
Fly Pulls Elastic Cords Upper Body With paddle attachment, bend over and simulate underwater
fly pull repetitively
Flutter with Small Medicine Core Strength Lie on back, extend ball over head and flutter kick
Medicine Ball Ball
Squat Thrusts None General Conditioning From standing, hands to ground, extend to push-up
position and return to start position. Option to add vertical jump.
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