Strength

What is the most consistent movement or strength dysfunction that limits performance?

Hamstring injuries: A common performance limiter across sports.

One of the most common movement and strength dysfunctions across all sports is hamstring injuries. From a coaching perspective, we want to look at this from three ways-- mobility, strength, and power. First, does the athlete have the requisite range of motion at their joints and extensibility in their tissues? Second, can they produce force through that range of motion? And then third, can they demonstrate that athletically with explosive power and speed?

Hamstring injuries are common in sports, and from a coaching perspective we need to look at them from three angles: mobility, strength, and power.

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Hamstring injuries are one of the most prevalent movement and strength dysfunctions that can limit performance across various sports. As coaches, we approach this issue by examining three key aspects: mobility, strength, and power.

Firstly, we assess whether the athlete has the necessary range of motion in their joints and flexibility in their tissues. This ensures that they have the ability to move freely and without restrictions.

Secondly, we evaluate the athlete's ability to generate force throughout their range of motion. This involves assessing their strength levels and identifying any weaknesses or imbalances that may hinder their performance.

Lastly, we focus on the athlete's ability to showcase explosive power and speed in their movements. This aspect is crucial for athletic performance and involves translating strength into dynamic and fast movements.

By addressing these three factors - mobility, strength, and power - we can effectively target and mitigate the consistent movement and strength dysfunction of hamstring injuries, ultimately enhancing overall performance.

What is one of the most under utilized lift or exercise in your opinion for swimmers?

The Pull-Up: The Most Underrated Exercise for Swimmers

Dr. Brian Cunningham wants to know, what is the most underutilized lift or exercise in your opinion for swimmers? It's a tough one to narrow down, because swimming is so upper body and pulling dominant. It's an overhead position probably the most specific exercise to that would be the pull up. It's also one of the weakest patterns for people in general, so probably typically underdeveloped people might avoid it. But because it's so specific to swimming developing the last, developing the shoulders in that overhead position, if you're going to pick one exercise to develop strength specifically in the pool there's a lot of science supporting your performance in the pull up translates to performance in the water. Thanks.

Pull ups are probably the most underutilized lift or exercise for swimmers because it is so specific to swimming and helps develop strength in the overhead position.

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In my opinion, one of the most underutilized lifts or exercises for swimmers is the pull-up. Swimming is predominantly an upper body and pulling-dominant sport, and the pull-up mimics the overhead position that is specific to swimming. However, it is also a challenging exercise for many people and often neglected or avoided. Developing strength in the shoulders in that overhead position through pull-ups can have a significant impact on swimming performance. Scientific research supports the notion that performance in pull-ups translates to performance in the water. So, if you're looking to focus on one exercise to enhance your strength specifically for swimming, the pull-up is a highly beneficial choice.

If you only had ten minutes each day to build strength, what would you do and why?

Build strength in just 10 minutes: Key movements for a full-body workout

I suggest athletes lift two to four times per week. So if you only have 10 minutes within those two to four sessions per week, pick three movements that cover your whole body. So in this case, we have a lower-body movement, we have an upper-body pushing movement, and an upper-body pulling movement. Here's a trap bar deadlift, and then we go into a barbell push press, and then you have a pull-up pattern third. I would focus on strength, with a progressive increase in load, and do anywhere from three to six sets of three to six repetitions, and again, progressively increasing the load. I would add a variance in the loads that I do. And the sets and reps as well would be kind of inherent, based on that. But you could mix up and have a high, medium, and low weight day.

Athletes should lift two to four times per week for 10 minutes, focusing on three whole-body movements: trap bar deadlift, barbell push press, and pull-ups. They should do 3-6 sets of 3-6 reps with a progressive increase in load and variance in the loads used.

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If you only have ten minutes each day to build strength, I recommend focusing on three movements that target your entire body. Since athletes typically lift two to four times per week, you can incorporate these movements into those sessions. 

Choose a lower-body movement, such as a trap bar deadlift, to engage your lower body muscles. Then, include an upper-body pushing movement, like a barbell push press, to work your upper body. Lastly, incorporate an upper-body pulling movement, such as a pull-up pattern, to target your back and arms.

In these ten minutes, prioritize strength by gradually increasing the load. Aim for three to six sets of three to six repetitions, progressively adding more weight. It's also beneficial to vary the loads you use and adjust the sets and reps accordingly. You can mix up your routine by having high, medium, and low weight days.

What are the best exercises to improve a swimmers pull power?

Swim your way to a stronger pull with these exercises!

The best exercises to improve a swimmer's pull power are going to start in the water. And there's some evidence showing that swimming-specific power work with resistive-type devices like resistance tubing, parachutes, a power tower, the GX7, are really great ways to develop swim-specific power against resistance and accelerating that resistance. On land, the pull-up is probably the best way to develop pulling power, provided that you can do that fast and explosive and you have a strong enough pull-up to do that. There are some other, more ways to do an explosive pull-up, maybe a jumping pull-up, band assisted pull-up. But you really want to focus on that acceleration and that speed. And then other power exercises, medicine balls, kettlebells, Olympic lifts, where there's a focus on speed and has a pulling element.

Swimmers can improve pull power by doing water-based exercises with resistive devices, pull-ups, explosive pull-ups, jumping pull-ups, band assisted pull-ups, medicine ball throws, kettlebell swings, and Olympic lifts that focus on speed and pulling.

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To improve a swimmer's pull power, the best exercises primarily involve water-based activities. Swimming-specific power work using resistive devices like resistance tubing, parachutes, or a power tower can effectively develop swim-specific power against resistance and enhance acceleration.

On land, the pull-up exercise is highly beneficial for developing pulling power, provided it is performed explosively and with sufficient strength. Other variations of pull-ups, such as jumping pull-ups or band-assisted pull-ups, can also be effective. The key is to focus on acceleration and speed during the exercise.

In addition to pull-ups, incorporating power exercises using medicine balls, kettlebells, or Olympic lifts can further enhance pulling power. These exercises emphasize speed and incorporate a pulling element, contributing to improved swimmer's pull power.

What are the best core strengthening exercises for swimming? 

Unlocking the Power of Your Core for Swimming Success

Brett asked what are the best core strength in the exercises for swimming. I think when a lot of people think of the core, they just think of the anterior, so they think of the abdominals and the muscles that you can see on the front of your body, or the so-called mirror muscles. But the core is really a 360 degree stabilization unit. So we want to look at it from the front, we want to look at it from the sides, and also the back. And first and foremost, we want to make sure that we're mobile. So are all of those parts moving as much as they're supposed to move? And once we have that requisite mobility we want to learn to stabilize. So taking a look at our common stabilization movements, like front planks, side planks, some of our glute strengthening exercises in the posterior side. And once someone can demonstrate that they can hold those positions, so hold streamline, hold these planking positions. We want to learn to channel and transfer energy through our core, between our hips and shoulders, so we can be mobile and powerful with things like our stroke, with things like kicking. And those dynamic exercises should progress in a more ballistic and explosive way. So maybe something like cable chops and coming across the body can progress to medicine ball throwing and things that are more dynamic and explosive. But first and foremost, are those parts moving from a mobility standpoint? Then can you control and stabilize in a static way? And then we want to progress that in a more dynamic, explosive, athletic way. And the pinnacle of all of that is being able to swim a super fast 50 or a pretty fast mile or 10K.

The core muscles should be mobile, and then stabilized with exercises like planks and glute strengthening. Once someone can hold these positions, they should progress to more dynamic and explosive exercises such as cable chops, medicine ball throwing, and other ballistic and explosive movements. This will help build the strength needed to swim faster and farther.

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When it comes to core strengthening exercises for swimming, it's important to focus on the entire core, not just the front muscles. The core is a 360-degree stabilization unit that includes the front, sides, and back. 

First, prioritize mobility. Ensure that all parts of the core are moving as they should. Once mobility is established, shift to stabilization exercises. Common stabilization movements include front planks, side planks, and glute strengthening exercises for the posterior side.

Once you can hold these positions effectively, it's time to learn how to channel and transfer energy through the core. This is crucial for generating power and mobility in swimming strokes and kicks. Dynamic exercises like cable chops and medicine ball throwing can help develop this explosive energy transfer.

Remember, the progression should start with mobility, then move to static stabilization, and finally progress to dynamic and explosive exercises. The ultimate goal is to have a strong core that allows you to swim fast and efficiently, whether it's a quick 50-meter sprint or a longer distance swim.

Any specific weight training for 50m sprinters?

Unlock Speed: The Power of Strength Training for 50m Sprinters

Love this question because there's just so much to be gained in such a short race, where explosive starts, explosive walls, high tempo 18 to 22 seconds is super important. So a lot of lower body strength, a lot of lower body power, jumping mechanics, pulling strength and power, even pushing strength have been shown to increase freestyle speed. So a lot of strength and power with these athletes. Strength during the in season, cycling into power before some key races but really developing explosive jumping power off the start, high tempo, high pull, high velocity, long lever power, and force with stroke rate, and really good wall. So strength, can't emphasize enough, really important for this particular event.

Strength, explosive power off the start, high tempo, pulling strength and power, pushing strength, jumping mechanics, and good wall technique are all important for improving freestyle speed.

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I love this question because there's so much to gain in the short and explosive race of the 50m sprint. To enhance performance in this event, specific weight training focuses on lower body strength, power, jumping mechanics, pulling strength, and pushing strength.

Athletes should prioritize building lower body strength and power, as well as improving jumping mechanics. Additionally, developing explosive power off the start, maintaining a high tempo, and generating strong pulling force are crucial. It's also important to work on wall techniques for efficient turns.

Strength training should be emphasized throughout the season, with a transition to power-focused exercises leading up to key races. The goal is to develop explosive jumping power, high tempo, high pull, high velocity, and long lever power. Strength plays a vital role in optimizing performance in the 50m sprint.

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Dan Daly is committed to helping swimmers -- swim faster, become more proficient in their technique, and go deeper into the inherent athleticism. Dan is a competitive open water and masters swimmer, he's a highly sought after performance coach, presenter, mentor, and content expert for several publications, with over 15 years in the industry. Dan co-created the Equinox signature group swim program EQX H2O, is a 3x Personal Trainer of the Year, 2x Educator of the Year nominee, as well as an awarded top performing coach and educator.

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