Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Blog”
Ischemic preconditioning for swimmers has shown the potential to improve sprint swimming performance. But many questions remain unanswered. Are these techniques safe? How much will they improve sprint swimming? When and how should they be used? We had the pleasure of learning the answers to these questions and so much more from a leading researcher in this area, Felipe Lisbôa. …
Before we get a bunch of angry coaches, remember this is only a segment of swimmers. Also, it doesn’t remove the coach, parent, or other’s involved in the swimmer’s life as a reason the “lazy swimmer” is this way. Enjoy 🙂 The lazy swimmer: They rarely come to the pool to train and, when they do, they hardly make any …
Ankle mobility and flexibility is one of the holy grails of swimming body contortions. For some, it comes easy, while for others, it is more work. Fortunately, we’re here to offer a systematic approach as most tend to address it in a scattershot manner. To start, we’ll steal from other disciplines such as dance, whose culture is seen to be …
Background On Eccentric Training Shoulder injuries are the most common site of injury in swimming. Specifically, shoulder impingement is the most common injury, commonly called swimmer’s shoulder. Eccentric exercises have recently been found beneficial in tendon injuries, especially in the hip and ankle. Tendon degeneration occurs in subacromial impingement and heavy eccentric loading is believed to increase collagen production. Research …
Take Home Message: 1. The aim was to perform the analysis of the final time improvement at different swimming turns push-off intensities and glide depths of a former world-ranked swimmer 2. The velocity would be 1.50, 2.18 and 3.02m/s performing the push-off 0.75m deep at 1.1, 1.5 and 2BW, respectively 3. For this swimmer, the optimal depth would be between …
Background Could it be possible that an aerobic based warm-up might be just as beneficial as an anaerobic based warm-up for sprint performance? While there is little evidence to support the inclusion of high-intensity, race-pace, warm-up before a 100-m swim, most coaches and swimmers feel that it is necessary. Aerobic and anaerobic systems each contribute approximately 50% to the overall …
Background On Knee Injuries In Swimmers Knee pain is the second most common site of injury in swimmers. Breaststroke swimmers have the highest injury rate in the knee with patellofemoral (PFP) syndrome as the most common injury. Patellofemoral syndrome is characterized by a muscular imbalance in the hip and knees, leading to increased pain around the knee cap, specifically during …
Background Kettlebell Training Kettlebells are an emerging fitness product, being used in gyms around the country and world. Despite the common use, minimal research has been done on these products, especially in comparison to other fitness devices. The kettlebell (KB) swing is believed to improve the hip hinge by stressing the gluteals and hamstrings muscles. This study looked to establish …
The swim streamline is a simple, yet often overlooked part of swimming at all levels. With the youngest swimmers, a good streamline is a foundation for teaching more advanced skills in body position and proprioception in the water. As the swimmer advances, the streamline becomes a critical fundamental factor competitively. Many swimmers and coaches skip the first and most important …
Take home points The urge to breathe when subsurface is often driven by hypercapnia (buildup of CO2) along with hypoxia (insufficient O2) Breath control strategies are not equivalent Any benefits should be weighed against safety and potential decrease in swimming velocity. Breath control sets are a longtime staple in many swimming programs, with many swimmers fostering a love-hate (or just …