What is Training?

[Andrew]

Training is a process by which a swimmer will systematically stimulate his or her physical development and enable the swimmer to improve in performance. To put simply, training is the systematic process of overloading a swimmer's physical abilities in order to achieve a higher level of threshold.

The "Three Ps" emphasized in training are:

1. Performance
2. Production
3. Promotion

A training programme shoud be well-designed and effective in order to systematically but safely overload the swimmer's physical abilities. It must include sets, activities or exercises that are sufficiciently demanding to produce physical changes.


What you train is what you get
To achieve maximum effectiveness in training, the training program must be specific. The results of a training program will depend on the coach's systematic and scientific planning.

The gains of an effective training program are however, REVERSIBLE if: 1) the work-outs stop, 2) the work-outs are infrequent, or 3) the work-outs are too easy and are no longer physically demanding.


The four aspects of training
There are four aspects of swimming training: Flexibility Training, Core Body Training, Strength Training, and Water Training. All of which must be incorporated into the total swimming program to enable the swimming student to compete well.

Flexibility Training
Flexibility Training is the stretching and warming up of muscles and ligaments before strength training, the water practice warm-up, the meet warm-up, or the swimming race.

Flexibility training is one of the most overlooked areas in swimming. It is a discipline that is so simple, does not take much effort, but is often not seen as an important aspect of training.

Building strength without working on flexibility will give us strong bodies that will not be able to flow smoothly though the water. We start loosing our flexibility at age 5.


Core Body Training
A strong core muscle system is essential for a successful swimmer. To achieve this, Core Body Training shoud be incorporated into a swimmer's training program.

Core Body Training is the conditioning of the main body muscles (mostly abdominal) though physical activities such as sit-ups, push-ups, and other exercises which involve core centric exercises.


Strength Training
Swimming laps in a pool, no mater how creative, will not give a swimmer the strength he or she needs to compete successfully. Strength Training is needed as a subset of a total swimming program. The easiest, safest, and least expensive way to accomplish Strength Training is with resistance tubing.

Resistance tubing is done by pulling on the tubing with both hands, just like the swimmer would do if they were stroking in the water. The larger the diameter of the tubing, the greater the resistance. A simultaneous pull is often used, like the butterfly stroke. The swimmer can kneel, lie on their back, or stand, depending on where the tubing is draped.


Water Training
Water Training is the actual training the swimmer obtains from the pool. Water Training may include kicking exercises, pulling exercises, stroke drills, endurance swims and sprints.