swimming
Ruthless Performer Q&A – Elite Sports Nutrition with Jesse Rodriguez R.D.
Today’s Q&A guest is our own sports nutritionist Jesse Rodriguez. Jesse has his own prolific history as a national-level swimmer for El Salvador and here in the United States competing in college and post-graduate for the University of Southern California. This all makes Jesse a world-class resource as not many people have competed at this level at any sport. With this background, plus his vast time spent in academia studying nutrition, interning with top sports teams, and the clinical work necessary for his Registered Dietitian status, we’re glad to have him on-board.
1. There are lots of people working with nutrition in some capacity, what sets you apart?
Firstly, I’m a licensed registered dietitian which means I went though extensive schooling and professional training. Secondly, I was an athlete for the majority of my life and I began studying/applying nutrition since I was 16. Lastly, I continue to read and study a lot! Mostly on clinical, biochemistry and sports nutrition research articles. Overall, I’ve been in this game for a long time and still aiming to be well-rounded in all elements of nutrition. (Editor’s Note: You read more about the difference between a Nutritionist and a Registered Dietitian here)
2. Given your personal and prolific history as a swimmer, you’re uniquely qualified to critique high-level sports nutrition, particularly in swimming. What are athletes doing right with their diet? What are they doing wrong?
Nutrition in sports has gained more popularity over the years and many athletes found the benefits of fueling appropriately. I’ve noticed that more athletes know about nutrient timing, and the importance of including carbs as fuel and protein for recovery. I think that many athletes know how to fuel around training times but during other times (i.e. dinner at home or restaurant), they tend to lack in nutritional knowledge. A lot of athletes still eat junk food throughout the day, maybe because they feel they can get away with it or something, but that’s our job as sports dietitians to correct. Additionally, building the appropriate plate according to their goals (i.e. body composition, better recovery) seems to be a problem along with maintaining hydration. Here’s an article I’ve written on RuthlessPerformance.com on this is.
3. Supplement must-do’s… What supplements (if any) are generally worth taking? What supplements are a scam?
Supplements for athletes typically aren’t necessary since athletes are eating more than the general population but it all depends on the athlete. Supplements would be necessary if an athlete is deficient in a nutrient like Iron or Vitamin D. Athletes following special diets like the vegan diet may need to supplement as well. As far as supplements for performance, the most studied and useful would be: Caffeine, Creatine, Beta-Alanine, Nitrates, and Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda). It’s hard to say which supplements are a scam because they’re so many in the market and it can vary due to individual responses to them. With that being said, it’s important to make sure if you’re going to take supplements, that they’re 3rd party certified by organizations like the NSF.
4. You’ve gone pretty far in your journey through academia… With the emphasis of studies, objectivity, and research in academia there is still surprisingly lots of room for subjectivity and interpretations of results and outcomes. What are your thoughts on this? What can be done to fix or improve nutrition science?
Correct, I think there is always room for development in the field so it’s my job to follow along and stay up to date with the latest research. This for me is actually fun because I enjoy reading research papers and learning to new things. The science of nutrition can be very complex and as of now, I don’t have any solutions. I think that the correct messages (evidence-based results) need to be sent out to the general public so myths can be debunked. It’s more about nutrition education than anything at the moment.
5. From a more general standpoint, the headlines regarding nutrition are changing on a damn near daily basis. What elements of sports nutrition do you think are firmly established? What rules of nutrition have outlasted the scandalous and salacious headlines?
Hydration, nutrient timing, and recovery nutrition seems to be the foundation. There will always be a new thing that comes out, but those three are firmly established. Individualized nutrition is fundamental in sports nutrition and I think that will outlast any headline or diet (i.e keto diet, intermittent fasting, etc). I also think that sticking to the basics, such as nutrition from food rather than living off smoothies and supplements for example, will always have the edge. Of course, going back to supplements, this will depend on the individual’s status.
6. Where does sports nutrition go from here? What do you think we’ll be seeing in the coming years regarding nutrition? Gut health seems to be a hot topic as of late, what are your opinions on this? What should nutrition scientists place more emphasis on?
The basics of sports nutrition will remain the same and to be honest, I don’t see anything revolutionary coming soon. However, they’re new things coming along such as nutrigenomics and the importance of gut health, antioxidants, and periodizing nutrition which looks promising. Gut health has been popular lately and for good reason. Because of the gut and brain connection, I feel it’s important to treat your gut right just like most want to treat their blood sugar levels right. I think emphasis should be placed on education and sending the correct messages to athletes and the public. Researchers are doing a great job in nutritional science but there hasn’t been anything lately that can change the whole world of nutrition and its effect on humanity. If we can do this, that will be the next revolutionary thing.
**Editor’s Note: Jesse will also be featured on ‘Healthy Habits with Dr. T’ on Wednesday, Oct. 17th at 7:00 PM EST, we’ll post all of the details for event pre-registration and where to view it on our Twitter and Instagram.**
Want to learn more about Jesse or our various nutritional programs and consultations? Fill out the form below to get started!
Internal Program Review: High School Swimmer Pre-Season Strength Training – Day 2
With the vast expanse that is the winter swim season raipidly approaching, I wanted to take the time to yet again detail one of our swimming programs. In this particular case, we’re going to explain the Ruthless Performance methods that made this program so effective.
To provide context for this case study, we will be talking about a male swimmer, approaching the end of his high school career, who specailizes in short to mid-distance freestyle and butterfly…
We’ll be looking at ‘Day 2’ of his 3-day program, and what we’re doing to get him in-shape for the upcoming swim season.

1. Emphasising Both Activation & Mobility as Needed
Like most other programs we run our athletes through, this workout begins with a comprehenisve warm-up. Athletes are compartmentalized into a warm-up by age, ability, past injuries and training history. From there, we specialize and individualize the workout starting at our ‘A’ Exercises which are very rarely similar from one athlete to the next.
Landmine-based exercises have recently become a frequent addition to our programs because of the unusual loading parameters we see with this exercise variation. As opposed to a traditional barbell exercise, landmine exercises get lighter as the angle of the bar approaches 90 degrees; this has a wide array of benefits, but here we are using this to maximally loading the shoulder at the bottom of the press, while ensuring a greater ROM (range of motion) as we near the top of the exercise. Beyond just encouraging more ROM, this also assists in activation of the Serratus Anterior — a troublesome area for many athletes, which in the case of swimmers can be career ending.
In addition to creating muscle activation in the shoulder, we’re trying to use this ‘A’ circuit to enhance hip mobility. In our A1, the Half-Kneeling Overhead Landmine Press assists in creating hip mobility via Rectus Femoris Stretch caused by the Half-Kneeling position. Though this is a secondary component to the A1, hip mobility is the primary element of the A2 –the weighted cossack squat…
Because this swimmer is primarily a freestyler and butterflier, the hip is exposed to a relatively small ROM. By expanding this capacity in a structured and controlled training environment, we can help minimize injury (while maximizing power output) via enhanced ability of the hips to absorb and generate force outside of the saggital plane.
2. Creating a Neutral Spine Where and When Possible
In a previous article, I explained the differences between flexion and extension intolerant back pain, this particular athlete sits closer to the extension-intolerent end of the spectrum. To mitigate this, we’ve added Band Pull Aparts and 180 Degree Back Extensions as part of his ‘B’ exercise circuit.
Band Pull Aparts are one of the most common exercises within any of the Ruthless Performance programs, regardless of sport; but in the case of swimming, these provide countless benefits. Beyond the primary benefits to swimmers, like scapular control and improved stroke efficiency, we’ve added this as a means of minimizing kyphosis. Like many high school athletes who sit behind a desk for 6+ hours / day, this athlete demonstrates an internally rotated and kyphotic posture. The solution to these problems almost universally starts with a very high volume of band pull aparts.
Though the ‘B2’ is listed as 180 Back Extension, it is talked about and referred to internally as a 180 Hip Extension. Though this may seem semantic it is not. I won’t go into detail here again, though you can find more in our first installment of our Internal Program Review, where we go over this difference in detail.
The video below from our instagram also explains this to some extent with yet another one of our swimmers performing this exercise.
3. Enhance Cardiovascular Capacity, But do so Efficiently
The primary purpose of the off-season program should be to build up strength and other various capacities that are often neglected during the regular swim season. Going into the season, however, should at least provide some basic framework for sport-specific work capacity.
Another one of my frequent rants is that about the purpose and function of the rotator cuff… 4 anatomically independent muscles grouped together because of their function (physiology) with regards to the shoulder, which is simply to maintain the position of the humerus. With this in mind, any time we spend engaging and maintaining a stable shoulder, we are inherently training the rotator cuff. Here, we’re doing so concurrently with a few other goals in mind, enhancing cardiovascular capacity (as mentioned), but also encouraging overhead ROM with the slam ball, generating force outside of the saggital plane, and developing abdonimal activation/ trunk stability during both the C1 and C2 exercises.
Though these aren’t traditionally exercises performed for energy system training, we can manipulate the variables to ellicit this desired response. Rather than simply adding in more sets or extending the length of time to complete the exercises, we’ve focused in on the density component, which is simply the ability to do more work in the same period of time. A 5-minute time cap ensures that from weeks 1-4, the athlete is developing his work capacity, in a manner condusive to short to mid distance swimming events. As opposed to conventional wisdom, maintaining a high level of force output and muscular endurance over this relatively short period of time is all that we need for this particular workout going into more sport-specific pre-season swim training.
A Comparison Of Several Sports Drinks
Electrolytes consist of sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate. Workouts lasting less than 1 hour typically only need to re-hydrate with water but for workouts >1 hour, require liquids with a combination of carbohydrates and electrolytes. Electrolytes are needed because they are, along with water, are lost through sweat which is the bodies primary way of preventing excessive rises in body temperature aka hyperthermia, especially in the heat. Performance is impaired when approximately 2% of body weight is dehydrated.
Many electrolyte products are out there in market. There is no absolute best one, but some may be better than others. This may also depend on the individual and their response to them. Scratch labs sells hydration mixes to be made into a sports drink. Then there are the traditional sports drinks such as Gatorade and PowerAde. What makes these drinks different? Let’s take a look…
Drink |
Calories | Carbs (g) | Sodium (mg) | Potassium (mg) | Other |
Scratch labs
Hydration Mix 1 scoop |
80 | 21 | 380 |
39 |
Calcium & magnesium |
Gatorade
1 bottle (591mL) |
150 | 38 | 250 | 65 | Citric acid & gum |
PowerAde
1 bottle (360mL) |
80 | 21 | 150 | 35 | High fructose corn syrup, & B-vitamins |
The Right Stuff
1 pouch |
0 | 0 | 1780 | 0 |
Chloride & Citrate |
PowerAde and Gatorade contain a lot of added sugars with artificial colors as well. The problem is that too much added carbs decreases the amount of water that can be absorbed (Jeukendrup & Gleeson, 2004). Only small amounts of glucose and sodium are needed so that water absorption rate increases. The right stuff is primarily electrolyte containing with no energy (calories) and carbs however, it can be mixed with a carb containing drink thus increasing carbs and/or electrolytes which may slow absorption of water. Scratch labs hydration mix is similar to PowerAde as far as electrolyte content. Scratch labs hydration mix can also be mixed with a carb liquid but the mix alone may just be sufficient. Overall, Scratch labs seems like it has a good mix to be used during and after exercise lasting more than 1 hour.
Jeukendrup, Asker & Gleeson, Michael. Sports Nutrition. An Introduction to Energy Production and Performance. 2004.
Gropper, Sareen S., Smith, L. Jack., & Carr, Timothy P. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. Seventh edition. 2016.
By Jesse Rodriguez, RD, CSCS
Featured Fitness Content: Volume 48
View the last edition of ‘Featured Fitness Content’ here.
Personal Training, Coaching, and Strength & Conditioning
Does Shaving Improve Swimming Performance? By Allan Phillips via Swimming Science
Weight Loss, Nutrition, and General Health
The 12 Most Effective Ways to Spark the Recovery Process By John Rusin
Are Nightshade Vegetables Bad for You? An Evidence-Based Look By Kimberly Yawitz via Diet vs. Disease
How Much Fish Oil Is Too Much? Via Strength Sensei
Carrageenan: Friend or Foe? By Nicole Spear via Strength Sensei
Strength Training, Powerlifting, and Bodybuilding
Breaking Down the Depth Jump By Nancy Newell
7 Exercises Lost to the ’80s By Skip Hill via EliteFTS
Everything Lateral Lunges By Erica Suter
Motivation, Business, and Success
A Quick and Dirty System for Goal Setting: A Done-For-You 60 Minute Workshop To Live An Intentional Life By Michael Keeler via Business for Unicorns
Physical Therapy, Alignment, and Injury Prevention
Posture By Vern Gambetta via HMMR Media
Research
Hyperoxia Improves Swimming Performance By G John Mullen via Swimming Science
Ruthless Performance Coaches’ Content
Ruthless Performance Guide to Mineral Supplementation By Jesse Rodriguez via Ruthless Performance
Internal Program Review: Collegiate Swimmer Off-Season Strength & Conditioning Program – Day 1 By John Matulevich via Ruthless Performance
Internal Program Review: Collegiate Swimmer Off-Season Strength & Conditioning Program – Day 1
The strength and conditioning community is far too fractioned; proprietary training programs and secrecy hide the inner workings of many sports performance coaching theories and facilities. At Ruthless Performance, we find this idea entirely backwards—this mentality is a sign of some fragile egos and insecurity within the industry. To do our part in mitigating this, we’re going to start a new on-going series where we’ll deconstruct some aspect of a selected program from one of our Ruthless Performers. Hopefully this will help coaches and athletes get a better idea of programming and the science of sports performance, regardless of their affiliation with Ruthless Performance.
Our inaugural installment of our Internal Program Review begins with a look at Day 1 of a male, college swimmer’s dryland training program. First, we’ll provide some context…
This swimmer is in between the freshman and sophomore season of his collegiate swimming career. Currently, we’re training him 5x per week. Most workouts have their own day of the week, but occasionally he’ll do doubles if schedule conflicts are present.
As you can see in the figure, his programming is currently changing every 4 weeks and his workout week can most easily be broken down as follows, note that each day is not specifically ‘upper’ or ‘lower’ but rather these ideas denote the dominant exercises for that particular day:
Day 1 – Lower Body
Day 2 – Upper Body
Day 3 – Conditioning
Day 4 – Upper Body
Day 5 – Lower Body
For our Internal Program Review, we’ll examine day 1…
1. Box Squat
More than 80% of athletes that we see on a regular basis have some box squat variant somewhere in their training macrocycle, usually this is on a recurring basis as well. The box squat provides a variety of benefits, going into detail here would be too great for the scope of this article. If you’re interested in learning more about how to box squat as well as their benefits, I would recommend performing a quick search for Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell and the Box Squat.
In this case, we’re slowly reintegrating the squat into his program after having some time off following his long swim season. Here, we’ve added the box squat as a means to help assist in developing leg strength, posterior weight shift (integral to developing a proficient and technically sound squat) and building muscle to subsequently assist in force production coming off of the blocks and during turns.
2. Hanging Straight Leg Raises
A crucial component to any strength and conditioning program developed by Ruthless Performance is a substantial element of force transfer in various planes. In our A2, which is paired with the A1 (Box Squats), we’re emphasizing this force transfer, and we’re doing so specifically in the Sagittal Plane.
With the Hanging Straight Leg Raises (HSLR), we’re also building the anterior chain, specifically the abdominals. Though swimmers are no stranger to ‘core’ exercises, they can be unfamiliar with lower-repetition strength-dominant work in the abdominals like this. Whether its poolside after practice or at-home at the behest of their coaches, swimmers frequently train with high repetition crunches, sit-ups, or poorly performed planks.
Exercises like the HSLR are rarely given at Ruthless as these can place too much emphasis on the Rectus Femoris which already receives ample stimulation during regular swim practice. But unlike with Bent Leg Raises, the straight leg variation provides more stimuli to the abdominals, which can partially explain why it is much harder than bent leg variations (also worth searching, but beyond the scope of our review: passive insufficiency).
Something also worth noting with the HSLR is how we manipulate this to maximize efficacy. With most weighted exercises, this is done via an increase in resistance. With a bodyweight exercise like this, we are slightly more confined in our ability to progress this over a 4-week period. Therefore we’re slowly adding more repetitions to each set throughout the program.
3. 180 Hip Extension
If you’ve never trained with us, you’ve likely gotten familiar with this exercise being referred to as a ‘back extension’. This is partially a misnomer, specifically at Ruthless Performance as we actively coach a rounded upper back on this exercise to maximize glute input, while minimizing lower back activation.
The erector muscles already receive a great deal of stimulation any time the back/hips are being used as a fulcrum (which is close to any time you are doing a non-isolation/machine exercise). Additionally, the capillary network of the low back is rather poor, causing a slow recovery time. Doing low-back work in addition to all of this could be a decrement to performance rather than performance enhancing.
This can be progressed with weights or bands as needed, but a large emphasis should initially be placed on glute activation during this exercise rather than on a large range of motion (ROM). We typically encourage an external femoral rotation when possible, which further activates the glutes on this. When the glutes can’t contract any more on the hip extension, there is no reason to add more ROM.
4. Calf Raises
One of the benefits of working with an athlete with such frequency is that we can get into some details holding them back that would otherwise be unachievable on a 2x or 3x /wk program. With this athlete, poor calf hypertrophy is likely a weak link holding back lower body development. From a physics standpoint, mass can’t be added without a broad base of support. Consider the tyrannosaurus rex, with its massive legs serving as a point of contact and base of support, or in engineering the structure and shape of the world’s largest buildings.
Specifically, to build mass in the calves without taking too much time away from more pertinent programming, we focus on density. Through the course of the program, we’re trying to have this athlete perform more reps with the fewest amount of sets possible. It is very rare to manipulate the volume so drastically from weeks 1 to weeks 4, but this is precisely what is needed in this situation.
5. High Handle Sled Push
We rarely have our swimmers perform energy system training, but in this case, the athlete is out of season and will need to preserve some basic level of cardiovascular conditioning for when he returns to college in the fall. You can learn more about our theories and thoughts on energy system training for swimmers in our article aptly titled “Why Ruthless Performance Doesn’t Emphasize Energy System Training for Our Swimmers”.
The sled provides an opportunity to help generate greater ROM between the legs, build concentric strength, increase hip and ankle mobility, and is just a generally versatile conditioning tool. You’ll also notice that the distance is relatively short. He’s been performing these bouts between 6-10 seconds. This by no means will provide an amount of conditioning conducive to in-pool training and performance, but will help maintain and improve ATP usage at the end of a long workout, which transfers nicely into a strong finish in a mid-distance/distance event.
Have any questions about what you see or would you like further clarification? Send us your questions at info@RuthlessPerformance.com. Your question may even turn into inspiration for a blog or social media post.
Featured Fitness Content: Volume 47
View the last edition of ‘Featured Fitness Content’ here.
Personal Training, Coaching, and Strength & Conditioning
Use Olympic Weightlifting To Transform Strength Into Speed By Antonio Squillante via Breaking Muscle
Softball: 3 Things You Didn’t Know That Will Upgrade Your Warm-Ups By Nancy Newell
Weight Loss, Nutrition, and General Health
10 Proven Benefits of Green Tea By Kris Gunnars via H
Brian St. Pierre on the Fundamentals of High-Performance Nutrition With Brian St. Pierre via Mike Robertson
Reversing the Low-Testosterone Lifestyle with Training & Nutrition By Mike Gorski via John Rusin
Strength Training, Powerlifting, and Bodybuilding
Bench Press Mobility By Zach Long
How To Weight The Foot During Deadlifts By Harold Gibbons
Motivation, Business, and Success
How to Define Your Company’s Values and Make Them Stick By Michael Keeler
5 Reasons Why You Should Man Up and Start Taking Cold Showers By Ollie Coombes via Addicted 2 Success
Physical Therapy, Alignment, and Injury Prevention
Swimming Recovery: Why Aren’t You Foam Rolling? By G John Mullen via Swimming Science
Research
Histamine Intolerance: Everything You Need To Know Explained in Plain English By Joe Leech
Ruthless Performance Coaches’ Content
Adaptogens and Mushroom Supplementation for Wellness and Immune System Function By Jesse Rodriguez
Recipe: Mushroom Risotto By Jesse Rodriguez
Featured Fitness Content: Volume 42
View the last edition of ‘Featured Fitness Content’ here.
Personal Training, Coaching, and Strength & Conditioning
What is DOMS and How Do You Deal With It? via COR
Beyond Mastery: Kettlebell Flow Workout By Karen Smith via Girls Gone Strong
Restore Your Breathing and Improve Your Conditioning via Diesel Strength
Coaching art & science By Vern Gambetta via HMMR Media
Weight Loss, Nutrition, and General Health
Could you be developing an autoimmune disease? By Buddy Touchinsky
The Hidden, Unspoken Dangers About Oral Contraceptives By Justin Janoska via Metabolic Effect
Does “low carb” have an official definition? By Kamal Patel via Examine
Strength Training, Powerlifting, and Bodybuilding
The Deadlift: 3 Reasons By Mark Rippetoe via Starting Strength
Tip: Movement Prep for Olympic Lifting By Wil Fleming via T-Nation
Tip: How to Bring Up a Weak Body Part By John Meadows T-Nation
Motivation, Business, and Success
Why The Easy Life Breeds Weakness In AND Out of The Gym By Zach Even Esh
6 Things Entrepreneurship Can Teach You About Fitness By Mark Fisher via Mark Fisher Fitness
Discounts vs. Packages in Your Cash Practice By Aaron LeBauer via The OMPT
Seeing and believing By Seth Godin
3 Ways to Improve Your Customer Service, Starting Today By Michael Keeler
Physical Therapy, Alignment, and Injury Prevention
Life Lessons I Learned from My Physical Therapist By Stella Kaufman via Mark Fisher Fitness
Research
Can supplemental vitamin D improve sleep? By Kamal Patel via Examine
Do high-carbohydrate diets increase the risk of death? By Kamal Patel via Examine
What I Learned About Injury Rates from Surveying 1,900 Powerlifters By Andrew Patton via Stronger by Science
Ruthless Performance Coaches’ Content
Why Ruthless Performance Doesn’t Emphasize Energy System Training for Our Swimmers By John Matulevich via Ruthless Performance
Why Ruthless Performance Doesn’t Emphasize Energy System Training for Our Swimmers
Outside of a handful of technological advances in competition suits and some isolated factions of coaches and athletes, the sport of swimming is largely stuck in a late 90’s – early 2000’s mentality; which is a generous approximation on my part, as the sport of swimming in the 90’s-00’s wasn’t all that much better from the handful of decades preceding it. This old school training mindset included a great emphasis on high yardage in the pool, followed by a big taper leading up to important and championship swim meets.
The high yardage/ big taper approach certainly has its applications, but much like how swimmers took the alleged 10,000+ kCal ‘Phelps Diet’ leading up to the 2008 Olympics as an excuse to overconsume and under-nourish with empty-nutrient and calorie-rich foods, braggadocios swim coaches have hijacked the good intent of high-yardage programs, and now misinformed coaches are globally vying for title of who can put their athletes through the most pain.
Since the semi-archaic idea of mega-yardage programs still have some merit, I’d like to focus dryland training, the dated and frequently perpetuated fallacies surrounding this, as well as what Ruthless Performance does with our swimmers and what other high-level programs are engaged in from a strength training perspective.
This well-known Ruthless Performance philosophy regarding dryland training for swimmers leads many concerned parents and swim coaches to ask the Ruthless Performance staff about our programs. Since swimming requires so much cardio, shouldn’t that be a main part of dryland training?
Simply put, no. But here’s the longer answer…
In the past, dryland training has mirrored pool-based training very closely. This would include ideas like distance running and other high intensity-based conditioning routines (and if you’re lucky, some lackadaisically performed, poorly designed rotator cuff band complexes). Not only is this additional energy system training unnecessary (during the in-season), but it can also be burdensome, ineffective, and at worst, harmful to performance.
One of the main reasons we don’t program a large amount of energy system training in our swimmers’ training programs is because of the sheer volume of energy system work that swimmers get while in the pool. Most swimmers can get through a large part of the warm-up without realizing that they are engaging in conditioning already. Add the various work sets done through a workout, and then repeated on a nearly daily basis, and you have a recipe for fantastic cardiopulmonary function and sport-specific energy-system development.
The problem is that coaches too frequently confuse the cardiovascular demands of the sport of swimming with the cardiovascular demands of swim practice.
Running is one such frequently assigned dryland activity for swimmers, used as a means of developing cardiovascular function. This is in part, due to the perception that swimming is a sport which requires a lot of cardio—which it does. The problem is that coaches too frequently confuse the cardiovascular demands of the sport of swimming with the cardiovascular demands of swim practice.
Adding more conditioning work on top of what is done in practice is simply providing an athletes cardiovascular system with diminishing marginal returns on ability to practice; this is largely ineffective because of how quickly the cardiovascular system responds and adapts to training stimuli. A few weeks of pre-season practice and a base level of cardiovascular function is restored to the point where an athlete can successfully compete at meets and return to more rigorous in-season training. Since most events are over in less than two minutes, this style of dryland training can become redundant and inefficient.
Adding running or various other conditioning modalities on top of traditional in-pool training can yield greater performance; just not as great as swimming performance could be if we focused on some other modalities and training tools. This is a conversation for another day entirely, but all of the strength-based training that we have our swimmers perform help in a variety of ways. Our strength training does, in fact, enhance energy system capacities, specifically the phosphocreatine (quick anaerobic energy system pathway). This is the system which leads to faster starts, quick turns, breakouts, and even negative splits in distance events.
All this to say that strength training with minimal traditional cardiovascular input is the primary way we train our athletes and for good reason. Rather than simply packing on additional volume of similar work, we are building up muscles which help prevent overuse injuries, minimizing the impact of training stressors, improve reaction time, coordination, catch in the water and so on. This allows athletes the opportunity to train more optimally in the pool, which is the primary vessel for developing skill-specific capacities in swimmers.
Featured Fitness Content: Volume 40
View last week’s edition of ‘Featured Fitness Content’ here.
Personal Training, Coaching, and Strength & Conditioning
Trouble Shooting Your Program: 5 Powerful Principles for Better Adaptation By Jeff Moyer via Just Fly Sports
Perceived Value and the Fitness Industry By Dean Somerset
You’re Supporting the Get Rich Quick Schemes of 21 Year Olds, and It’s Ruining Fitness By Lee Boyce
Online Coaching: Past, Present and Future By Mike Robertson
Weight Loss, Nutrition, and General Health
The Truth About Coconut Oil and Your Heart By Sean Hyson via Onnit Academy
Having low blood pressure also carries health risks By Buddy Touchinsky
Strength Training, Powerlifting, and Bodybuilding
Step Up Your Quad And Glute Strength And Hypertrophy With Step-Downs By Meghan Callaway
Motivation, Business, and Success
The TV Shows You Watch Are Making You Broke By Tim Denning via Addicted 2 Success
Forget “career hacks”… Here’s the real key to career success that almost no one is talking about. via Precision Nutrition
3 STRONG Life Success Tips & Why Successful People Are Considered “Crazy” By Zach Even Esh
Brandscaping and the Fitness Industry By Eric Cressey
45 Lessons I’ve Learned Along The Way… By Pat Rigsby
Physical Therapy, Alignment, and Injury Prevention
2 Halfs of a Hamstring By Dean Somerset
5 Reasons Why I Don’t Use the Sleeper Stretch and Why You Shouldn’t Either By Mike Reinold via The Manual Therapist
Must-Follow Guide for Strength Training AFTER Physical Therapy via COR
Research
The No Barbell Experiment On Squat And Deadlift And Hip Thrust Strength By Bret Contreras
Featured Fitness Content: Volume 39
View last week’s edition of ‘Featured Fitness Content’ here.
Personal Training, Coaching, and Strength & Conditioning
Interview with Lee Taft on Coaching Agility, Speed and Athletic Movement By Joel Smith with Lee Taft
Why I Don’t Like Scap Push-ups By Eric Cressey
Weight Loss, Nutrition, and General Health
How Much Cardio Do You Need To Get Ripped For Summer? By Sean Hyson via Onnit Academy
A Really Bad Long Term Strategy for Weight Loss By Mike Roussell
Doctors should emphasize exercise, not weight loss By Buddy Touchinsky
Strength Training, Powerlifting, and Bodybuilding
8 Mobility Moves For Better Squatting, Pressing, and Pulling By Mark DiSalvo via Onnit Academy
7 Tips for a Bigger Bench By Bret Contreras
3 Ways to Reduce Stress and Improve Recovery During Your Next Workout By Harold Gibbons via Mark Fisher Fitness
28 Years of Lifting: Strength Training In Your 40s & Training As You Get Older By Zach Even Esh
Motivation, Business, and Success
5 Powerful Life Lessons From the Book Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss By Liam Seed via Addicted 2 Success
How To *Not* Be A Spineless Leader By Tim Denning via Addicted 2 Success
How to Build a Fitness Practice that Brings You Joy By Elizabeth Stacey via Mark Fisher Fitness
Waking up to life By Kim Lloyd
Physical Therapy, Alignment, and Injury Prevention
6 Hip Mobility Drills Everyone Should Perform By Mike Reinold
[VIDEO] Communicating with Docs, PTs working as Strength Coaches & Essential Reading for Students With Mike Reinold
Stretching Isn’t Bullshit By Jasper De Coninck via Dean Somerset
Research
Fact check: Is boxed macaroni and cheese actually toxic? By Kamal Patel via Examine
Ruthless Performance Coaches’ Content
Why Do We Need Fats in Our Diet? By Jesse Rodriguez