Resistance Training

If there was anything to be learned from the 2016 Olympic Games, it’s that swimmers are not only getting faster than ever (even when it was thought to be impossible following the “super suit” era), but are also stronger and more powerful than ever before. The sport now features male athletes who look like they could play linebacker in the National Football League and female athletes who look like they could run the floor in the Women’s National Basketball Association. It’s no secret that swimmers from the highest levels of sport down to the novice are continually looking for new, innovative, and quicker ways to improve in the water. Enter resistance training. Coaches are experimenting with many different forms of resistance training, from power towers, to kicking with shoes, to using a variety of parachutes. 

Why you should try it

Not only does resistance training provide swimmers with the opportunity to improve, but it also allows their coaches to better evaluate their strokes.

When swimming with resistance, swimmers are forced to exert extra energy with every motion of the stroke. They pull harder, they kick faster, they do whatever it takes to swim at what they believe is a normal pace for the required workout. Swimmers can sprint over and over again, training to get faster, but when the added resistance is applied, they are forced to work the same swimming muscles even more. It’s like weight lifting for swimmers. To lift more weight, you increase the amount of weight you lift (in swimming, this is the level of resistance) to become stronger. It’s the same way in the water.

For coaches, applying resistance magnifies the true flaws in a swimmer’s stroke. It allows the coach to better see where the swimmer needs to make corrections to improve stroke efficiency, technique, and power. By forcing the athlete to swim against an unnatural force, they are bound to reveal the weak points of their stroke, thus allowing for instruction and, therefore, improvement.

How FINIS can help?

The FINIS Drag+Fly™ is latest and greatest in resistance training technology. This adjustable swim chute allows the user to easily customize the level of resistance. This makes it a great tool for swimmers of all abilities, whether a beginner or an Olympic champion. It allows the beginner swimmer to dip their toes into resistance training and experience an increase in power and strength. For the experienced swimmer, the Drag+Fly™ is great for both sprint sets and distance sets, allowing one to change the level of resistance to fit the workout.