Official Start of the Season!

Alright, tomorrow is the day that's been looming since we first got on campus- official start to the swim season! I hope everyone is as pumped as I am.

SCHEDULE CHANGE:
Because of tonight's opening ceremonies and tomorrow morning's J-Term registration, the workout is gonna start at 7:15. I apologize to those of you with 8am class. You can still go down at the normal time, but I won't be in the gym until around 7:15.

Tomorrow's Workout:
Back squat- add 5 or 10 pounds from last week
then
3 sets of dips for max reps

then

10x100m sprint with 60 seconds rest in between efforts
on the indoor track or in Nelson

Some More Cool Videos

Sorry about missing yesterday's post, it was a busy Friday. A few of us made it down to the pool today and did a really good workout:
3 Rounds:
100 yard freestyle
21 kettlebell swings
12 burpees
Tomorrow is a rest day, recover and get ready for the official start of the season!

Here are a few more videos worth watching:


Great video from Auburn coach Brett Hawke about mental preparation

Swimming Videos on Floswimming

Chinese weightlifter Liao Hui moving heavy weight with great technique


Workout video from Crossfit New England


Fred Bousquet swimming fast

Swimming Videos on Floswimming

Midline Stability

Swimming is a sport that requires a lot of midline stability, more so than most because it is contested across a horizontal axis and it takes place in water. Having a stable midline in the pool is not only going to decrease resistance, but is also going to allow you to better express the power you are building in the weight room. The workout tomorrow is really going to help us train a strong and stable core.

Tomorrow's Workout:
Spend 10-15 minutes working on clean and jerk technique.
Keep these weight light to medium, nothing heavy

then

4 rounds:
10 squat snatches
10 pushups, hands release at the bottom
10 knees to elbows

then

Work On A Weakness!
Pick something you have trouble with and work on it!
examples- kipping pullups, flexibility, lower back issues, shoulder issues
These things are not going to improve if you don't take the time to work on them!


It's Friday! Get some sleep and get ready to get after it in the morning!

Tomorrow's Workout

There's nothing fancy about tomorrow's workout, it's all movements we've done before. Remember to get full range of motion on all of the movements. For bench, the bar touches (but doesn't bounce off) your chest at the bottom and your elbows are locked out at the top. For burpees, chest touches the ground at the bottom and you jump(!) and clap overhead at the top. For pullups, elbows locked out and arms behind your ear at the bottom, chin over the vertical plane of the bar at the top.


Tomorrow's Workout:
Bench Press- continue progression or Wendler 531

then

In Nelson
5 Rounds:
10 burpees
15 pullups
Sprint down and back
3:00 rest between rounds

Rest Day Tomorrow!

You guys definitely earned tomorrow's rest day! Great job so far this week. Really take advantage of your day off- get at least 8 hours of sleep, foam roll if you have a roller, take a nap, anything thats gonna help you get after it again on Thursday and Friday. 

Also, here's another cool video to check out. Rob Orlando doing 3 reps of power clean and push press at 300 pounds! Wicked Powah!

Tomorrow's Workout:

Rest Day!

Sleep in!

Kipping Pullups!

The kipping pullup is a very prominent movement in our program. Similar to the Olympic lifts, it is a dynamic movement that transfer very well to the pool. It is also a fairly difficult movement to learn for some. Below is a really good tutorial video on the kipping pullup from 2008 Crossfit Games champion Jason Khalipa. Throw some of these drills into your warmup. If you have any questions about it or want help with the drills, just let me know.





Tomorrow's Workout:
Snatch- heavy single
or
Power Snatch- heavy double

then

10-9-8...3-2-1 reps for time of-
Power Clean
Pullups

Do Your Squats!

You all know of my obsession with the squatting. Why the squat? Because there is no better movement than a true, below parallel squat. No other movement requires and builds midline stability and lower body strength like a real squat. Watch the video linked below for an epic display of squatting prowess. 

youtube.com/watch?v=WK7m6I5m6gY

Tomorrow's Workout:

Back Squat- continue with progression of Week 2 of Wendler 531

then

For time:

60 Push-press, every time you rest you must perform 14 lateral hops

Water Polo and Rowing

Don't for get to make your down to the pool this weekend and support the water polo team in their last tournament of the season! The workout for tomorrow won't take too long, so you'll have time to go watch the polo matches and the other home sporting events.

Tomorrow's Workout:
Row 2000m for time.

Enjoy your Friday!

Olympic Lifting and Swimming

Yesterday's post discussed just one movement and how it transfer from the weight room to the pool. I am going to carry on with this theme because it is worth discussing, given that the reason we train is to swim faster. Many movements we do carry over very well to the pool, but perhaps none do it better than the Olympic lifts- the snatch and the clean and jerk. They are dynamic pulls and presses that require multiple flexions and extensions of the hip and constant midline stability. Hey, these are the same components of the competitive strokes, especially butterfly, breaststroke, and underwater dolphin kick! Excellent! Tomorrow's workout will focus on the clean and jerk. Watch the video linked below to see both excellent technique and coaching of this movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGJ2LOMK-tU

Tomorrow's Workout:
Posterior Chain/Midline Work- Sled drags, glute-hame raises, back extensions. Good Mornings and RDL's for experienced athletes.

then

8 rounds for max reps of:
1 minute of work, 1 minute of rest
Squat clean and push jerk

"He who rises 360 days a year before dawn will not fail to make his family rich."
-Ancient Chinese proverb

Bench Press and Shoulder-Driven Sprint Freestyle

We are going to start benching every week because the bench press has a direct carry over to sprinting in the pool. How? It's all about shoulder position. In both the bench press and in shoulder-driven freestyle (see the video below) the shoulder blades are pinched together and shrugged up to create tightness throughout the shoulder girdle. For the bench this is to prevent shoulder injuries and create a stable platform off of which to press. In shoulder-driven freestyle this is to create connectivity throughout the upper back in order to be able to create momentum and forward movement by throwing your shoulders. Watch the two videos linked below to learn about the bench press and shoulder-driven sprint freestyle from the best in the world.

journal.crossfit.com/2010/01/setting-up-the-bench.tpl

youtube.com/watch?v=iOMF54wj2aA


Tomorrow's Workout:

Bench Press- continue your progression or Week 1 of the Wendler 531 plan

then

AMRAP 15:
6 dips (scale to clapping pushups)
12 pullups (scale to jumping pullups or ring rows)
18 air squats


Set your alarms and get ready to tear it up!

First Post!

Welcome to the new blog for Middlebury Swimming's strength & conditioning program! This is where I'll post the daily workout plus some thoughts, links, pictures, and videos of interest. I am going to try to post the workouts the night before. To start, I want to get everyone on the same page, here are some expectations for athletes:

1. Check the blog before you go to sleep! Take a look at what the workout is and what movements are involved, and to make sure you are notified of any changes in time or location.
2. Be on time! This is super important to making sure sessions run smoothly. Be there at either 6:15 or 7:00 every weekday but Wednesday, depending on when your first class starts. We can't have people trickling in late, it is not conducive to everyone in the group having a quality workout.
3. Be consistent! This training is going to be most effective if you follow it properly and come four days a week. I know it is hard to wake up early every day but a wise, strong man once said, "To master kung-fu, your training must be severe." When it's still dark out and your alarm goes off, keep your goals in mind and get yourself down to the gym!

Tomorrow is a rest day, check the blog Wednesday evening for Thursday's workout!