Out-of-pool training necessary for bone health, core strength, says fitness instructor Clark

June Hussey feels right at home when she is in the water.

It’s no wonder, considering she has been a competitive swimmer since age 6, and a U.S. Masters Swimmer half of her life.

But while her swim workouts of 15,000 yards per week provided her with muscle tone and cardiovascular endurance, she was surprised to learn recently that she had osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis, as well as a vitamin D deficiency.

“It’s hard to believe that someone who looks sturdy on the outside can have frail bones on the inside, but it’s true,” said Hussey, 47, who is also founder of the Skyline Masters Swim Club, which offers workouts to adult swimmers dedicated to the sport. “So all this swimming, while very good conditioning, was doing nothing for my bone health.”

She had also been suffering from chronic back pain, which she later learned was likely due to muscle imbalances and a lack of stretching.

Hussey thought 30-plus minutes of swimming a day was enough to keep her healthy, but when she found that her bone health was deteriorating, she met with an exercise physiologist, and in September got started on a land-based training program.

“In addition to learning when and how to stretch, I’ve been learning specific exercises to strengthen my core, my back and my bones,” she said. “I’m also learning more about nutrition and how to best fuel my body for optimal performance. I already feel a huge difference. I feel better both in and out of the pool.”

Andrew Clark, exercise physiologist and owner of Performance Fitness, who designed Hussey’s program, said that in general, swimmers tend to be in good shape.

“However, there are often muscle imbalances that occur because of the repetitive motion in one direction,” Clark said. “Those need to be taken care of before they cause injury. Also, because of the diminished-gravity environment they are in, there are risks associated with that such as osteoporosis and osteopenia, and a decrease in strength in the joints.”

The same risks apply to those who only do water aerobics or aqua fitness classes without other weight-bearing exercise, he said.

“Cross-training is the way to go,” said Clark, who recently held a seminar called “Dry Land Training Tips for Masters Swimmers.”

“It’s always beneficial to the body to get different forms of exercise. A trained muscle can go faster, for a longer period of time and with less energy expended.”

Clark said swimmers often feel like fish out of water in the gym, but land-based training can improve a swimmer’s speed and endurance, and help prevent health risks. Transition from water to land training should be slow, and if possible, supervised.

“If you take a swimmer and they have these powerful engines (their cardiovascular systems), and they run decently fast, there’s a potential for injury, because for most, their muscle and bone structure may not be ready for the impact,” Clark said.

Start on softer surfaces, with a good pair of running shoes, and establish a good base, he said. As we age, we lose balance and coordination and swim training does not improve that, while land-based exercises do, Clark said.

Weight training with weight that is 80 percent of a person’s one-repetition maximum is a good way to build bone density. Weight training can also help correct muscle imbalances.

A good land-based program will include exercises that focus on the prime movers in swimming, which are the muscles of the back, shoulders, core and legs, Clark said.

Exercises for swimmers

Leg Press (machine) – Adjust the seat so that your legs are bent at a 90-degree angle. If the seat can recline, position it so that you do not feel a strain in your lower back. Position your feet shoulder-width apart on the platform. Press the weight away with your legs, but do not lock your knees at the top of the rep. Then lower your legs back to a 90-degree angle, and repeat. Do 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

Plank - Start in an upper push-up position, with your hands directly under your shoulders and feet together. Keep your back as flat as possible. Your head and neck are in line with your spine (you should be looking at the ground). Hold for one minute. To increase the difficulty, lift one foot or one hand off the ground and hold.

Downward Facing Dog – Start with your hands and knees on the floor (knees hip-width apart and the hands shoulder-width apart). Inhale, arch your spine and look up. As you exhale, straighten your legs and pause. Now push the floor away from your hands, positioning your body like an inverted V, achieving a straight line from your hands to your shoulders and from your shoulders to your hips.

Flutter Kicks – Lie flat on your back with your feet and head about 6 inches off the ground. Hands are under the buttocks to support the lower back. Raise the left leg to a 45-degree angle, keeping the right leg stationary. Then switch (raise the right leg off the ground to a 45-degree angle while, at the same time, moving the left leg to the starting position.) Repeat for 30-60 seconds.

Straight Arm Pulldown (cable) – Face high pulley and grasp revolving cable attachment with arms slightly bent. Stand with legs shoulder-width apart, knees and elbows slightly bent. Pull cable attachment down until upper arms are to your side. Return attachment overhead. Repeat. Do 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

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Dry land training for swimmers

To watch Andrew Clark demonstrate three exercises for swimmers, visit his Web site at www.performancefitnesstucson.com, and click on Swimming Exercise Videos.

For more information on the next “Dry Land Training Tips for Masters Swimmers” lecture, call Performance Fitness, 2951 N. Swan Road, at 325-5455.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 20th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Body, Local. Tags for this post: Body-Fitness/Exercise, Body-Fitness/Exercise-Local, Fitness/Exercise, page-d01, Sandra Valdez Gerdes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.