BY MIKE MEJIA, M.S, C.S.C.S

Question: When I do my dryland training, is it better to separate my upper body, lower body and core? Or should I try to do more total body workouts?
 
- Matt, age 16. Long Island, New York.
 
Answer: For athletes in general, and swimmers in particular, total body workouts are definitely the way to go. Our muscles were designed to work synchronistically, in order to produce movement- not to be divided up and targeted with specific exercises. Unfortunately, thanks to the bodybuilding mentality that remains prevalent in most gyms, this is the way many athletes continue to train. Besides not promoting the kind of intramuscular coordination necessary for athletic movement, dividing the body into segments that are trained on separate days often invites imbalanced development that can lead to serious dysfunction. This is best illustrated by gym-based upper body workouts that are typically heavy on pectoral (bench presses and flyes), lat (Pull-ups, pulldowns) and shoulder work (overhead presses and lateral raises). In other words, the exact same muscle groups you’re already overworking in the pool on a daily basis. The same holds true for the majority of lower body exercises which often either place too much emphasis on the quads and hip flexors (squats, leg presses, forward lunges etc.), or are too isolated in nature (leg extensions, leg curls, as well as abduction and adduction exercises). Instead, more focus needs to be directed not only to the muscles that oppose these overused actions (i.e. scapular stabilizers of the upper back, glutes, hamstrings etc.), but it needs to be done in such a way that allows for more synergistic muscle involvement.
 
The following workout offers an example of exactly what I’m talking about. It involves virtually every muscle group, and as a result, will have a tremendous amount of transfer to your efforts in the water. Not to mention the fact that since it works your entire body, you’ll only need to do it 2-3 times per week- leaving you with more time to focus on improving flexibility and giving your body the recovery time it needs to help avoid injury.  Give it a try. It may not help you look like Arnold, but at least it will keep you from swimming like him!
 
The following workout is to be done as a circuit- where you perform one exercise after the other with little to no rest, then break for 60-90 seconds before going around again. Aim to complete 2-3 circuits.
 

Reverse Lunge and Press x 6-8 per side
Renegade Rows x 6-8 per side
Russian Twists x 6-8 per side
Unilateral Romanian Deadlift x 8-10 per side
Cable Punches (Upper/ Core) x 8-10 per side
Back Extension/ Reverse Flys x 12-15
Side Bridge with reach under x 6-8 per side.
Stability Ball Leg Curls x 10-12
Direct your questions about dryland training to coach Mike Mejia at Mike@basesportsconditioning.com. Check out more great strength and conditioning information from Mike Mejia at his website, basesportsconditioning.com.