Got back in the pool last weekend after no swimming since IMMoo but with regular use of swimbands as a means of feeling a little less guilty. (actually no guilt at all, sorry fishies)
For whatever its worth, my observations:
Bad: I couldn’t swim 2.4 miles right now if I had a 100hp Evinrude implanted up my rear. Conditioning all shot, no surprise there.
Good: No loss of strength, if anything I felt stronger than I remember. More interesting was improved ability to maintain a wide catch and pull, rather than my tendency to enter properly but having my arm slide towards the center as I rotate (probably to have the pecs help the lats).
When doing bend over pulls with the bands I focused on elbows high and keeping arms wide and my guess is, that by isolating the lats, I increased strength above what I was able to do in the pool.
So the bands are here to stay even as I get back in the pool.
I’m thinking your work with the bands and focused form probably didn’t strengthen the lats as much as the subscapulars and perhaps rotator cuff muscles…those are the ones responsible for keeping your arm in the right position for a wide pull.
Good job on that. You should find yourself more efficient and as the conditioning returns somewhat quickly you might be ahead of the game.
Appreciate the clarification, my knowledge extends to the big muscles only.
I am convinced that for relative newcomers to swimming like me, who do not have the benefit of the lifelong massive daily workouts of the fishies, taking “shortcuts” using swimbands is a great way to augment pool time.
I’ve spent nearly five months using only a Vasa ergometer and I think there is something to be said for being able to isolate a certain movement. I have a low bench that forces me to pull with a high elbow and intially, I could barely do 50 meters. That told me I was using my fins to much in the pool and not using good technique. I’m hoping a few hundred thousand repetitions of the same good stroke will transfer to the pool so that I will be stronger and more aerobically capable. I can definately see the development of the muscles around the shoulder blade over the course of the past few months.
any chance you have a guide of what exercises you did with the bands?
No one seems to recall the site where I saw the exercises. Here is what hat I found the most valuable:
Bend at waist, upper body horizontal to floor. Arms extended wide, simulate catch by rotating forarm down (fingers point to floor) while keeping elbows high.
Second part, while keeping elbows high and fingers pointing towards floor, pull arms back past hips.
A little tension goes a long way, hope this helps.
