Strength & Conditioning in Swimming: Enhancing Performance & Speed - Research Paper

Introduction

Strength and conditioning refer to the physical as well as the physiological development that helps swimmers be competitive when it comes to elite as well as improved performances while in the water. Strength and conditioning in swimming is currently a hot topic of discussion and is increasingly a popular matter when it comes to global competitive swimming. The significant role of S&C is to utilize exercise and enhance performance together with the speed of the performer in the water.

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Developments are proceeding in the area with new tech suits being made, use of the new swimming goggles, among many more, help the swimmers continue achieving high results and breaking records annually. The main objective of competitive swimming is for a person to have a full amount of speed when swimming in the water and end up winning the competition. Several variables determine the outcome of the speed of the swimmer in the water; among them is the person's strength. Here, strength refers to the physical energy one possesses, which enables the person to have the ability to carry out multiple actions like lifting as well as moving items (Strydom, 2020).

The ability of swimmers to use force while engaged in competitive swimming is critical, especially within short distance occasions. High values associated with strength, together with power within the upper side of the body, are linked with success in such circumstances. Dryland S&C training is a significant factor when it comes to the enhancement of swimming performance.

Several experts have given their guide on how swimmers should apply this force while swimming as they prevent injuries. Improvements in the S&C area of training have caused an enhancement in the maximization of troops, the swimmers' power together with their muscular endurance. Further, their performances have been optimized in all sections as they train using the same.

Achievements, as well as success associated with S&C programs, relies on multiple factors like the kind of training, the methods used in the training camp, the type of materials used as well as periodization. There are other kinds of elements, such as the swimmer's maturation as well as the level of competitiveness. S&C training is impactful when it comes to safeguarding individuals from injuries, which tops the list of priorities when experts carry out any group coaching.

Scientific studies have not come to a consensus when one talks about the methodologies as well as benefits associated with training in this form of exercise and swimming. The main aim of this study is to examine the probable impacts of S&C preparation on swimming performance together with starts as well as turning outcomes (Chris, 2013). The paper looks at swimming on dry land and in water after training through considering several factors.

Methods

Multiple methods were used to come up with information on S&C to identify studies carried out on the topic. These researches were to discover the impacts of S&C training programs. Most of the research was secondary based where computers were used, and keywords were used. Some of the keywords included swimming, strength, strength, and conditioning, among many more.

Further, most of the bibliographies of those articles found were extensively used to ensure excellent results. For a research study to be considered to be part of this research, some conditions were to be met. Some of the requirements are as follows. First, the paper was to be in the language that can be understood without straining. Here English was the preferred language. Secondly, their articles were to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Peer-reviewed journals refer to those journals that are written by the experts in that field. Such journals also contain quality publications that adhere to the education standards and guides before the acceptance of some advertisements. The third condition was that the articles were to have effects of the program before finalizing with the main focus being swimmers' performances. The type of research that consisted of studies that concentrated on longitudinal interventions, especially those touching competitive swimming.

The research found 360 articles related to the main topic, which was the impacts of Strength and Conditioning training on swimmers' performances. From the study, there were 15 articles before further filtration took place. The study adopted the fifteen and analyzed them yielding the following outcomes.

Results

S&C programs remain to be very common in swimming, and the first study on the topic was carried out in 1986. From that time to date, there exist only 14 analyses carried out. Out of fifteen, ten of those studies came after the start of the year 2000. Multiple analysis and papers indicated enhancements within freestyle swimming performances of twenty-five meters, fifty meters as well as 400 meters. These improvements also took place in starts, turns, and in stroke rate.

From the samples, eight out of the fifteen research studies never carried out the random allocation of participants to their groups. Other analyses never included control groups. Sample sizes comprised of around seven to thirty-eight groups of people with a mean age of approximately sixteen years. Out of the studies, seven of them analyzed teenagers. Of the studies, only one concentrated on females as seven of them focused on the male gender. The rest of the studies had mixed the two genders.

In the samples, weight lifting was the order of the day with free weights and bodyweight workouts being used in the rest. Other elements applied in the studies were medicine ball, some great bicycles like the ergometer together with the hydro isokinetic one. Strength and Conditioning plans were executed, and their impacts on swimming tested through evaluating the twenty-five yards. Two hundred yards, four hundred yard as well as four hundred meters' freestyle swimming performances were also evaluated. Just one out of the sample looked at the effects of S&C on swimming techniques.

Discussion

Impacts of S&C on Swimming Performance According to Age

Until now, many pieces of research have been carried out on young adults plus adolescents. Many lack studies because of ethical and financial matters or the supposition of the trainers that technical training is more essential than S&C training. Even though coaches frequently assume that muscular hypertrophy and resultant declines in elasticity may distress the ability and upsurge drag forces of the swimmer, in the preadolescent period, muscle hypertrophy is not thought to be the central aspect in strength improvement, with neuromuscular adaptations recognized as the chief clarification for strength gains. The studies which were carried out on the adolescent swimmers exhibited that within this age, much caution ought to prevail during the analysis of the results.

Impacts of S&C on Swimming Performance According to Gender

After puberty, it always occurs with a competitive level where there are significant differences in the muscular strength and anthropometrics arise between the genders (Cree, 2013). Although during the preadolescent, the strength improvements among girls and boys are relatively the same, after this stage, the male has the propensity to show greater muscle strength more than the females. Contained by the scrutinized studies, just original research gave detached effects between females and the entire group.

To come up with conclusions on the probable sex effect, additional examinations using detached samples ought to be carried out. However, the literature suggests that the propensity for the performance in swimming to progress in the examinations on the effects of S&C training on diverse portions.

Impacts of S&C With the Given S&C on Starts and Turns

Starts and turns refer to the explosive turns that are usually related to experts in strength development on dryland. Such happenings demand high levels of power output. Some of the effects of plyometric training associated with plyometric were carried out on age group male swimmers.

Even after carrying out 300-450 ground contacts, there was nothing great that came out to be named significant for the measure. The first improvement was recorded in the 50 as well as 400 m participants engaging in the front-craw velocity. This act came out as the general swimming performance with a positive influence as per the writers (Miguel, 2017).

Conclusion

S&C physical activity in swimming is the usual exercise used by trainers and swimmers to improve performance plus to avoid injuries. However, no agreement on the efficiency of S&C plans on swimming presentation exists. Many of the investigations that were being done involved those in the puberty stage plus the adult swimmers and S&C agendas with preadolescent swimmers, which are rare and never permit effective assumptions.

The upcoming swimmers must take part in the S&C agendas, not only improve their enactment but also do a strong groundwork for avoiding injuries related to sport. Concerning the kind of S&C teaching, most significant strength teaching is associated with the swimming performance enhancements in the oldest swimmers, mainly relative to short distance contests. Conversely, it is doubtful whether this is a satisfactory method to put on to undeveloped swimmers and those at the low level of competition.

The effects of force application can't be established since few examinations analyzing methods were there. Also, the impact of S&C in the distances of swimming, which are above 200 meters, could not be determined. Still, just a single examination evaluated a distance of 400 meters and gave positive results.

It is suggested that an S$C teaching should go for 6 to 8 weeks and have two meetings per week to improve starts and turns. Despite the lack of clear scientific evidence, S$C still rests the mostly recommended swimming practice, and hence further research should be done. In short, training in swimming should be before in water training as there are multiple yields following the same as observed above.

References

Chris. (2013). Strength and Conditioning for Sprint Swimming. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259575196_Strength_and_Conditioning_for_Sprint_Swimming

Cree. (2013). Power and Conditioning for Sprint Swimming. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/Fulltext/2013/12000/Strength%20and%20Conditioning%20for%20Sprint%20Swimming.1.aspx

Miguel. (2017). Durability and Conditioning and Swimming performance.

Strydom. (2020). Strength and Conditioning For Swimmers- Everything You Want To Know. Retrieved from https://swimcompetitive.com/strength-training/strength-and-conditioning-for-swimmers/