Friday Interview with Megan Jendrick

1) Please introduce yourself to the readers (how you started in swimming,education, experience, etc.).

I started swimming when I was 9 years old - I was so bad when I first joined the swim team that they had to put me in with the five year olds who were all still faster than I was. After getting frustrated with losing to a bunch of kids half my age, I started setting goals and working hard to achieve them and by the time I was 16 I competed in Sydney at the 2000 Olympics and won two gold medals. I missed the team in 2004 by .11 and briefly retired before coming back and making the Beijing team and winning a silver medal there.

2) What is your current training schedule?

As of right now I'm actually not training because I'm pregnant. My husband, Nathan, and I are expecting the arrival of our son in late October.

3) How did you incorporate mobility and stretching into your training?

Stretching has always been a big part of my training and it's something I think most people don't do enough of. You have to have a great range of motion to properly execute technique, so it's really important to stretch all of the muscles in a variety of ways. I tend to stretch before training, after training and before bed every night.

4)What is the weirdest training you've done throughout your career?

I wouldn't say I've done a lot of "weird" training, but one of the more unique things I've done is swim with a snorkel on that was duct-taped closed with only three tiny pin holes in it.

5) What aspects of your breast were you concentrating on while you trained?

When I was training I was working a lot more on staying flatter than I had been before so that I could get more propulsion directly forward from my kick. This was a pretty big overall change because to do that required using a bit more narrow of a pull, not pulling back as far, and not allowing my upper body to come up too high out of the water.

6) What drills/activities are you doing to achieve this?

Separating pulling and kicking was a great way to work on staying flatter because it allowed concentration on each piece before trying to put it together. Just like a big puzzle, you've got to do it piece-by-piece, so pulling with a pull buoy (or with a light flutter kick) and kicking lengths of the pool underwater without pulling, both seemed to help.

7) In your opinion, what was the biggest adjustment you made in your swimming career (stroke biomechanical, training, dryland)?

Nutrition was probably one of the bigger things that changed during my career and helped me a great deal. Swimmers always think they eat a lot, but when I finally started working with someone who kept an eye on things with me and helped educate me, I realized how short I was coming up on my nutritional needs.

8) Of all the testing sports performance testing you've done (underwater filming, blood lactate, etc.), what do you feel has been the most beneficial?

Underwater filming is easily the most beneficial tool available. Being able to see things underwater and discuss those things with your coach is huge. They can only see and assume so much from standing on deck, so giving yourself and your coach the opportunity to see what's really going on is a major component of success.

9) Over the past few years, what is the biggest change you've made with your training?

Volume was something that changed a lot for me after I came back to swimming in 2005. I used to swim doubles six days a week and we did just insane yardage. After coming back, I was doing singles and a lot more focused, sprint training instead of just miles upon miles. For my style of swimming and my strokes and races, that worked great.

10) What projects are you working on in and outside the pool?

Most of my focus right now is on preparing for our son, but after things settle down a bit we're going to build out our site www.HealthyFromHome.com which will be a resource for people to learn about all kinds of great things they can do right from home to help improve their lives. 

Thanks!

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Stay High Chariot

Butterfly breathing and body position are like two peas in a pod. If you have improper breathing your body position will suffer dramatically.  This is why many flyers become vertical as their velocity decreases.   

Some elite butterfly swimmers are able to breathe more frequently, but this is due to their ability to keep their hips high and dissociate their head, hips and thoracic spine.  For example, many vertical flyers lift their chest since they are unable to lift their head without the chain reaction of hip lowering occurring simulataneously. Imagine a seesaw, as one side goes up, the other end will lower, this analogy can be used for the vertical flyer. As their head rises, their hips lower and increase drag. This can be due to range of motion deficits in the thoracic spine, impaired strength in the cervical or lumbar spine to not be influenced by the rest of the body.

Many swimmers have difficulties keeping their hips high, while extending their thoracic spine, pressing their chest down and forward while extending their neck. Opposing, when a swimmer does not breathe their hips need to remain hip with the thoracic spine extended with their neck held in neutral.  Improving thoracic spine motion is mandatory to improve this motion. Next time at practice have your elite flyers lean back with their arms overhead. See if they have more range of motion than your poor flyers. Most elite flyers will have more range of motion, therefore why not include mobility exercises to improve this range of motion? What exercises do you use to improve this range and what stability exercises do you use control this new range of motion?

By Dr. G. John Mullen, DPT, CSCS. He is the founder of the Center of Optimal Restoration and head strength coach at Santa Clara Swim Club.

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Mouthpieces for Swimmers?

Every athlete is looking for the next “gimmick” to improve their results.  A while back many professional athletes were raving about a mouth piece with added results. The theory behind improvement was secondary to jaw relaxation and decreased teeth “grinding”.  This decrease in activity was believed to decrease stress and allow the athlete to relax.

At the time of release, minimal data/research was available to prove or disprove these theories. I honestly thought this company was going to be another Powerband, who endorses athletes/celebrities to wear their jewelery and “claim” improved results (I believe Powerband claimed improvement in balance, strength, flexibility and libido...maybe I made that one up). However, a new study from Garner 2011 suggests decreased cortisol levels following an intense bout of resistance training while using the mouthpiece. The Bite Tech Research Institute has also performed their own studies demonstrating an improvement in pitching velocity, reaction time and strength (see abstracts here).

I’m constantly skeptical of these devices because Powerband was not the first snake oil on the market.  If you explore sports performance and health in general there are million dollar companies who based their products along altered, fictitious, or biased data. Skeptism should be elevated when a company has their own research institute publishing data. However, this recent study is the first I’ve seen outside of their own institute and suggest improvements.  

Do you think swimmers should wear mouthpieces?  I don’t think it would impair breathing, but I’ve never worn a mouthpiece, what do you think?

By Dr. G. John Mullen, DPT, CSCS. He is the founder of the Center of Optimal Restoration and head strength coach at Santa Clara Swim Club.

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Ankles and Swimming Part IV

Modern swimmers have embraced aggressive forms of dryland conditioning, such as running, jumping, and sprinting.  With this trend, functional ankles become more important for dryland safety and performance.  In previous installments, our main focus has been on plantar flexion, or toe pointing.  While swimming does not reward extreme dorsiflexion in the same manner as extreme plantar flexion, it is still important to normalize dorsiflexion both statically and dynamically.  Beyond normal ranges, adding dorsiflexion won’t directly add speed, but normal dorsilfexion will allow swimmers to train more consistently with reduced risk of injury, especially on dry land.    

The Ankle and the Knee

When we think of swimming injuries, the shoulder, back, and neck come to mind first. However, the knee may not be as immune as we once thought. Soder, et al (2011) found abnormalities in the MRI’s of asymptomatic competitive swimmers. (http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2011/04/03/bjsm.2010.083345.short?rss=1)


Although we don’t know the dryland background of the experimental group, if swimmers are to incorporate dynamic land-based activities such as running, jumping, and sprinting, we must hold them to similar standards of function as land-based athletes. Regardless of the activity, healthy knees require functional ankles.


Shoe selection

One frequently overlooked issue in the swimming world is shoe selection for dryland, which is interrelated with ankle function.  Shoe selection is dependent on a variety of factors from the athlete’s individual makeup to the types of dryland activities in the program.  For example, an athlete with limited dorsiflexion and little running background should avoid probably minimalist footwear if the dryland program includes running/sprinting, but the same athlete might benefit from wearing those shoes in the gym.    

Not a bad idea in concept, but not for everyone in practice

Dryland strategies

To address ankle mobility on dryland, an age-based approach can be helpful.  Although we’re only striving to achieve normal ranges, we still must identify those needing improvement and provide appropriate corrections.  To reinforce normal function in a young swimmer, sometimes more time playing on their feet is all that’s needed.  However, a masters swimmer may require a more focused intervention with manual therapy and corrective exercise (some strategies of which were offered in the previous installment).  

-Entry-level swimmers – It’s rare to see mobility limitations in younger swimmers, but in those cases we find that problems often work themselves out on their own in a generalized program.  Kids sometimes just need time playing on land to develop balance and body awareness.  As those traits improve, so do the ankles.  

–Junior – Much like the very young kids, it’s rare to see kids in this age group who are extremely limited.  As this age range is also one of profound bodily changes, a program with appropriate doses of running and jumping usually gives kids what they need.  However, it’s never too early to impart sound landing skills.  

One highly effective (and safe) landing exercise is the drop squat, which teaches kids to land softly with good alignment from the ankles through the hips.  If a kid habitually turns the feet out (pronates) on the landing or lets the knees cave inward, you potentially have an ankle issue to resolve, both on land and in turns. 

-Senior/Collegiate/Masters – While senior/collegiate and masters swimmers have widely different training and performance characteristics, I have grouped them all together based on their stage of growth development.  If someone has ankle issues at these age levels, dryland games probably aren’t going to resolve the matter, although development of landing skills is appropriate for all ages.  

The wall dorsiflexion drill is both a valuable assessment and a useful exercise for all ages.  When performing the exercise, the lead heel should remain on the ground as the ankle dorsiflexes, bringing the lead knee closer to the wall.

Summary

Ankle dorsiflexion is an often neglected, but important aspect of lower body performance in and out of the water.  This final installment brings us full circle in our discussion of ankles in swimming as we began with the basic anatomy of plantar flexion, moved onto strategies to improve plantar flexion, and concluded with a survey of dorsiflexion for dryland safety and performance.

By Allan Phillips. Allan and his wife Katherine are heavily involved in the strength and conditioning community, for more information refer to Pike Athletics.

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Weekly Round-up

Today's weekend round-up will cover a variety of subjects ranging from swimming specifics to random life optimization posts, enjoy!

1. A recent study found acute caffeine ingestion demonstrated minimal effect on resistance training performance, read here.
2. Hear rate variability and stretching, does stretching decrease heart rate...maybe if you're really stiff, read here.
3. The effectiveness of PNF stretching, are your swimmers performing PNF stretching, read here.
4. Do compression garments work, read here.
5. The effect of 4-week training period on plasma neuropeptide Y, leptin and ghrelin responses in male rowers read here.
6. Bret Contreas discusses titin and myotiti, great read here.
7. Ben Bruno discusses Bulgarian split squats for athletes who are unable to squat without back pain, read here.
8. Mike Reinold links information on psoas releases, PRP and green tea, read here.
9. Intriguing post on T-Nation regarding sports nutrition, read here.
10. Rob Panariellos talks about youth athletics the difference between sport specific skills and athleticism, read here.
11. Great post by Chris Ritter, durability is essential, read here.
12. Mr. Rieder makes his Olympic Trial predictions, read here. Not enough upsets in my opinion. I think the 100 and 200 free for men and women will be a lot different.
13. Supplementation with soybean peptides, taurine, Pueraria isoflavone, and ginseng saponin complex improves endurance exercise capacity in humans. Potentially secondary to phytoestrogen, read here.
14. Rotational jumps and monkey throws from Swimming World TV, watch here.

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Friday Interview with Adam Mania

1) Please introduce yourself to the readers (how you started in swimming,education, experience, etc.). 
I started swimming in Hickman, NE when I was 10 at a swim school that was 2 lanes and 20yds long. This lasted until I went to college. I wasn't really a huge fan of swimming as a child. Mainly went only because I wanted to hang out with my friends that swam as well. It was social for me. In high school, I started to see some sort of potential but was still just a "jabronie" (Never heard of 2-a days, wore drag suits, didn't know that I had to shave for taper, dyed my hair funky colors for state...etc etc). I ended up getting a full scholarship to swim at the university of Nebraska, but a few weeks after I signed, they dropped the program, and I signed with University of Wisconsin. At Wisconsin I was a 13-time All-American, and school record holder in 100,200 back, 200 IM, and 200 breast. In 2004, I made the Polish Olympic Team (have been a dual citizen my whole life, with Polish also being my first language). There I swam the 100 and 200 back. Due to swim federation politics, I left the Polish federation, and am now currently swimming for the US. After college I took a coaching job at Schroeder YMCA in Milwaukee, WI and have been coached by Dave Anderson. Under him, I made my first USA national team in 2007, and also broke the US OPEN record in the 50 backstroke. In 2009, I competed in the Fina World Cup, just missing the WR in the 50 back by 0.15. Currently, I coach full time at Schroeder, and in the little time I have left I also train some with our senior group.

2) What is your current training schedule?  
Currently, it is very sporadic. I will usually swim 3-4x a week around 3000-3500y. There have been many weeks where I only get in 2 swims. I also lift at a gym called NX Level in Waukesha, where I have a personal trainer, with an extensive swimming background that essentially whups my butt for 90 minutes 2-3x a week.

3) How do you incorporate mobility and stretching into your training?  
Stretching and mobility is first and foremost. Immobility is what leads to injury. The joints need to be able to move in a full range of motion, instead of a limited range, that causes certain muscle groups to compensate, which can lead to injury. Case in point. Scapular stability is very important when dealing with shoulder health. The shoulder muscles are used so extensively throughout a swim practice, but most often, the upper back muscles of a swimmer are quite weak, which causes the shoulders to over work, leading to impingement. With the development of scapular stability, a balance is created, preventing injury. When I workout, I do a "dynamic warmup" beforehand. I set of dryland exercises that merely warms up my internal body temperature, followed by hip and shoulder mobility exercises. After the workout is when i stretch out for a longer period of time, and also roll out my legs on either a styrofoam roller, or myofascial release ball. I have never had any sort of swimming related injury..... unless you call playing basketball before practice "swimming related". No more basketball for Adam.

4)What is the weirdest training you've done throughout your career? weirdest? i feel like everything i do is weird and outside of the box. If  I wasn’t doing something interesting in the pool, i wouldn’t beswimming. Similar to many swimmers, I have a VERY short attention span, and like to be mentally entertained. If i kept doing 30x100s, I would have quit a long time ago. I still swim because I am having so much fun doing it. I learned a lot about stroke efficiency through my coach in college, Eric Hansen, who is now the head coach at Arizona.
Dave Anderson, my coach currently, and I collaborate almost every day on certain things we want to work on. I also have spent some time with Dave Salo at Trojan swim club, where I have learned a lot of different training techniques.

5) What aspects of your backstroke are you currently concentrating on?Currently, my finishing speed. I’m quite a mental swimmer, and always thinking about what my stroke is doing. I used to have a very deep pull, and I changed that a few years back, setting my anchor faster. Also now, I’m working on not kicking much at all on the first 50 of my 100back, and then adding my legs in on the 2nd half of the race, and building my tempo. Also, my coach convinced me to do the 200 back this year (dislike). So, apparently that means I have to swim a little bit more.

6) What drills/activities are you doing to achieve this?Anything that’s fast. A lot of high intensity swimming, broken up by some longer swim/scull/drill swims. My sets are very short. 600-1500 yards the most, but I will do a few sets. About 75% oft hese sets are ALL OUT SPRINT. I race at 100% intensity, therefore, I need to learn to train at 100% intensity. doing that for 10x100s is just impossible...unless you are a miler. Which in that case, I’m sorry.

7) In your opinion, what was the biggest adjustment you made in your swimming career (stroke biomechanical, training, dryland)?Swimming less, lifting more. I created a large base at Wisconsin. Swimming 7500y workouts 9 times a week....once I was done with college, the only way I was going to be swimming, was to only do a fraction of that. I upped the intensity, and SEVERELY dropped the volume. Also my dryland regimen at NX LEVEL is one of the only reasons why I swim as little as I do, and can still go best times in races like 200 back, 200 IM, 200fr...even if Im a little crazy, Ill throw a 400IM or 200fly in. Also, I used to fly and die in a lot of my races. Now, I set my races up a lot better, being more controlled in the beginning, and not kicking so hard.

8) Of all the testing sports performance testing you've done (underwater  filming, blood lactate, etc.), what do you feel has been the most beneficial? Underwater filming is something we do at Schroeder almost weekly. That helps me a lot. Also its easy for me to make those changes, because I do not swim a whole lot, therefore, I dont create bad habits that come with overtraining.

9) Over the past few years, what is the biggest change you've made with your training? Less is more.

10) What projects are you working on in and outside the pool? 

I coach full time, which takes up a lot of time. Mainly 10-14 year olds, and also the Masters team. Also, I am involved with fundraising for our facility, because we are a non-profit organization. Our pool was almost torn down a few years ago, and we actually ended up BUYING it from the YMCA, and run it wholly on fees, capital contributions, and fundraising. I also am the coordinator of our annual Golf Outing that brings in over 70 golfers every year. I thoroughly enjoy the social scene in Milwaukee as well, which has made it fun for me to live here. Right now, I am studying for the GMAT and will be trying to get an MBA starting in fall of 2012. I was in the masters program at UW-Milwaukee in Urban Planning, but decided it wasnt the right thing for me.

Thanks Adam

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Go Drink Some Gatorade, Actually...

As many swimmers return to the pool, a well known, but poorly understood phenomenon will be happening....cramping! Despite the commonality, poor solutions are constantly practice secondary to misplaced precision and ecclesiastical suggestion. I've discussed in past post, muscle cramps, about the poor correlation between electrolyte or hydration level and cramps. However, this "solution" is still commonly practiced. In fact, new studies are still looking at chemical or nutritional answers to a neurophysical solution. The last study determined pickle juice (Miller 2010) improve cramps within 85 seconds compared to 134 seconds for water and 153 seconds for no consumption.  This misplaced precision by researchers is leading to poor clinical practice.  

We need to start looking for solutions in the neural tissue, improving muscle strength and nerve conductivity to improve muscle cramping....any ideas?  Why do you think athletes mostly cramp at the beginning of the season, is hydration or nutritional level different?

By Dr. G. John Mullen, DPT, CSCS. He is the founder of the Center of Optimal Restoration and head strength coach at Santa Clara Swim Club.

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Resisted Swimming

A recent study by Schnitzler 2011 looked at the differences between sprint freestyle with and without with resistance (parachute). Stroke variables were assessed under these two conditions and the results hypothesize resistance swimming increased force outputs, coordination, but decreased stroke rate. Swimming without resistance lead to an increase in stroke rate, propulsive phase and coordination.  

This study suggest resistance swimming leads to increases in force output, but causes a decrease in stroke rate.  For a sprinter, is decreasing the athletes stroke rate beneficial? As stated, resisted swimming will lead to increased stroke force, but is this carry over to sprinting if the stroke rate is different? Should you require a specific stroke rate during resistance swimming to optimize this training (via Tempo Trainer)?

By Dr. G. John Mullen, DPT, CSCS. He is the founder of the Center of Optimal Restoration and head strength coach at Santa Clara Swim Club.

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Ankles and Swimming Part III

In Part III of our ankles series, we’ll explore the role of the ankles during starts and the take off phase in turns.  Turns have both a landing phase and a take off phase; in this post we’ll only focus upon take off.  Issues related to the landing phase overlap closely with our next installment.  The exercises in this installment are advanced progressions from the previous installment, which focused on soft tissue prep and non-weight bearing movement.      
    

Starts
Block starts require both dorsiflexion and plantarflexion.  In a track start, the rear foot is a major power source as part of the triple extension through the hips, knee, and ankle when the gun goes off.  A swimmer with limited rear foot dorsiflexion may start with weight too far forward, have limited hip flexion in the rear hip, and will not efficiently transfer energy from the posterior muscles.  

Inchworms – A good exercise to train ankle mobility for starts (and in general) is the inchworm.  Most importantly, the inchworm also offers continuity within exercise progressions.   The video demonstrates a variation based on the yoga downward dog pose, but you can also start each cycle from a push up position.  

Visit media.pikeathletics.com for more videos

Coaching cues: Drive through the heels.  The inchworm provides an assessment to determine any deficits that could affect start position.  If the swimmer can’t drive the heels you know one of two things is likely: either a global restriction in the posterior chain or a local restriction in the ankle.

Big toe – An often overlooked aspect of the start is big toe mobility.  Although the big toe is a separate joint from the ankle, a mobile big toe is critical for the ankle to work efficiently.  Any restriction in the big toe will lead to compensations in the ankle.    

Turns
The push-off phase of each stroke requires ankle plantar flexion not only to get off the wall quickly but also get our ankles streamlined to avoid excess drag.  A good ankle point offers speed with minimal energy expenditure which helps to sustain velocity before the first stroke.

Heel raises –

A common exercise for training loaded plantar flexion is the heel raise, which applies to both starts and turns.  Remember from the previous installment that as much as possible we want to train a neutral toe point.  It’s one thing if an athlete has a bony limitation in the ankle, it’s quite another to achieve mobility excursions by cheating.

I prefer to keep these on flat ground as the risk-reward in swimming does not justify dropping the heel below toe level and putting added strain on the Achilles.  If you need well defined calves for your next bodybuilding contest, now that’s a different story!

Old school – The classic exercise for dynamic plantar flexion is jumping rope.  Only caution with jumping rope is to avoid getting carried away, as doing too much too soon can lead to unneeded soreness and possibly Achilles tendon injuries.   

Advanced – Heel Raises with Core Preactivation – 

Fix a band on a high point, such as the top of a fence as I have done here or around a pull up bar.  Pull down with the band and perform a standard heel raise.  This is not an easy move to do correctly with a tight band and might not be appropriate for some athletes.  However, pre activating the core before plantar flexion can highlight common turn deficits like a back arching.

Summary


Think of ankle work as spices that add flavor to a good recipe.  Effective ankles prepare us for our “meat-and-potatoes” exercises like sled drags, deadlifts, and other loaded moves that require the foot dynamically interact with the ground.  In the fourth and final installment of our Ankles series, we’ll address the role of the ankles in common dryland exercises in running, jumping, and squatting.  

By Allan Phillips. Allan and his wife Katherine are heavily involved in the strength and conditioning community, for more information refer to Pike Athletics.

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Friday Interview with Chad La Tourette

1) Please introduce yourself to the readers (how you started in swimming, education , experience, etc.).

I started in swimming on the Mission Viejo Nadadores when I was 8 years old. I am coming up on my fifteenth year in swimming and I've to date swam for only two programs- the Mission Viejo Nadadores and Stanford Men's Swimming.

2) What is your current training schedule?

Right now I am building up in yardage and dryland intensity. Stanford holds a specialized strength camp every year before we go to school. My daily routine varies but we usually do two practices a day. Our early practices put a large emphasis on strength work and technique in the water, along with helping the freshmen get used to the program.

3) How do you incorporate mobility and stretching into your training?

We do a good amount of basic stretching and yoga movements after our dryland circuit right before we get into the water. I break stretching for freestyle into a leg and shoulder component. For legs, the basics (quads, calves, hamstrings) are important along with improving ankle flexibility for kicking. For upper-body mobility, shoulder range of motion is my highest priority.

4) What is the weirdest training you've done throughout your career?

As a distance swimmer I've never ventured too far from tried and true methods, but I do enjoy mixing up my cross-training in the offseason. Last summer I played quite a bit of baseball and golf with my brother. I think both of these sports are great for developing core stability, while at the same time have the potential to make you into a better overall athlete.

5) What aspects of your free and fly are you currently concentrating on?

For freestyle I concentrate mostly on head position and my turn push-offs. For fly I concentrate on landing my hands out in front no greater than shoulder-width apart. All aspects of my stroke that I am improving mostly aim to reduce drag.

6) What drills/activities are you doing to achieve this?

For freestyle push-offs I use a short band that connects to the block behind my lane. This band accentuates calf, quad and hamstring explosiveness. I don't have any specific drills for improving basic swimming form so I usually rely on my Coach, Skip, for help.

7) In your opinion, what was the biggest adjustment you made in your swimming career (stroke biomechanical, training, dryland)?

Probably the biggest adjustment I made was making a switch from a LCM focused club to collegiate swimming. I think I draw a lot of benefits from being able to train with both programs throughout the year. Aside from that, learning proper nutrition has given me more energy throughout the day and allows me to recover faster.

8) Of all the testing sports performance testing you've done (underwater filming, blood lactate, etc.), what do you feel has been the most beneficial?

I think blood lactate testing has been a great tool for me because it doesn't lie. I always have an idea of what my lactate should be after a given set when I am in prime shape (because I usually do most testing on national team trips). Having a good lactate test during your taper or a few days before a big race does a lot for one's confidence.

9) Over the past few years, what is the biggest change you've made with your training?

Swimming at Stanford made me aware of a lot of gaps in my overall athletic ability that I needed to and still need to fix. We have a tremendous dryland program that incorporates dynamic movements that allow everyone, regardless of pre-existing ability, to improve.

10) What projects are you working on in and outside the pool?

Right now I am looking forward to finishing up my undergraduate in Stanford's Earth Systems program. Last summer, I took part in an internship at a nonprofit organization called CleanTech OC. The organization aimed to connect clean technology firms, academic institutions, and the government to progress sustainable business practices along with new renewable energy start-ups. Its exciting to learn what others are doing to help power the country today and into the future.

Thanks Chad, Good Luck this season.

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: The Complete Guide to Swimming Pool Chemicals

While swimming is a very beneficial form of physical exercise, the question of swimming pool chemicals and the health related risks are frequently placed side by side. To answer any concerns you may have, this blog looks to delve into the various trepidations associated with chemicals such as chlorine and bromine, alongside looking at the positive attributes; so do the positives outweigh the negatives?  - let’s find out.

Swimming is a great form of exercise, which is why hydrotherapy is typically used as a form of physiotherapy treatment. Its weightless format makes light of exercises that outside of the water would be strenuous. Yet, as all swimmers will testify – chemicals are common place in most private and public swimming pools.

Why We Use Swimming Pool Chemicals
As we all know the positives, let’s start with them. The main reason chemicals are used is to prevent bacterial growth and kill any harmful organisms. In essence, swimming pool chemicals are designed to kill anything which may be lurking in the depths of a swimming pool, and in doing so create a swimming environment which is germ free for the swimmer, creating an environment that is healthier.
In addition to this, it has also been suggested that the use of swimming pool chemicals is meant to extend the life of water pumps and filters. This is particularly good for the owner, as it means less expenditure is wasted on replacing vital equipment.
Yet, as with most things nowadays there are some adverse side effects which both chlorine and bromine unfortunately have come to convey.

The Supposed Risks of Swimming Pool Chemicals
Forgetting the distinctive smell that many have come to associate with public swimming pools, chlorine in particular has some very serious health risks related with its name. From the claim of enhancing the likelihood of asthma and allergies, it has now come to light that it could in theory cause cancer. The reason for this? It has been suggested by the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) that ‘swimming in chlorinated indoor pools can case genotoxic effects (DNA damage)’.

Despite these concerns, there has been no verifiable evidence which 100% supports this suggestion. Subsequently, the co-director of CREAL, Manolis Kogevinas stated that “in no case we want to stop swimming but to encourage the reduction of chemicals in swimming pools to ensure disinfectant of the same”.
It can be easy to get carried away with the ugly side of these chemicals and forget the good that they achieve in removing all harmful bacteria. These concerns surrounding cancer, asthma and allergies are largely unfounded and have no substantial studies to support the theory that chemicals induce them.
On the whole, swimming is a fun, relaxing and effective form of exercise that should not be snubbed for the mere sake of a few speculative accusations. However, if you are concerned about swimming pool chemicals then taking the time to shower after swimming will remove all traces of the chemicals on your skin. Aside from this, enjoy yourself and swim to your heart’s content.

By Gayle Brown on behalf of the Swimming Pool Store; professional supplier of swimming pool chemicals.

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Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right

Unilateral resistance training is a beneficial tool for swimming coaches.  It is not the end all be all form for exercise, but long axis strokes do require unilateral movements and utilize the spiral line by requiring pulling with one arm and kicking with other leg, similar to unilateral training.  Like all forms of training, unilateral training should be used periodically throughout the year.  There are pros and cons to unilateral training, but when used properly and assessing the individuals main goals/flaws, it may be the missin stone to success.

Pros
As the pituitary dysfuncting Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said in Fast 5, give me the Meat first, referring to the pros. 

1. Sport specific to long axis stroke: As stated in the intro, unilateral training is specific to long axis strokes. This specificity can be increased with contralateral hip extension, working the Sprial Line in accordance to Tom Myers.
2. Improve muscular imbalance: Let me directly state, muscular imbalances are essential in sports performance, however, too much can lead to injury. For example, a swimmer needs strong lats, traps, etc. This imbalance between the posterior and anterior muscles is common, but imbalances in the imbalances can lead to injuries.  Two wrongs do not make a right. Athletes who do breathe to one side will also have unilateral differences.  These are normal and help drive their strokes, but if too much variation is noted, injury may arise.  Unilateral training can help “awaken” doormat muscles, to balance excessive excessive movement patterns which may lead to injury.
3. Increased muscular recruitment: Many advocates of unilateral training support their idea with the “bilateral deficit”.  This means if you train unilaterally and add the sum of both limbs, the sum will be greater than the bilateral lift.  I disagree with this since much of their reasoning and research is on untrained athletes using a knee extension machine.  When I say increased muscular recruitment, I’m talking about the stability muscle.  If you are performing a one sided lift, your core will need to prevent the trunk from side bending and rotating to the side with the weight, this increased abdominal activity was shown by Saeterbakken in 2011.

Cons
“Now give me the veggies”-Dwayne Johnson

1. Less Neuroendocrine secretion (specifically growth hormone): If putting on mass and strength is crucial to improving swimming performance, than unilateral training is inferior to bilateral training.  Get back to the spinach, HGH and bilateral movements.
2. More common exercises: Squatting, Benching, pull-ups, etc. are common exercises which most people are comfortable performing (despite stellar form).  Switching to pure unilateral training can cause much added work and education, which many are unwilling to consider.

Overall, both unilateral and bilateral training are important and they volume of each of these types depends on the athlete goals.  However, if I have an athlete has had a recent injury, I highly suggested initiating a resistance training program with unilateral training for the aforementioned reasons.


By Dr. G. John Mullen, DPT, CSCS. He is the founder of the Center of Optimal Restoration and head strength coach at Santa Clara Swim Club.

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Ankles and Swimming Part II

In part II of this series on the ankles, we’ll explore exercises to improve plantar flexion (toe pointing).  Although our main focus will be on the ankles themselves, recall from part I that restrictions elsewhere in the body can contribute to ankle limitations, particularly with masters swimmers and triathletes.  Soft tissue work, dynamic mobility, static stretching, and fin assisted kicking all play a role in improving ankle mobility.   

Soft tissue work – Think of soft tissue work as greasing the wheels for subsequent exercise interventions to take hold.  Combine soft tissue work with exercise for the greatest improvements.   

-Feet – Tennis ball under the arch.
-Calves – Tennis ball/lacrosse ball and foam roller
-Shins – Foam roller or The Stick
Special considerations regarding soft tissue work: The lower leg houses many key nerves but offers less superficial protection than fleshier areas of the body.  Do-it-yourself implements like balls and rollers usually don’t penetrate deep enough to cause problems, but stay away from bone structures such as the fibular head, over which the common peroneal nerve crosses.  The common peroneal nerve is a branch of the sciatic nerve, which originates in the lower back and runs down the back of the leg before branching off at the fibular head.  How we train the core and posterior chain can directly affect the ankles.    

   

Static stretches – Static stretching is perhaps the most familiar dryland tool to improve ankle mobility.  In my experience, static stretches are effective to gain a few extra degrees in a swimmer who already has good mobility.  If a swimmer has a range of motion deficit, you probably need more than static stretching because the lack of mobility could be a sign of global issues, as we discussed in the first installment.  

Additionally, there are delicate structures in and around the ankle that inherently limit the plantar flexion of certain individuals.  If your dryland program includes ballistic movements such as running and jumping, realize that you must balance ankle mobility with the athlete’s ability to stabilize on land.  

Relatively uncommon in swimmers, but it can happen if we overdo stretching

The Rack

Many swimmers cringe at the sight of The Rack.  While I wouldn’t consider The Rack the panacea for ankle limitations, I wouldn’t dismiss it either.  When used correctly on athletes who already posses acceptable range of motion, The Rack can add a few degrees of plantar flexion.  However, spending a significant time with The Rack is generally a waste of time for a triathlete or masters swimmer whose tight ankles are a product of global mobility restrictions.  

Sitting on shins

As with The Rack, this method can be appropriate as “icing on the cake” but I’d be cautious if the swimmer has global mobility restrictions.   Assist with a towel or pillow under the knees if the shin angle is too extreme.  Gradually reduce the height of the towel or pillow as flexibility improves.  One overlooked point in doing this stretch is the direction of the feet.  It is easy to cheat this stretch by “sickling” the feet inward.

I’m not sure if sickled ankles have any effect on stroke dynamics, but in the worlds of dance 
and gymnastics (other sports that reward extreme plantar flexion), attaining plantar flexion 
via sickling results in inefficient energy transfer both up and down the leg.    

Dynamic stretching
While these pictures below display use of a theraband, you can also use a rope or your own hand for different types of resistance or assistance.  
Resisted : Make sure with this exercise that the athlete does not cheat by curling the toes around the band.

Assisted: Here the resistance is against dorsiflexion, but plantar flexion is assisted.

 

Eversion and inversion

Ankle eversion is critical for breaststroke.  Those with limited plantar flexion often struggle with eversion as well.  Eversion improvements are valuable particularly for freestyle oriented IM-ers with ankle deficits, particularly if you aren’t able to fully address breaststroke specific hip rotation.   If you train eversion, don’t neglect the opposite direction (inversion).       

In the water – Fin selection
Ankles in kick work much like the wrists in battle ropes.  With ropes you can practically see the transfer of energy…

Use long and soft fins for teaching.  Certainly we have many simultaneous goals with kick training, from tempo, timing, power, and upper/lower body coordination.  Coaches have many different preferences for their squads and there is no single “best” fin.  However, when the purpose of a set is to train ankle mobility, long and soft fins best replicate the pattern of energy transfer through the leg.  Don’t rely on the first two moldy pieces of rubber you pull from the lost-and-found bin!

Conclusion
Improving ankle performance in kicking requires a blend of soft tissue work, flexibility training, dynamic mobility, and judicious use of fins.  As with any aspect of training, our role as coaches is to find the right blend for each athlete.  In the future we’ll explore the role of the ankles in starts, turns, and on dryland.    

By Allan Phillips. Allan and his wife Katherine are heavily involved in the strength and conditioning community, for more information refer to Pike Athletics.

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