Strength training



M

Matt F

Guest
Swimming experts,

I recently started strength training to complement my 3-4x/week swimming
routine. I'm trying to lose weight, I am currently 205 and want to drop
20lbs. I'm not very interested in gaining a lot of muscle, but rather, I
want to gain muscular endurance to improve my strokes (freestyle and breast)
and more efficiently burn fat in the water. I swim about 3000-3500 yds per
workout, in sets of alternating 200yds, 150yds, 50yds, etc....and pyramids
and IM's here and there.

My question is, how should I go about figuring out how many reps/sets to do
for my situation? I just started a 3x/week (every other day) regimen of
legs, chest, shoulders, lats, abs, etc, and the recommendation I found was
to do 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps per exercise. I thought I heard somewhere that
for swimming strength training, you want to do lots of reps, not too many
sets, and keep the weight down.

Any help would be appreciated! I'm sure either way I'll get faster and
stronger in the water, but like I said, I don't want to add too much muscle
mass if I can stay away from it!

Matt
 
Matt F wrote:
> Swimming experts,
>
> I recently started strength training to complement my 3-4x/week swimming
> routine. I'm trying to lose weight, I am currently 205 and want to drop
> 20lbs. I'm not very interested in gaining a lot of muscle, but rather, I
> want to gain muscular endurance to improve my strokes (freestyle and breast)
> and more efficiently burn fat in the water. I swim about 3000-3500 yds per
> workout, in sets of alternating 200yds, 150yds, 50yds, etc....and pyramids
> and IM's here and there.
>
> My question is, how should I go about figuring out how many reps/sets to do
> for my situation? I just started a 3x/week (every other day) regimen of
> legs, chest, shoulders, lats, abs, etc, and the recommendation I found was
> to do 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps per exercise. I thought I heard somewhere that
> for swimming strength training, you want to do lots of reps, not too many
> sets, and keep the weight down.
>
> Any help would be appreciated! I'm sure either way I'll get faster and
> stronger in the water, but like I said, I don't want to add too much muscle
> mass if I can stay away from it!
>
> Matt
>
>


I think it depends how close to a race you are. If you're not racing you
may still want to set some PBs to gauge progress with.
Whatever you decide, make sure you keep a balance: push down equal
weights to that which you lift. Also go for lifting and pushing/pulling
exercises rather than movements that are for body builders to gain
definition, like side raises for you shoulders.
Don't over extend yourself, don't try and go beyond your range of movement.
And finally to answer your question, when you're putting in lots of
distance in the pool, keep the weights larger but with fewer reps, as
you near competition or a PB attempt, trim the weight down and increase
reps, drop them altogether at least two weeks before a race.
HTH....
 
"didgerman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Matt F wrote:
> > Swimming experts,
> >
> > I recently started strength training to complement my 3-4x/week swimming
> > routine. I'm trying to lose weight, I am currently 205 and want to drop
> > 20lbs. I'm not very interested in gaining a lot of muscle, but rather,

I
> > want to gain muscular endurance to improve my strokes (freestyle and

breast)
> > and more efficiently burn fat in the water. I swim about 3000-3500 yds

per
> > workout, in sets of alternating 200yds, 150yds, 50yds, etc....and

pyramids
> > and IM's here and there.
> >
> > My question is, how should I go about figuring out how many reps/sets to

do
> > for my situation? I just started a 3x/week (every other day) regimen of
> > legs, chest, shoulders, lats, abs, etc, and the recommendation I found

was
> > to do 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps per exercise. I thought I heard somewhere

that
> > for swimming strength training, you want to do lots of reps, not too

many
> > sets, and keep the weight down.
> >
> > Any help would be appreciated! I'm sure either way I'll get faster and
> > stronger in the water, but like I said, I don't want to add too much

muscle
> > mass if I can stay away from it!
> >
> > Matt
> >
> >

>
> I think it depends how close to a race you are. If you're not racing you
> may still want to set some PBs to gauge progress with.
> Whatever you decide, make sure you keep a balance: push down equal
> weights to that which you lift. Also go for lifting and pushing/pulling
> exercises rather than movements that are for body builders to gain
> definition, like side raises for you shoulders.
> Don't over extend yourself, don't try and go beyond your range of

movement.
> And finally to answer your question, when you're putting in lots of
> distance in the pool, keep the weights larger but with fewer reps, as
> you near competition or a PB attempt, trim the weight down and increase
> reps, drop them altogether at least two weeks before a race.
> HTH....


Thanks for the advice. I'm not racing at all, this is just my cardio
workout of choice. I was taking a look at my lifting routine and I noticed
there was no calf exercise...this seems strange. Aren't the calves fairly
important muscles for kicking?

M.
 
Matt F says...

> I recently started strength training to complement my
> 3-4x/week swimming routine. I'm trying to lose weight,
> I am currently 205 and want to drop 20lbs. I'm not very
> interested in gaining a lot of muscle, but rather, I
> want to gain muscular endurance to improve my strokes
> (freestyle and breast) and more efficiently burn fat in
> the water.


....snip...

> Any help would be appreciated! I'm sure either way I'll
> get faster and stronger in the water, but like I said, I
> don't want to add too much muscle mass if I can stay
> away from it!


If, as you say in your later post, you aren't racing, then
I'm curious as to why you don't want more muscle mass.
Increased muscularity would be very helpful in losing
weight, or at least losing fat, much moreso than swimming.

Just curious as to your reasoning.
 
Life's too short to be small :)

If you're going to lift, do it hard, do it brief, low reps and high
weight. No more than once per week if you're going as hard as you
should.

What is swimming other than lots of reps with low resistance? No need
to repeat that in the weight room - you might as well stay in the pool.
Your desired outcome should be more muscle. That's what will fuel the
weight loss or at least change your muscle/fat ratio even if you stay
the same weight. Muscle takes calories to stay alive on your body.
Fat is inert.

There's only five primary exercises which are of value - squat (or leg
press), pull down, row, overhead press, chest press. Don't waste your
time with anything else. You can also dead lift in place of squat with
a trap bar.

With regard to intensity, as Arthur Jone's famously quipped, if you
haven't thrown up after a set, then you don't know the meaning of
intensity. However, I certainly don't recommend that kind of
intensity, especially if you're older. But the harder you go, the more
muscle mass you are going to add.

For myself, I could never integrate upper body weight work with
swimming. Too old or something. However leg work is great - not only
for strength but for the global metabolic conditioning. Ever do an IM
set and feel a bit woozy due to lack of fitness - you'll get the same
feeling if your work your legs hard. That's why Tom Dolan did squats.

good luck,
Eric
 
Matt F wrote:
> "didgerman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Matt F wrote:
>>> Swimming experts,
>>>
>>> I recently started strength training to complement my 3-4x/week swimming
>>> routine. I'm trying to lose weight, I am currently 205 and want to drop
>>> 20lbs. I'm not very interested in gaining a lot of muscle, but rather,

> I
>>> want to gain muscular endurance to improve my strokes (freestyle and

> breast)
>>> and more efficiently burn fat in the water. I swim about 3000-3500 yds

> per
>>> workout, in sets of alternating 200yds, 150yds, 50yds, etc....and

> pyramids
>>> and IM's here and there.
>>>
>>> My question is, how should I go about figuring out how many reps/sets to

> do
>>> for my situation? I just started a 3x/week (every other day) regimen of
>>> legs, chest, shoulders, lats, abs, etc, and the recommendation I found

> was
>>> to do 2-3 sets of 15-20 reps per exercise. I thought I heard somewhere

> that
>>> for swimming strength training, you want to do lots of reps, not too

> many
>>> sets, and keep the weight down.
>>>
>>> Any help would be appreciated! I'm sure either way I'll get faster and
>>> stronger in the water, but like I said, I don't want to add too much

> muscle
>>> mass if I can stay away from it!
>>>
>>> Matt
>>>
>>>

>> I think it depends how close to a race you are. If you're not racing you
>> may still want to set some PBs to gauge progress with.
>> Whatever you decide, make sure you keep a balance: push down equal
>> weights to that which you lift. Also go for lifting and pushing/pulling
>> exercises rather than movements that are for body builders to gain
>> definition, like side raises for you shoulders.
>> Don't over extend yourself, don't try and go beyond your range of

> movement.
>> And finally to answer your question, when you're putting in lots of
>> distance in the pool, keep the weights larger but with fewer reps, as
>> you near competition or a PB attempt, trim the weight down and increase
>> reps, drop them altogether at least two weeks before a race.
>> HTH....

>
> Thanks for the advice. I'm not racing at all, this is just my cardio
> workout of choice.


In that case I'd switch between one heavy, low rep session, and one high
rep low weight session each week. Two's plenty with that amount of
swimming...

I was taking a look at my lifting routine and I noticed
> there was no calf exercise...this seems strange. Aren't the calves fairly
> important muscles for kicking?


No, you kick from your hips and thighs. I'd include some calf stuff
though, if only for the sake of balance. Most gyms have special
machine, or just use a leg press...

>
> M.
>
>
 
Thanks a bunch for the info, it's very helpful. As another poster
mentioned, I was mistaken in my desire to stay away from building
muscle mass. Not sure why I wanted to avoid that; I think I just
wanted to see a better drop in overall weight rather than adding mass.
But screw that, it's all about the muscle/fat ratio, and how much I can
fawn over myself in the mirror, right? :)

Anyway, you said "low reps, high weight." I'll get a feel for weight
after some initial sessions, but what ballpark are we talking for reps?
10? 12? 15? Is there a maximum?

You also said I should do a hard session no more than once a week...but
my current workout plan is to go 3 days per week (every other day), and
swim on the off-days. That gives me one full day per week to recover.
Is that a bad idea? Will I be doing myself a disservice by not letting
my muscles recover enough?

Thanks, too, for your "top 5" exercises. I'll focus on those, but I
will inevitably incorporate others into my plan as well, just because I
like having an even ten exercises to do per lifting session (is that
too much?). I'm going to assume that 2 sets of high weight (gradually
increasing), 15-rep maximum is what I should shoot for. I just need to
figure out the best way to mix up all the exercises I want to do, which
could be tricky.

Matt
 
My reasoning was faulty. :) Thanks for illuminating, I'm definitely
on the right track now. Just need to get a solid plan in place and
make sure I'm not doing anything wrong...

Matt
 
One more point...as a breaststroker, I would imagine that hip abduction
excerises would be beneficial to my whip kick. Also, how are the "non
top 5" exercises like butterfly, leg curl, tricep press/extension, and
dips *not* useful as a swimmer? There are in my plan, currently, and I
have a hard time seeing them as a waste of time.

Thanks,

M.
 
The big myth in weight training is that you will "gain muscle". A
mature adult training full time would be LUCKY to gain 5 lbs of lean
muscle mass in a year.
 
[email protected] wrote:
> The big myth in weight training is that you will "gain muscle". A
> mature adult training full time would be LUCKY to gain 5 lbs of lean
> muscle mass in a year.


I'm sure you are right.

It reminds of a comment I read by a gym owner. He said the vast
majority of men come into his gym hoping to add lots of muscle. The
vast majority of women come into his gym afraid they will add too much
muscle.

The men are almost always disappointed with their results since they
don't bulk up like Arnold S. or any other "easygainer". And the women
are almost never disappointed because they obviously put on even less
muscle than the men, which is what they want.

Eric
 
>>The big myth in weight training is that you will "gain muscle". A
mature adult training full time would be LUCKY to gain 5 lbs of lean
muscle mass in a year. <<

Is anyone else old enough to remember those Charles Atlas ads of the
"bag of bones" on the beach, who gets sand kicked in his face by the
local bully, then buys the Atlas program, then comes back to the beach
looking like Arnold, tracks down the bully who kicked sand in his face
(and stole his girl...wasn't it great how in the pre-p.c. days the
strongest guy "owned" the girl?), and, in the next panel (the ad was in
the form of a cartoon) was seen popping the bully on the jaw, with the
word caption saying "here's a love tap from that 'bag of bones',
remember? -- while the soon to be recovered girlfriend looked on with
an admiring and loving gaze...?
 
Matt F. says...

> Thanks a bunch for the info, it's very helpful. As
> another poster mentioned, I was mistaken in my desire to
> stay away from building muscle mass. Not sure why I
> wanted to avoid that; I think I just wanted to see a
> better drop in overall weight rather than adding mass.
> But screw that, it's all about the muscle/fat ratio, and
> how much I can fawn over myself in the mirror, right?
> :)


Yes. It is. Particularly the mirror part.

> Anyway, you said "low reps, high weight." I'll get a
> feel for weight after some initial sessions, but what
> ballpark are we talking for reps? 10? 12? 15? Is
> there a maximum?


I'm not the one who said that, and I would suggest instead
you start with about 15 reps, and work your way down to
whatever works for you - but somewhere in the 8-12 rep
range. If you don't sneak up on it that way, you may find
yourself with ligament, tendon, cartilage and joint
problems, because these things take longer to toughen up
than it takes for muscles to increase in strength.
Particularly as you get older.

And in case it's not clear, when someone says to do X reps,
they usually mean to use the amount of weight such that you
can just barely do X reps. That's why I said "work your way
down".

> I'm going to assume that 2 sets of high weight
> (gradually increasing), 15-rep maximum is what I should
> shoot for. I just need to figure out the best way to
> mix up all the exercises I want to do, which could be
> tricky.


There's a controversial idea that's often scorned by devoted
lifters, but not by research scientists who've tested it,
that doing one set accomplishes about as much as doing
multiple sets. Here's a representative link:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0675/is_3_19/ai_75085426

The idea is that what stimulates muscle growth is the peak
stimulus, not the aggregate stimulus. So one set is as good
as three as far as strength and muscle mass are concerned.
But, to be fair, perhaps not endurance.

Anyway, I've been doing one set of 15 lifts for the last
few years, and if anything found my gains to be more rapid
than doing three sets. I get this done in about 35 minutes
(before, I spent 75% of my time in the gym resting between
sets), and have fewer joint aches and pains. I think one
set is an increasingly good idea as you get older because of
the joint problems that are likely to accompany aging. Wear
and tear tends to catch up to you.

Well, if you hang around here long enough, you'll get
completely contradictory advice, and be hopelessly confused.
But then, you can just go back to swimming. :)

Good luck.
 
[email protected] (Larry Weisenthal) wrote:
>>>The big myth in weight training is that you will "gain muscle". A

>
> mature adult training full time would be LUCKY to gain 5 lbs of lean
> muscle mass in a year. <<
>
> Is anyone else old enough to remember those Charles Atlas ads of the
> "bag of bones" on the beach, who gets sand kicked in his face by the
> local bully, then buys the Atlas program, then comes back to the beach
> looking like Arnold, tracks down the bully who kicked sand in his face
> (and stole his girl...wasn't it great how in the pre-p.c. days the
> strongest guy "owned" the girl?), and, in the next panel (the ad was in
> the form of a cartoon) was seen popping the bully on the jaw, with the
> word caption saying "here's a love tap from that 'bag of bones',
> remember? -- while the soon to be recovered girlfriend looked on with
> an admiring and loving gaze...?
>


I was a 98 pound weakling. Side view of new improved better bigger C.A.

rtk
 
Women often use the word *toned* (barf). If they only knew how
difficult it is to enlarge a muscle.

When I was in high school, hanging at the beach during the summer, I
often kept score for guys playing pinochle. They leered at all the
lovely, soft, very feminine girls slinking by. Then they would remember
me sitting there quietly and look at me sheepishly, but say reassuringly
*but you'll last!* And I did. I am very proud that I can raise my
skinny arm and - tah dah - produce a truly impressinve bicep bulge.
And, lemme tellya, Larry, I am learning to use that bicep in your famous
new pull technique.

rtk
 
"Peabody" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:ucGqf.198744$0l5.22169@dukeread06...

> I would suggest instead you start with about 15 reps, and work
>your way down to
> whatever works for you - but somewhere in the 8-12 rep
> range. If you don't sneak up on it that way, you may find
> yourself with ligament, tendon, cartilage and joint
> problems, because these things take longer to toughen up
> than it takes for muscles to increase in strength.
> Particularly as you get older.
>
> And in case it's not clear, when someone says to do X reps,
> they usually mean to use the amount of weight such that you
> can just barely do X reps. That's why I said "work your way
> down".


Great, I'll stick with that advice. Would you recommend the same
methodology for using the ab crunch machine? I always thought that more
reps/less sets is the key for ab workouts, in terms of burning fat over
gaining muscle mass in that region.

> There's a controversial idea that's often scorned by devoted
> lifters, but not by research scientists who've tested it,
> that doing one set accomplishes about as much as doing
> multiple sets. Here's a representative link:
>
> http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0675/is_3_19/ai_75085426


Interesting. I'll stick with 2 sets then. :)


> Well, if you hang around here long enough, you'll get
> completely contradictory advice, and be hopelessly confused.
> But then, you can just go back to swimming. :)


I'll be swimming anyway! I already feel stronger, after only 3 workouts in
the weightroom.

This question got overlooked though....do you think that the hip abductor
exercise would be good for my breaststroke kick?

Thanks for devoting the time to helping me out, I'm much more confident in
my program now.

M.
 
Matt F says...

> Would you recommend the same methodology for using the
> ab crunch machine? I always thought that more reps/less
> sets is the key for ab workouts, in terms of burning fat
> over gaining muscle mass in that region.


Well first let me point out that there is no such thing as
spot reduction or spot fat burning. The muscles do not
"burn" fat from the surrounding fat tissue when they do
work. They get glucose from the bloodstream. Fat is
deposited/removed according to your genetics, but generally
each person tends to put on weight in a certain pattern, and
take it off in the reverse order. But that's regardless of
which muscles are being exercised. This is
counter-intuitive, and counter to what MANY personal
trainers will tell you, but it's absoutely true.

Crunches can strengthen and enlarge the abdominal muscles,
but exercise which burns the most calories, or develops the
most thermogenic muscle tissue, will contribute most toward
reduction of all fat, including abdominal fat. So, squats
would probably do more to reduce abdominal fat than ab work
would.

As for ab work in general, it's a bit of a special area.
Whether it's true or not, I think it's generally accepted
that you can do more reps, and work the abs more frequently,
than other muscle groups. So, for example, even though
those who work out every day work other groups on alternate
days, they may do abs every day. To be honest, I have no
idea if this is valid or not. I work out three days a week,
and do abs like everything else. But I've never been
willing to take my bodyfat percentage down to the point
where a sixpack would be fully visible. So I've never been
an ab freak.

> I'll be swimming anyway! I already feel stronger, after
> only 3 workouts in the weightroom.


I'll tell you what - lifting can be addicting. You feel
like doodoo at first, but then you stop being sore, and
start doing more and more weight, and then the muscles start
to be visible, and after a while you begin to look forward
to working out instead of having to force yourself to go.
But then, some guys get carried away - too much time and
effort, steriods, etc. So it's a balance that's needed.
But there's no doubt that you can materially change your
body over time.

> This question got overlooked though....do you think that
> the hip abductor exercise would be good for my
> breaststroke kick?


I really don't know. I'm not expert enough on either
swimming (and certainly not breaststroke) or weight training
to give you advice on that. And by the way, you get an
official "attaboy" for even doing breaststroke at all. :)

> Thanks for devoting the time to helping me out, I'm much
> more confident in my program now.


You're welcome. But you need to do your own research on
this stuff. That's what Google is for. You may find that
my opinions, or others' here, aren't right, or at least
aren't right for you. So keep an open mind, and try to
notice what seems to be working and what doesn't.

Good luck.
 
"Peabody" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:GlVqf.204174$0l5.93635@dukeread06...
> Matt F says...
>
> > Would you recommend the same methodology for using the
> > ab crunch machine? I always thought that more reps/less
> > sets is the key for ab workouts, in terms of burning fat
> > over gaining muscle mass in that region.

>
> Well first let me point out that there is no such thing as
> spot reduction or spot fat burning. The muscles do not
> "burn" fat from the surrounding fat tissue when they do
> work. They get glucose from the bloodstream. Fat is
> deposited/removed according to your genetics, but generally
> each person tends to put on weight in a certain pattern, and
> take it off in the reverse order. But that's regardless of
> which muscles are being exercised. This is
> counter-intuitive, and counter to what MANY personal
> trainers will tell you, but it's absoutely true.
>
> Crunches can strengthen and enlarge the abdominal muscles,
> but exercise which burns the most calories, or develops the
> most thermogenic muscle tissue, will contribute most toward
> reduction of all fat, including abdominal fat. So, squats
> would probably do more to reduce abdominal fat than ab work
> would.
>
> As for ab work in general, it's a bit of a special area.
> Whether it's true or not, I think it's generally accepted
> that you can do more reps, and work the abs more frequently,
> than other muscle groups. So, for example, even though
> those who work out every day work other groups on alternate
> days, they may do abs every day. To be honest, I have no
> idea if this is valid or not. I work out three days a week,
> and do abs like everything else. But I've never been
> willing to take my bodyfat percentage down to the point
> where a sixpack would be fully visible. So I've never been
> an ab freak.
>
> > I'll be swimming anyway! I already feel stronger, after
> > only 3 workouts in the weightroom.

>
> I'll tell you what - lifting can be addicting. You feel
> like doodoo at first, but then you stop being sore, and
> start doing more and more weight, and then the muscles start
> to be visible, and after a while you begin to look forward
> to working out instead of having to force yourself to go.
> But then, some guys get carried away - too much time and
> effort, steriods, etc. So it's a balance that's needed.
> But there's no doubt that you can materially change your
> body over time.
>
> > This question got overlooked though....do you think that
> > the hip abductor exercise would be good for my
> > breaststroke kick?

>
> I really don't know. I'm not expert enough on either
> swimming (and certainly not breaststroke) or weight training
> to give you advice on that. And by the way, you get an
> official "attaboy" for even doing breaststroke at all. :)


Firstly, kudos to Peabody for some excellent advice here.

Secondly, working on abduction of the legs isn't a priority for
supplementing the breaststroke kick. There are a couple of better points to
focus on. In terms of 'lifts' to help your BR kick, think about the dynamics
of the kick. Generally speaking, you don't look to get any propulsion out of
the kick at the point when the abductors are working - the recovery phase of
the kick (i.e. when the heels are brought up and the knees part *slightly).
Instead you would do well to condition the hamstrings, glutes and abductors
to complement the propulsive phase, which would involve the quads and
adductors, (extending and bringing the legs together to push and squeeze the
water). By conditioning all those groups you will not only attain balance,
but improve that action overall.

There is no substitution for flexibility in the breaststroke kick however.
Work on flexibility around the ankle, stretching the calf, as well as front
compartment of the lower leg. There are some advanced stretches for this,
but you've got to be maxing out those basic ankle stretches first. As a
guess, I'd say you'll be fine with these for now.

My breaststokers do plenty of cycling and stair running, leg extension,
hamstring curl, leg press and sets of work with a common-or-garden thigh
master, as well as plenty of flexibility and kicking in the pool. I'd say
about 75% of their dryland is devoted to leg development.

Steve



>
> > Thanks for devoting the time to helping me out, I'm much
> > more confident in my program now.

>
> You're welcome. But you need to do your own research on
> this stuff. That's what Google is for. You may find that
> my opinions, or others' here, aren't right, or at least
> aren't right for you. So keep an open mind, and try to
> notice what seems to be working and what doesn't.
>
> Good luck.
>
 
>I'll tell you what - lifting can be addicting. You feel
>like doodoo at first, but then you stop being sore, and
>start doing more and more weight, and then the muscles start
>to be visible, and after a while you begin to look forward
>to working out instead of having to force yourself to go.


I must say, I think I'm already there....the first time was the hardest
for me, just because I felt so clueless about how to do what I want to
do to complement swimming. But yes, I have already discovered the urge
to do a lot more than I initially intended to do, and I'm truly looking
forward to doing it 3x/week and developing strength in the water.

>And by the way, you get an
>official "attaboy" for even doing breaststroke at all. :)


Thanks, it was my stroke of choice in high school, and I still love
doing it. I can feel my legs getting stronger already, and I'm sure
the hip abductors will indeed help me. Why wouldn't they?

>But you need to do your own research on
>this stuff. That's what Google is for. You may find that
>my opinions, or others' here, aren't right, or at least
>aren't right for you. So keep an open mind, and try to
>notice what seems to be working and what doesn't.


I certainly have no problem with openmindedness, and I have done a good
amount of Googling on this, but found it tough to get the specifics I
was looking for. But now that I won't be Googling "Swimming strength
training," and will instead focus on lifting in general, I'm sure I'll
learn more that way.

Thanks again, I'll be checking in.

M.
 
>Firstly, kudos to Peabody for some excellent advice here.

<snip>

And kudos to you for even more great direction! I'll look into ankle
stretches as well as the other points you mentioned. Your comments on
abduction absolutely make sense to me, so I'll put that aspect of my
routine to the background for now. Do you think in a 3x/week lifting
workout routine, it would be wise to work the legs each of those days?
If I'm taking a day off in between, that is? I don't want to "overdue"
it, but I would imagine that by taking a day to recover from lifting
(albeit whilst swimming that day), my legs should be able to handle
this regimen.

Thanks,

M.