Are There Any Special Considerations for a Swimming Program?

Heart rate is lowered when one is in the water and when one swims. One suggestion is to subtract 13 beats per minute from your predicted maximal heart rate and then calculate your target heart rate (McArdle, Katch, and Katch 2000, p. 377). This modification will provide a more accurate heart rate for swimming. Another way to adjust for the altered heart rate is to use perceived exertion to monitor your training intensity.

Swimmers often have problems with shoulder pain, partly because of the imbalance in muscular pull that develops with swimming. The anterior muscles become strong and tight, pulling the shoulders into a forward, rounded position. To counteract this pull, include in your program strengthening exercises for scapular (involving the posterior shoulder muscles) stability and a stretching program for the anterior shoulder. The butterfly stroke is especially stressful to the shoulder joint, so use it sparingly, if at all. Using paddles can also lead to problems; they provide more resistance for the anterior shoulder muscles, which leads to even greater muscle imbalances. This tendency to imbalance is also why I suggest limiting a swimming program to five days per week (at the most).