Going on holiday - anyone got some swimming routines to gain stamina for rugby?

[ElWilson]

I plan to do alot of swimming when I go on holiday with the idea of improving stamina (particuarly anaerobic).

Anyone got any decent routines for a relatively inexperienced swimmer?

Cheers.

[Environ]

Last time I checked, a holiday was supposed to be about taking time off to have some fun or do something different that you enjoy just for the sake of it. FORGET ABOUT rugby for the duration of your holiday. Just go and enjoy yourself.

Incidentally, improving your stamina in swimming will not help your stamina in rugby at all. If you want to improve your stamina in rugby, you have to train specifically for it. Swimming bears absolutely no relevance or resemblance to rugby, so it's pointless to do it for that purpose.

Here's something to help your stamina with rubgy. Do 10 power cleans (use light weight) and immediately sprint 50 yards and repeat (maybe spring 25 yards away from the bar and then 25 yards back). Keep doing it until you can't do it any more. If you can get this up to 10 laps, you're doing really well.

Another complex you could do is to do a power clean and, without letting go of the bar, do a burpee. Keep going to failure, whilst maintaining proper technique of course.

This type of training reflects the type of exertions and movements that characterises rugby. Swimming laps does not.

[rswan7]

i kind of disagree with Environ, swimming will help ur stamina cause mi bro swims and like has huge lung capacity which helps with his endurance. also its a vacation and ur telling him to do power cleans and sprints?? if i read tht correctly.

i would say swim lots and lots of laps and dont stop at the wall just turn and go. also dont breathe ever stroke and try to hold ur breath for a long time. this will help ur lung capacity.

hope this helps

[Environ]

i kind of disagree with Environ, swimming will help ur stamina cause mi bro swims and like has huge lung capacity which helps with his endurance. also its a vacation and ur telling him to do power cleans and sprints?? if i read tht correctly.

i would say swim lots and lots of laps and dont stop at the wall just turn and go. also dont breathe ever stroke and try to hold ur breath for a long time. this will help ur lung capacity.

hope this helps

You take a swimmer and put him on a pitch and he won't last 10 minutes. Put a football player in the pool, and HE won't last 10 minutes. Because of the specificity of the sport and the training. It's not just about lung capacity. The body adapts to the type of training that is imposed on it and, in order to excel at a particular sport, you need to do exercises that mimic the sport.

As for the power cleans during vacation, I did not mean for him to do them DURING the vacation. I meant he should do those type of drills to help his sports performance, but not during the vacation. The vacation is chill out time. He should swim for enjoyment during the vacation.

[Matt_SD]

I do smaller laps back and forth close to 60 times alternating between holding my breath for one lap and breathing for another. It seems to have helped me, But im no official guru on the matter...I just play rugby.