*Mandatory* Parent and Swimmer Meeting Elevate Weight Room

Our Killer Whale Development, Junior and Senior Swimmers are ready to begin training in the weight room. Numerous seasons of physical literacy and background training have been taught to much of our membership. Now we are ready to begin more formal strength training. 

Young people working out in a weight room is an excellent opportunity for progress, but things will need to be done properly. 

We have a few things to discuss in this meeting. 

#1 Safety. Mature behavior is a must! You must treat the place, equipment and the workouts with exceptional respect. Another area of safety to be aware of is technique, technique and once again technique. Lots of young people think that lifting heavy equals being being strong. That is only partially true. Force equals length under tension, and the goal in strength is increased force production in key areas. I will be instructing the swimmers and showing the parents the numerous techniques we can utilize to minimize the weight being pushed and maximize the force being produced. This will lead to a safe yet productive program. 

#2 The Goals: The ultimate outcome is to be able to perform Olympic Lifts with exceptional technique. This is our top priority, as the Clean and Jerk as well as the Barbell Snatch are conclusively proven to positively impact important aspects such as vertical jump, flexibility, core stability, and overall functional strength. The other goal is to build the body through kettle bell training. The weight distribution of kettle bells serves a dual purpose. The first purpose of a kettle bell, is it creates a safe progression towards excellent Olympic Lifting technique.  The second advantage of kettle bells is th e fact they are excellent tools to build stable, strong shoulders. A stronger swimmer is a healthier swimmer. The best injury prevention is to be strong and versatile. 

#3 The Program. It is difficult to ensure a weight lifting program benefits a swimming program, as many of the training stimulus contradict each other. I will be discussing how to track progress, and eat properly to ensure all this training isn't wasted time. We will work on other areas such as squatting, deadlifts, bench press and pull ups. We'll also use some of the cardio machnies as tool for stimulus as well. 

Please ensure you watch the video below as "homework" before our meeting on September 9th. The last 10 minutes or so you can skip, but it goes over the techniques and safety of kettlebell lifting in excellent detail. This video is by Pavel Tsatsouline, he is a top level physiologist, published author, and trainer. His humor may not be for everyone, but please watch and pay attention to the tips and tricks in this video. Just watch 10 minutes at a time, and soak it all in. 

https://youtu.be/cKx8xE8jJZs?si=gD2xqzk8-0OTVEa5