By J.R. Rosania

Swimming Technique April - June 2001 Feature Article

Misty's Secret Weapon
When Misty Hyman defeated Susie O'Neill to win the 200 meter butterfly at the Sydney Olympics last September, it was justifiably described as the upset of the 2000 Games. Susie, after all, was the world record holder, having broken Mary T. Meagher's mythical 19-year-old world mark at the Australian Trials. She was also the defending Olympic, World and Pan-Pac champion, and she was undefeated in the previous six years. Though Misty's win was, without question, a mind-boggling upset, it was by no means a fluke. It came after 12 years of dedication and training under her able and innovative club coach, Bob Gillett, and her coach at Stanford University, Richard Quick, who was also the U.S. women's Olympic head coach in Sydney. About four-and-a-half years ago, I had the opportunity to begin working with Misty. It was one of those rare opportunities to work with a supremely dedicated and focused athlete whose goal was to swim_and win_at the Olympic Games. I say the opportunity was a rare one because, even though I've been a strength and conditioning coach for over 20 years and I've worked with thousands of athletes, helping a potential Olympian to become her best is a first-class challenge. When I first met Misty, she was a high school senior-to-be in Phoenix, Ariz., and was swimming for the Arizona Desert Fox under Coach Gillett while I was working in Phoenix as a strength and performance-enhancement trainer. Misty was already a world-class swimmer, having just missed making the 1996 U.S. Olympic team. At the time, she was ranked among the top three in the world in both the 100 and 200 meter fly, but Coach Gillett felt his young charge could benefit from an increase in strength and from a more scientifically sound nutritional program.

Setting Goals
The first goal we established was to increase Misty's overall strength and improve her body composition. Though she already was very fit, her body fat percentage at the time was about 16 percent, and I wanted to bring it down to about 12 percent. The process began with an overall assessment of her muscular endurance and her strength levels. Muscular endurance is the ability to move against resistance for a prolonged period of time, whereas strength level refers to how much weight she actually could lift. I was looking for imbalances in muscular strength as well as lack of muscle development. Along with this physical assessment, I evaluated her eating habits and patterns. I had Misty perform several strength, balance and multi-joint, full-body exercises such as squats, deadlifts and walking lunges. I learned that she had significant upper back and posterior shoulder weakness. At the time of the evaluation, she was having minor thoracic and shoulder discomfort. The weakness I discovered in her shoulder and back was causing too much stress to her shoulder and spine. I also noticed an imbalance in her quadriceps-to-hamstring ratio. This is not uncommon in swimmers. Ideally, the ratio should be a 3 to 1 quad-to-hamstring strength. Swimming tends not to develop the hamstrings as much as the quads. When the hamstring is significantly weaker, it results in a lack of strength and a quicker onset of fatigue. I felt she would benefit from increasing her hamstring strength. One of the keys to swimming fast is having a strong core. Yet I also discovered a weakness in Misty's core area. Weakness in her abdominal area and lower back contributed to her core weakness.

Strength and Body Composition
Beginning in the summer of 1996, Misty began a general, full-body strength program. She trained with me three times a week_every other day_for the next three months. Exercises included full-body, multi-joint strength movements such as squats, cleans and deadlifts. All exercises were performed with very sub-maximal weights (60 percent of her maximum for one rep) and with moderate reps (usually 8-12). It is beneficial to start with a low resistance to teach the exercise properly and to avoid injury to the athlete. Swim-specific movements such as lat pull-downs, dumbbell lateral raises and bent-over lateral raises were also implemented. Core exercises were also included for her abdominal and lower back muscles. She continued weight training during her senior year of high school. Her program was varied to accommodate her meet schedule, and with the help of Coach Gillett, I tailored each week's workouts to accord with what she was doing in the water. We analyzed her diet and concluded she ate too many carbohydrates, especially those that are derived from sugary foods. I also felt she did not eat enough protein. Misty had mentioned that, at the suggestion of Swimming World editor, Phil Whitten, she had spoken with Dr. Barry Sears, author of The Zone Diet, who had recommended several changes. We implemented those suggested changes. She began exchanging high-sugar carbohydrates such as cookies, breads and sweets, to low-sugar carbs, such as grapes, green vegetables and small portions of multi-grain products. High protein foods replaced some of the lost calories as well. It was a tricky business, as Misty has a large number of food allergies. Still, she experienced a profound increase in energy and improved recovery from training sessions almost immediately. After several months of training, Misty's strength and body composition had begun to change. Her overall strength had improved by 30 percent and her functional strength (dynamic swim-related movement) had also improved a great deal. She was losing the extra body fat and was now down to about 12 percent, and was gaining more quality muscle. The imbalances and weakness she had exhibited were being corrected. In the water, her strength and endurance seemed to be improving. In November, at the Arizona state high school championships, she set national high school records in the 100 yard fly (52.41) and 100 yard back (53.68).

The Next Level
After four months of continued improvement, I felt it was time to take Misty's strength training to a new level. Now it was time to make the added strength more functional in the water. This meant taking her increased strength and transferring it to her stroke, starts and turns. This is something I feel virtually all swimmers_whether age groupers, elite swimmers or Masters_can benefit from, given the proper circumstances. Most swimmers will lift weights, but the exercises are not swim-specific enough and cannot be transferred into functional strength. I felt it was time to train her body's strengths, the explosive overall power she naturally possessed. We did this by incorporating more swim-specific movements, particularly butterfly-specific movements, into her training. For example: mimicking her butterfly stroke both above and below the water, and using resistance and low back and hip exercises to increase her kicking power. Far too often, swimmers get stuck at a remedial level of strength training and do not benefit from a more progressive, stroke-specific training program. To get beyond the remedial level, the swimmer must be closely supervised by a knowledgeable trainer. Response to the training will dictate each individual's progression. Training intensity, exercise volume, exertion, effort and proper progression are all factors in achieving maximum benefits. This is a joint venture in which both the swimmer and the trainer are equal partners.

On to College
In the summer of 1997, Misty continued to improve, winning both butterfly events at summer nationals, both in personal best times. As Misty's body matured and she entered her first year at Stanford, all aspects of her training continued to progress. She continued training three days a week in the weight room, and her strength coach, Ross Gerry, and I continued to monitor and confer on her training needs, expectations and progress. The objective now was for Misty to bring more power and stamina to her butterfly stroke, so I sought out butterfly-specific movements. The exercises were chosen to enhance her core strength, particularly those muscles she uses most while swimming. A slow, strict movement with proper exercise technique and constant stress to the muscle was used to extend the amount of stress her muscles could withstand. Following are some examples: