The biggest misconception about lifting weights is that athletes do it to get big. Yes, lifting weights is a great way to put on muscle and weight, but there are many more reasons to train in the gym. 

At 14 years old, Tony began to lift weights 6 days a week. He did this as a way to build the little muscles- to prevent injury and strengthen his shoulders, core, hips and other areas that were going to be overused throughout his career. 

Gym as an injury prevention

Just like when you go to physical therapy, there are always high reps that you need to do to help strengthen the smaller muscles that support the larger ones. For example, when an athlete’s shoulder hurts. Try working on the back muscles and do reps of 15 or 12 with light weight in order to help relieve pressure on the bicep tendon. Strengthen the shoulders muscles with smaller drills like Super 7 or Terrible 3’s. Gym work does not have to be heavy.

Building strength and speed

This is where you want to start lowering the reps and adding weight. Just like with anything, make sure the technique is perfect before lifting too heavily. Now that athletes are building more muscle and adding weight, you can complement their lifting routines with more anaerobic swimming such as sprints. In water polo, heavy lifting can be beneficial, but being explosive is more important. After a squat set, incorporate box jumps, or after a chest press do clap push ups to make sure you are getting stronger and more explosive. 

Being fit

This is one of the most important parts of playing the hardest game in the world. You need to be in shape. If an athlete is out for injury and feels out of shape, have them go and get on the bike, run or stair climb - and slowly ease back into the water. Most players show up out of shape and just expect practice to get them where they need to be. This leads to compromising their bodies: they will overuse their shoulders/arms and many times end up injured. Make sure that your athletes take the time to workout and do cardio so that you are fully prepared (and in shape) when practice begins.

Suggested Drills: