As part of our ongoing series taking a look at how elite swimmers around the world are keeping fit while under quarantine for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, today we’re featuring Russia’s Yuliya Efimova and Australia’s Kyle Chalmers.
First off, for 3-time Olympian Efimova, the breaststroking ace has concocted a ‘swim routine’ using her kitchen counter. With half her body on the counter and the remaining suspended by some wicked-strong abs, Efimova proceeds to perform several strokes of her signature discipline, along with free, fly and back, before moving onto the floor for additional moves.
On a mat, Efimova also demonstrates how she maintains her mind-boggling ankle flexibility and ferocious kick that has helped the 28-year-old Russian snag 3 Olympic medals over the course of her career.
Of her Instagram workout, Efimova says, “Everything new is well forgotten old! Catch some exercises for swimming on land so to speak😅 Don’t be sad and do not get sick🙌🏼 P.S. I swim better than I say and shoot video.”
During the workout she says, “A lot of people are asking me which exercises can replace training in the pool. “It’s practically impossible I’ll be honest because to swim in the pool you need to feel the water.
“But there are a few exercises that in my view are similar enough to the feeling you get when swimming in the pool. They might not help you to swim faster in any way but they can help keep you in shape and improve your technique!”
As for the reigning 100m freestyle Olympic champion Chalmers, the 21-year-old will soon be able to get wet during quarantine, albeit not at his usual South Australia Aquatic & Leisure Centre.
Speaking with Reuters this week, the freestyle stud said of pool closures nationwide, “That was my hugest fear, not being able to do what I love which is swimming, and if I couldn’t do that for six months, I was getting pretty edgy about it.
“I love training and I love exercising. I think I love training more than I love racing.”
So what’s a golden swimmer boy to do? Install a flume pool next to his Adelaide home. Per Reuters, Chalmers will soon the recipient of a loaned shipping container pool he can position right outside his house.
Awesome post! Keep up the great work! 🙂
There are different kinds of strength . Yuliya’s is one of finesse .Exquisite . Plus she is one of only 9 ppl in the world who can.wear those tights .
Everyone saying Schoeman is okay cause he spent 16k on failing to clear himself while they go on about melodium and energy bars four years later as if they were really powerful drugs. Efimova was stupid but she really didn’t take anything that would enhance performance. Look instead at someone like Bradley Wiggins taking hospital only IV drugs in a hotel room. Somehow he gets a pass cause he had a TUE?
Efimova is very attractive
Kids don’t do that you will fall and break your face.
Someone is holding her legs down. It’s really no different than the benches in the gym that most people use.
The benches at the gym sent 4 ft off the ground
Yuliya has some crazy flexibility with some of those exercises.
Agree- very special athlete
Wow, that looks very hard
Are flume pools generally as effective as normal pools for training purposes? Will an elite swimmer like Chalmers lose something from a performance perspective by training in such a pool?
Like an endless pool yeah? So probably, but it’s also probably better than not swimming at all.