does my bum look big in this?

20Mar07

Body shape has always played a key role in sporting success. In this context, Libby Lenton — the Australian 100m swimming champion — has spent the last three months trying to develop (as the newspaper The Australian put it) “a bigger bum”.

The newspaper says that following Australia’s national trials in December, the 22-year-old did some physical testing that showed a weakness in her gluteal muscles. This was affecting her leg strength and consequently her kick. Coach Stephen Widmer instituted a new regime, including Pilates and an altered gym programme.

“We gave her a bum,” Widmer said in the newspaper report, adding, “We improved the strength level and have applied that in kicking sets and she has improved her kick strength and speed.”

He said Lenton’s improved kick would help to stabilise her stroke so her technique was more consistent, which would help both her overall speed, and particularly her speed towards the finish of the race. Widmer expects her boosted leg strength to benefit both her freestyle and butterfly events.

The Australian says Lenton is known for her early speed but has been vulnerable to competitors with stronger finishes. She is a member of the Australian Women’s Olympic swimming team and a gold medallist at Athens.

“The kick and leg strength was one of my weaknesses, but I have developed my glutes a bit more and that’s going to help in my kick strength and fitness,” Lenton said. “The kick is a huge move forward for me.”

Donate and help me buy back my Fender ('About' tells you why)

703 Responsesdoes+my+bum+look+big+in+this%3F2007-03-20+11%3A25%3A59knackered+hackette to “does my bum look big in this?”

Feed for this Entry

1 knackered hackette on Mar 20th, 2007 said:

I see that Libby lists her interests as “sleeping, hanging out with friends, chocolate” — how reasssuringly down to earth. But there’s no justice in the world. To quote “chocolate” as a major recreational pursuit and yet to have to work on on upsizing your backside… Crikey!
2 Idaho Roadrunner on Mar 23rd, 2007 said:

Body shape and training, it’s all very scientific now. I remember years back in Japan, when they introduced aerobics for baseball players. Part of it was to help improve their stretching abilities, when they reached for balls or to improve their batting swing. Japan is a good example of how there was too much emphasis on just hardwork, and then they later realized that you had to train smart too. If you are not getting what you want in sport, the solution isn’t just more training, it’s more scientific training.