Dara Torres Training Regimen

Last Updated on November 17, 2012 by Jimson Lee

Dana Torres won her 10th career Olympic medal with a silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay.

The American quartet of Natalie Coughlin, Lacey Nymeyer, Kara Lynn Joyce and Torres swam 3:34.33, an American record. The Netherlands won the gold in 3:33.76 seconds

It’s hard to believe her first medal was from 1984, the same Olympics where Carl Lewis won 4 gold medals (and even less in endorsement deals shortly thereafter)

If you want to see Carl Lewis running in 2007 at the age of 46, click here for the Carl Lewis – Dennis Mitchell – Leroy Burrell special invite in Tokyo. Fast forward 5 minutes into the video to skip the introductions.

Here is more insight on Dara Torres training regimen from ocregister.com.

You can’t compare apples and oranges, let alone Sprinting and Swimming at the International level.

Dara Torres’ Training Regimen

Dara Torres credits a cutting-edge training program for her comeback at age 41. The regimen has made the 6-foot-tall Torres stronger while trimming her weight to 149 pounds, down from 161 when she won five medals at her last Olympic Games in 2000.

Here’s how the program breaks down.

Swimming:

Torres’ focus in Beijing is on her lone individual event “the 50-meter freestyle“ so the emphasis is on speed and quality over quantity. In addition to her primary coach, Michael Lohberg, Torres works with a sprint coach. She trains in the pool five times a week for a weekly total of 25,000 meters (roughly 15.5 miles), down from 10 training sessions and 65,000 meters earlier in her career.

Strength and conditioning:

Torres also has made a major shift in her strength work. Instead of the heavy lifting she did prior to Sydney, Torres is focusing on training that stimulates her central nervous system. She does four 60- to 90-minute sessions a week with Florida Panthers strength and conditioning coach Andy O’Brien.

Massage:

Two masseuses have moved from Connecticut to Torres’ home base in Florida to work with her at least three times a week. Torres’ massages, however, are no day at the spa. In most sessions Torres is “mashed” by the pair, a procedure in which they knead her muscles with their feet, even standing on her. The pair also stretches her muscles while contracting them at the same time