SAGEBRUSH DIVING TEAM PAGE

   Coach Kev (E-mail)    303.949.8331

STRENGTH TRAINING for DIVING

"Strength and Power are KEY ingredients for success in diving."  --Kevin Sage

Let's face it.  Diving is a tough sport.  It combines the rigors of explosiveness, balance, flexibility, kinestetic awareness, knowledge of physics principles, and sheer "guts."  Dr. Ron O'Brien, known throughout the world as one of the best coaches in the history of our sport, recently visited Colorado to conduct a diving workshop at the United States Air Force Academy.  He told me this:  "Platform diving is a sport where quickness gives you the edge; Springboard diving, on the other hand, is a sport of pure POWER and STRENGTH."  Some people are naturally gifted with strength and explosiveness.  Genetics plays an important role in success in many things.  But, most coaches and elite divers have a secret... if you weren't born STRONG and EXPLOSIVE, you don't have to settle for being weak.  THERE IS A WAY TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT GAINS IN STRENGTH... the bad news is... there isn't an easy way out.  

The good news is... Strength can be improved just by diving.  That's right.  Diving is a great way to naturally improve your strength.  By repetitive and regular practice, your muscles will adapt to diving by getting stronger and more explosive.  However, ALL divers practice diving on a regular basis... so, if you rely on diving as the only source of improving your strength, you will not gain an edge on your competition because they are doing the same thing.  The way to gain an edge is to train for STRENGTH independently of diving.  

Before you read on, no strength training program should be started without medical approval from your physician first, and then expert supervision by a certified conditioning expert/personal trainer or by your diving coach.

Each diver has a unique body, and their muscles will develop differently than others.  However, let one truth be known.  If you push a muscle beyond what it is used to, it will adapt and will get stronger.  Over time, this principle can add up to significant gains in strength.  So, how do you start?  Call on all your resources.  Ask your P.E. teacher at school.  Ask a personal trainer at the fitness facility that your parent(s) use.  Or, ask your diving coach.  Tell them you want to be as strong as you can be.

If you want to try a couple of exercises to start with, try these simple routines (coming soon):

13 year olds and younger, click here                    14 year olds and older, click here

Just remember, anything you do to improve your strength is going to translate into greater success in diving.  Strength training will also help you tone up, look great in a swimsuit, and feel better about yourself.  So, POWER UP!!!... and start today.

Sagebrush Diving

5483 Balsam Court

Arvada, CO  80002