TAKEOFF TO TOKYO

East Germany’s Kristin Otto will long be remembered as a highly decorated athlete, and for turning in one of the greatest Olympic outings in history, winning six gold medals at the 1988 Games. But because of the links to her and performanceenhancing drugs, what she accomplished—before and in Seoul—will always be tainted.

BY JOHN LOHN

The image is iconic in Olympic lore. As he crossed the finish line, index finger pointing to the sky, Canadian Ben Johnson was the most-celebrated athlete on the planet. He had just won the 1988 Olympic title in the 100-meter dash, his winning time of 9.79 almost impossible to grasp. How could a human run that fast? It was a legitimate question, and one asked with significant skepticism.

An answer arrived within days, and the Seoul Games fell under a tent of controversy. Johnson, in what was an unsurprising revelation to those who raced against him, had tested positive for the use of an anabolic steroid, and was stripped of his gold medal. Journalists, who were hardly stunned by the news they would chase, immediately worked to cover the story of Johnson’s doping violation, while Johnson boarded a flight out of South Korea.

The news of Johnson’s positive test coincided with the last days of the swimming competition, where two storylines stood out. Among the men, Matt Biondi’s march to seven medals—including five gold, a silver and a bronze—drew comparisons to what Mark Spitz achieved at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Although Biondi did not match Spitz’s perfection, he became just the second swimmer to tally seven medals in a single Games.

In women’s action, East Germany’s Kristin Otto occupied the spotlight, and headlined her nation’s dominant showing by setting an Olympic standard for individual success. During the eight-day meet, Otto was perfect, her four individual triumphs complemented by a pair of relay victories. If the program had included a women’s 800 freestyle relay, as the men’s schedule did, she almost certainly would have equaled Spitz’s iconic effort from 16 years earlier. Still, her six gold medals set a record for female success at the Olympic Games, a standard that has not been equaled.

SUSPICIONS FOLLOWED

But like Johnson, suspicions followed Otto, who was pegged at a young age to attend one of East Germany’s prestigious sports schools. From the early 1970s through the late 1980s, East Germany was the dominant country in the pool, destroying the opposition at the European Championships, World Championships and Olympic Games...and all other competitions in between. Even without official proof in the form of positive doping tests, there was little doubt unethical practices were at play.

During the first years of the 1970s, the German Democratic Republic was a modest factor on the global stage. Yet, by the 1973 World Championships, they became a superpower, and that status would remain for the next decade-and-a-half. How did such an ascension take place? It wasn’t difficult to recognize the reason: Fingers pointed to chemistry.

Not only was East Germany’s sudden and widespread success enough to activate prolonged skepticism, so were the physical characteristics of the athletes: abnormal musculature, deep voices, acne-covered skin. It was also said that the country’s systematicdoping program was so specific, that athletes were monitored prior to competition and removed from action if there was the slightest possibility they would test positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

Otto was used to the allegations levied against her and her teammates.

“I have never knowingly taken any banned substances,” Otto said. “I have no knowledge of ever having taken something to help my performance.”

There is a key word in Otto’s statement: knowingly. Throughout the duration of East Germany’s doping program, the teenage girls who were used as pharmaceutical guinea pigs and pin cushions simply did as they were told. Swallow this pill. Take this injection. Follow this workout. And...do not ask questions.

Kornelia Ender did not question the system. Neither did Barbara Krause. Petra Thumer followed the directives that were prescribed. Petra Schneider was obedient, too. And because these women could not say no—or have their careers instantly washed away—they set

dozens of world records and enjoyed vast international success.

A MAJOR FORCE

The same could be said for Otto.

After being identified as a future star, it did not take long for her to emerge as a major force. As a 16-year-old at the 1982 World Championships, she notched her first international success, capturing three gold medals, highlighted by a solo title in the 100 backstroke. The next year’s European Championships brought three more medals, but the opportunity to shine on the biggest sporting stage was delayed.

In retaliation for the United States-led boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, 14 Eastern Bloc countries decided to skip the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Leading this charge were the Soviet Union and East Germany, and the decision meant Otto had to wait an additional four years to etch her name in Olympic history.

Although 1984 was a loss for Otto on the Olympic front, she made the most of the campaign by setting a world record in the 200 meter freestyle and winning five medals at the Friendship Games, a replacement meet for the Olympics that provided boycotting nations the chance to experience some level of competition. In 1985, though, Otto was out of the pool for most of the year, sidelined by an injury that left her in a neck brace for nine months.

However, by the 1986 World Championships in Madrid, Otto had regained her pre-injury form and set the foundation for two years in the future—the 1988 Games in Seoul. At the World Champs, Otto collected six medals, four of them gold, with individual titles earned in the 100 freestyle and 200 individual medley. Her triumph in the 100 free arrived in world-record time, and the mark endured as the global standard for more than five years.

A year later, Otto was just as superb, as revealed in the five-gold exhibition at the European Championships that included solo wins in the 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. There was no doubt she was prepared to make her Olympic debut, and her ability to win international titles in a variety of events received considerable acclaim.

Wolfgang Richter, East Germany’s head coach in Seoul, admired Otto’s mental approach, especially in the face of great pressure to excel: “She’s the best because she works harder than the rest,” Richter said. “She’s tough (in the mind). She cannot stand to lose.”

After being identified as a future star, it did not take long for Otto to emerge as a major force. As a 16-year-old at the 1982 World Championships, she notched her first international success, capturing three gold medals, highlighted by a solo title in the 100 back. She continued winning gold medals in 1983 and 1984 until 1985, when she was sidelined by an injury that left her in a neck brace for nine months. [PHOTO BY LADISLAV PERENYI] backstroke and as a member of the East German 400 freestyle relay. The last three days of action produced one gold medal per day, with wins in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle sandwiching her contribution on the victorious 400 medley relay. In a flash, Otto possessed six gold medals in as many events. There were no world records—which was a slight surprise—but Otto was an individual winner in three different strokes, an effort that prompted five-time United States Olympic coach Don Gambril to compare her to American legend Tracy Caulkins. It was an odd comparison for a U.S. coach to make, considering how Team USA— particularly Shirley Babashoff—had long questioned the legitimacy of East Germany’s success. Otto simply took the end of her Olympiad in stride, noting that FLY WITH VELOCITY ANY WAY YOU CHOOSE NOW AVAILABLE IN 4 DECK MOUNTING OPTIONS Velocity Single Post Velocity Dual Post

SUCCESS IN SEOUL

Her long Olympic wait over, Otto immediately shined in Seoul. In the first event of the meet, she won the 100 freestyle by more than a half-second. That win was followed by decisive victories in the 100

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When Otto won the 50 free at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul (pictured), she became the winningest woman at an Olympics with six golds—four individual and two relays. In this age of enhanced depth, the notion of another female athlete matching Kristin Otto’s accomplishment is unlikely. [ PHOTO BY SIMON BRUTY, ALLSPORT FROM SW NOV 1988 ]

Rica Reinisch, a three-time 1980 Olympic gold medalist who acknowledged that she was supplied performance-enhancing drugs by her coaches and East German medical personnel, had criticized Otto for not admitting what had been documented by the Stasi, the East German secret police: “When she claims she cleaned up in Seoul without taking anything, then I can only say she didn’t win six golds by drinking buttermilk.” [ PHOTO BY LENNART HALLERBO ] she had exceeded expectations and would fondly look back at the week. When asked about her involvement with doping, she pointed to the fact that she had never tested positive and was one of the most-tested athletes in the world.

“Personally, I never gave much thought to this because it would have been too much of a burden if you think of a gold in every event,” Otto said. “I’m 22, and that is not so young anymore in this sport, so I have a very difficult decision to make (concerning retirement). I’m sure we will be very popular (back home). People will stop us in the street. But I’m also sure this will not change my life.”

Upon reflection, Otto spurned retirement for a year after Seoul. In what proved to be the bow on her international career, she won four medals at the 1989 European Championships, including a gold in the 100 backstroke. She followed her competitive days by pursuing a journalism degree and has been a longtime television journalist in Germany.

SECRETS REVEALED

What Otto has not been able to avoid in retirement are links between her and performance-enhancing drugs. Upon the fall of the Berlin Wall in the early 1990s, a plethora of East German secrets were revealed, among them the details of the country’s systematicdoping program, known formally as State Plan 14:25.

In documents recovered from the Stasi, the East German secret police, Otto’s name was listed among those supplied with anabolic steroids. Even when presented with this evidence, Otto denied her knowledge of the process. Yet, others have copped to the program of which they were a part, including Rica Reinisch, a three-time gold medalist at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. In addition to admitting that she was supplied performance-enhancing drugs by her coaches and East German medical personnel, Reinisch has criticized Otto for not admitting the obvious, and what had been documented.

“When she claims she cleaned up in Seoul without taking anything, then I can only say she didn’t win six golds by drinking buttermilk,” Reinisch once said.

A 1993 inductee to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Otto’s exhibit now includes a doping disclaimer. The same disclaimer is attached to the displays of Ender, Krause, Thumer and Ulrike Richter, among others. It reads: “In a German court of law, after this swimmer was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, team officials confessed to administering performance-enhancing drugs to this swimmer, who, therefore, obtained an illegal and unfair advantage over other athletes.”

FOREVER CONNECTED TO DOPING

In this age of enhanced depth, the notion of another female athlete matching Kristin Otto’s accomplishment and winning six Olympic gold medals—four of them individually—is unlikely. When Michael Phelps won his eight gold medals in Beijing, he relied on two miracles to keep perfection alive.

And the questions surrounding Otto remain: How much did steroids aid her? What could she have achieved through only her natural talent? These are questions that will never be answered. Instead, she’ll be forever connected to doping. More, her Seoul link with Johnson will keep the two inseparable. The difference? He was caught. She got away.

“I’ve been facing (doping questions) for years,” Otto once said. “It is nothing new for me. Unfortunately, I can no longer rule (doping) out. However, I cannot imagine it because I was one of the most checked athletes in the world at the time.”

Doubt, however, will always linger. 

WHO “SHOT” THE SWIMMERS?

(Part 2)

BY BRUCE WIGO | PHOTOS BY INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME

Without cameras and the photographers who have used them, the history of our sports would be nothing but printed words and fading memories. It is through the miracle of photography that the heroes and great moments of the past and present are remembered and will live on.

For most of the early years of sports photography, photographers were technically handicapped by primitive equipment, limiting photos to posed images of swimmers.

In this second part of a series that highlights an International Swimming Hall of Fame exhibit showing the history of swimming through the eyes of the photojournalists who have covered the aquatic sports for more than 150 years, Swimming World features Harold “Doc” Edgerton.

“Don’t make me out to be an artist. I am an engineer. I am after the facts, only the facts.” —Dr. Harold Edgerton

Shortly after the 1936 Olympics in a lab in Boston, an electrical engineering professor at MIT began tinkering with equipment that would change the way science explains natural phenomena— and with it, the art of aquatic sports photography—forever.

Harold Edgerton was born in Fremont, Neb., April 6, 1903. From an early age, he was fascinated by motors and machines, and he enjoyed taking apart broken things, figuring out how they worked and fixing them. He also developed an interest in photography through an uncle, a studio photographer who taught Harold how to take, develop and print pictures while he was in high school.

After studying engineering as an undergraduate in Nebraska, Harold accepted a grant for graduate studies at MIT. It was in the early 1930s that he developed an ultra-high-speed motion picture camera that could expose as many as 6,000 to 15,000 frames per second.

When these films were projected at normal speed (24 frames per

After studying engineering as an undergraduate in Nebraska, Edgerton accepted a grant for graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Later, he became an electrical engineering professor at MIT. Among the many innovations he developed was an ultra-high-speed motion picture camera that could expose as many as 6,000 to 15,000 frames per second and a strobe that could flash light at variable speeds from 2-millionths of a second to 60 per second.

To capture Desjardins on film, Edgerton had him dive into the pool in darkness. He timed the strobe to flash evenly at 20 flashes per second with each flash lasting 10 microseconds—or 1/100,000th of a second—while the camera shutter remained open on a single negative for the duration of the dive. Desjardins’ physique, his cut muscles, the highlights of his hair and the splash of the water were all very well defined.

In the mid-1960s, “Doc” Edgerton took a series of strobographic photographs of his long-time friend and MIT diving coach Charles Batterman for Batterman’s book, “The Techniques of Springboard Diving” (MIT Press, 1968). It was the first book to apply and show the principles of physics to the analysis of dives. Edgerton’s first images of an aquatic athlete in the MIT pool were of Peter Desjardins, who won gold medals in both the springboard and platform events at the 1928 Olympics—a feat unmatched until Greg Louganis did it in 1984. The Canadianborn American diver was billed as “The Little Bronze Statue from Florida” for his perfectly-proportioned, diminutive height of less than five feet and year-round suntan from living in Miami, Fla. Here he stands between Arne Borg (1500) and Johnny Weissmuller (100 free, 800 free relay), who also won Olympic gold in 1928.

second), very high-speed events appeared—and could be studied— in extremely slow motion. He also developed a strobe that could flash light at variable speeds from 2-millionths of a second to 60 per second—all with the aim of discovering problems in machinery that could not be seen with the naked eye.

But according to his biography, Edgerton never thought to restrict his equipment for purely technical subjects: “By the mid-1930s, he was photographing everyday phenomena: golfers swinging at a ball, archers letting the arrow fly, tennis players hitting a serve, water running from a faucet, milk drops hitting a plate—and all sorts of creatures in flight...from bats to hummingbirds to insects.”

Before this, photographs of these scenes were blurred or impossible, even with direct sunlight. His stroboscopic photographs illustrated scientific phenomena and sports action in a way that was instantly understandable to millions of people. He also pioneered the use of his cameras and strobe for underwater photography.

FIRST IMAGES OF AN AQUATIC ATHLETE

Edgerton’s first images of an aquatic athlete in the MIT pool were of Peter Desjardins, a Canadian-born American diver billed as “The Little Bronze Statue from Florida” for his perfectly-proportioned, diminutive height of less than five feet and year-round suntan from living in Miami, Fla.

Desjardins had won a silver medal in the springboard at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris and gold medals in both the springboard and platform events at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. This was an achievement that was unmatched by any other male diver until the 1984 Games when Greg Louganis also won both events.

After the 1928 Olympics, Desjardins was declared a professional for appearing in Miami water shows alongside Johnny Weissmuller and other aquatic stars of the era, thereby ending his chance to continue his diving dominance in amateur and Olympic competitions. However, as a full-time professional diver who dove in water shows around the globe, he was considered to be the

Edgerton designed his camera and strobe lights to work underwater to capture divers breaking the surface (middle). And he photographed Smith College synchronized swimmers from underwater (left) and from the ceiling looking down (right), stopping action in a dark indoor pool.

“World’s Best” when Edgerton invited him to MIT in 1940.

To capture Desjardins on film, Edgerton—who was also known as Papa Flash—had him dive into the pool in darkness. He timed the strobe to flash evenly at 20 flashes per second with each flash lasting 10 microseconds—or 1/100,000th of a second—while the camera shutter remained open on a single negative for the duration of the dive, which was less than one-and-a-half seconds.

The flashing superimposed Desjardins’ image on itself in the early part of the dive; then as his body accelerated, the space he traveled between flashes increased. Desjardins’ physique, his cut muscles, the highlights of his hair and the splash of the water were all very well defined.

PHOTOGRAPHER, EDUCATOR, SCIENTIST

Edgerton also designed his camera and strobe lights to work underwater to capture divers breaking the surface. And he photographed Smith College synchronized swimmers from underwater and from the ceiling looking down, stopping action in a dark indoor pool.

Working with swimmers and divers, Edgerton became an expert in underwater photographic techniques that brought him to the attention of Hall of Fame scientist Jacques Cousteau. Their collaborations made them much in demand from the 1950s to the 1980s for underwater exploratory and archaeological expeditions.

In the mid-1960s, “Doc” Edgerton took a series of strobographic photographs of his long-time friend and MIT diving coach Charles Batterman for Batterman’s book, “The Techniques of Springboard Diving” (MIT Press, 1968). It was the first book to apply and show the principles of physics to the analysis of dives.

As an educator, his attitude was to help everybody. According to Sports Illustrated photographers John Zimmerman, Coles Phinizy and Neil Leifer, Edgerton was very personable and willing to share his knowledge of strobes with other photographers.

“He was an MIT scientist,” said Neil, “and he tried to get me to understand the physics and science of it all. That went over my head, but I came away with an understanding of how to use the equipment.”

In 1941, Dr. Harold Edgerton’s film, Quicker’n a Wink, won an Oscar for Best Short Subject (One-Reel) at the 13th Academy Awards in 1941. If you’re not familiar with Edgerton’s work, this short film can be found on YouTube and is well worth the watching. 

Bruce Wigo, historian and consultant at the International Swimming Hall of Fame, served as president/CEO of ISHOF from 2005-17.

TO BE THE BEST, YOU NEED TO EAT THE BEST!

Each year really does build onto another— nutrition is an imperative part of the process, even at an early age.

BY DAWN WEATHERWAX, RD, CSSD, LD, ATC, CSCS

Many elite-minded swimmers include sports nutrition to their training regimens early on, NOT because there is a problem in their performance, but to enhance their current and future goals. “Early on” usually means between sixth and ninth grade. However, the majority of swimmers seek out sports nutrition expertise when they have a lull in performance.

One of my past clients came to me as a dominant swimmer. He was a freshman in high school and had big dreams. He wanted to finish first in every state event from freshman to senior year, qualify for World Junior opportunities and become an Olympian. He always wanted to understand every step of the sports nutrition process, and he took 100% responsibility for all his choices.

Within the first six months of working together, he ended up taking five seconds off his 200 free and made U.S. Olympic Trials cuts in his 200 and 400 free that year. Fast-forward several years: He was a four-year state champion in all of his events and currently has an excellent chance of becoming an Olympian this year!

Another one of my Olympic hopefuls started implementing sports nutrition at age 14. We use measurements and science to customize nutritional meal plans monthly, and we add other testing and supplements throughout as the facts become clear to implement.

I recently started working with a 12-year-old female swimmer. She was very tired all the time. Her diet was poor. Many sweets, too little protein and distribution of nutrients were off. Just by customizing a nutrition plan that best fits her, including revisions along the way, her body fat went from 30% to 22%. She gained seven pounds of lean weight, lost eight pounds of fat and continued to achieve best times! And her training stayed the same (see chart on page 34, “12-year-old Female Swimmer”)!

TIPS TO HELP YOUR PERFORMANCE In the world of swimming, most athletes put training first with nutrition, hydration and sleep as an afterthought. In fact, 75% of swimmers undereat or consume too much added sugar or saturated fats throughout their swimming career. Also, 66% show up to practice or swim meets 1% dehydrated, which can lead to a 12% decrease in performance! Here are eight things to think about that can help lead to improved swimming performance: • Make nutrition, hydration and sleep an important part of your program. • Seek out experts to speak to the team. Create an environment to cultivate sports nutrition success. • Start being aware of what you are eating and drinking. • Lead by example. • What adults need are NOT what growing athletes need. • Start designing weekly food plans. If you write it down, you are 80% more likely to follow. • Start making small changes for the better. • Individual needs vary. Seek out an expert to customize. As you embark on swimming thousands of meters, make sure you add sports nutrition to your routine. If you don’t, I can say with 100% certainty that you are not maximizing your growth, health and athletic potential! Following is a 3,000-3,500-calorie Vegan sample menu to use as an example...but NOT as an absolute! (Veganism does not automatically equate to success; it is an individual choice that has to be done optimally.)

3,000 to 3,500-CALORIE VEGAN TRAINING MENU

Pre-Swim Practice (4:30-5:15 a.m.)

1/3 cup Chia seeds 3/4 cup Unsweetened coconut milk 3/4 cup Blackberries 1.5 T Honey 1 tsp Vanilla 16 oz Water

Training (5:30-6:45 a.m.)

4-16 oz Water an hour (amount needed depends on sweat rate)

Breakfast (6-7:30 a.m.)

MUST HAVE WITHIN 30-45 MINUTES AFTER TRAINING Tofu bowl: (To save time, you can make it ahead of time and heat up) Sauté in a skillet 1 T Olive oil 1 Chopped garlic clove 1 cup Kale

Put the rest in the skillet and mix until warm 4 oz Tofu 1/4 cup Kidney beans/pinto beans Seasonings: soy sauce, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper

Put mixture on top of 1 cup Brown rice (pre-cooked) Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, salt and pepper (optional)

1 Multivitamin and mineral tablet 1 Omega 3 capsule high in DHA and EPA 1 B12 capsule

Lunch (11 a.m.-12:45 p.m.)

1 Baked sweet potato 1 T Olive oil butter

2-4 cups Greens 1 cup Mixed veggies of choice 1-2 T Oil-based dressing

1 cup Edamame

1 Daiya’s Greek Alternative Yogurt 1 cup Berries 16 oz Water (optional: add one NUUN electrolyte tablet)

Afternoon Snack (2-3:30 p.m.)

1 No Cow Bar Trail mix: 1/8-1/4 cup Mixed nuts/seed 1/8-1/4 cup Dried fruit

16 oz Water (optional: add one NUUN electrolyte tablet)

Training (3:30-5:30 p.m.)

4-16 oz Water an hour (amount needed depends on sweat rate)

Post-recovery within 30-45 minutes: 10-20 oz soy milk or Garden of Life High-Performance Bar (* If you can have dinner within that time, then this snack is optional)

Evening Meal (6-7 p.m.)

Bean and avocado wrap: 1-2 Organic tortillas 3/4 cup Black beans 3/4 cup Red peppers 3/4 cup Purple cabbage 1 Avocado Season with salt, pepper, chili power—optional 1/2-1 Grapefruit 16 oz Water (optional: add one NUUN electrolyte tablet)

1 Multivitamin and mineral tablet 1 Omega 3 capsule high in DHA and EPA

Evening Snack (8-10 p.m.)

12 oz Almond milk 1 scoop Garden of Life Protein Powder 1 sm Banana 1-2 T Nut or seed butter 

Dawn Weatherwax (RD, CSSD, LD, ATC, CSCS) is a registered/licensed dietitian with a specialty in sports nutrition and founder of Sports Nutrition 2Go. She is also a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, which is the premier professional sports nutrition credential in the United States. In addition, she is an athletic trainer with a certification in strength and conditioning from The National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Weatherwax brings a comprehensive and unique understanding of the athlete’s body—and its nutritional needs—to those interested in achieving specific performance goals and optimal health. She is also the author of “The Official Snack Guide for Beleaguered Sports Parents,” “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Sports Nutrition” and “The Sports Nutrition Guide for Young Athletes.”

TOTAL ACCESS MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE REFERENCES FOR THIS ARTICLE. NOT A TOTAL ACCESS MEMBER? YOU’RE JUST A CLICK AWAY: SWIMMINGWORLD.COM/VAULT

DRYSIDE TRAINING TIME TO GET STRONG...AGAIN!

BY J.R. ROSANIA • DEMONSTRATED BY NORIKO INADA • PHOTOS BY EMMI BRYTOWSKI

As we ride out this worldwide pandemic, let’s make sure our strength levels do not drop.

For many of us, the holidays and/or the pandemic have shut down our training both in the pool and in the gym. If you have the ability to get back into the gym or even at home to help maintain or gain muscle strength, let’s use these exercises to do just that.

Perform these exercises three times a week. Complete each exercise doing three sets of 10 repetitions. Use weight that creates muscle fatigue by the end of the third set. Make sure the weight allows you to do all of the sets and reps.

This routine should help you build muscle back on your body and give you more strength to help you get back to full training.

Now, get strong again! 

< WEIGHTED LUNGE JUMP

While holding a dumbbell in each hand, step forward into a lunge position. Perform a vertical jump and switch leg position. Continue alternating the motion.

DUMBBELL KICKBACK >

Holding dumbbells in each hand, bend over so that your upper torso is parallel with the floor. While keeping your elbows elevated by your side, extend one or both arms backward to full extension. Repeat.

MEET THE TRAINER J.R. Rosania, B.S., exercise science, is one of the nation’s top performance enhancement coaches. He is the owner and CEO of Healthplex, LLC, in Phoenix. Check out Rosania’s website at www.jrhealthplex.net. MEET THE ATHLETE Noriko Inada, 42, swam for Japan at the 1992, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. She now swims Masters for Phoenix Swim Club, and owns Masters world records in the women’s 25-29, 30-34, 35-39 and 40-44 age groups.

^ STABILITY BALL DUMBBELL STROKE

Lying face down on a stability ball, position yourself so your chest is on the ball. Keep your legs straight with your toes on the floor. Perform freestyle strokes by holding a dumbbell in each hand.

^STABILITY BALL PIKE-UPS >

Lying face down with your waist positioned on a stability ball, “walk” yourself forward with your hands into a push-up position until your ankles/ shins are on the ball. Elevate your hips in an upward motion, then return back down to your starting position. Repeat.

< HORIZONTAL PULL-UPS

Lying supine on the floor grab a horizontal bar that’s elevated two to three feet off the ground. Position your hands shoulder-width on the bar, and while keeping your knees bent, elevate your hips and upper torso off the ground to the bar. Lower and repeat.