By Craig Davis, Staff Writer

8:12 p.m. EDT, March 19, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE—

The medal for winning the 100-meter backstroke was around Ryan Lochte's neck less than a minute.

As soon as he stepped off the podium Saturday at Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Complex, Lochte found a worthy recipient. Tomas Dominguez, a 6-year-old who swims for Fort Lauderdale Aquatics, got the medal and a photo with the six-time Olympic medalist to build dreams around.

Then, for Lochte, there were acquaintances to renew with Olympic icon Dara Torres followed by more photo ops and swim caps to sign. Later there would be another final to swim, a pseudo duel with fellow U.S. Olympian and training partner Peter Vanderkaay, another medal to pass along to an excited youngster.

Lochte and Vanderkaay are the biggest names among more than 900 swimmers in the Speedo Champions Series Southern Zone Sectionals, which concludes Sunday. They are not here to show off world-class form. To hear them tell it, these are a couple of beat-up Olympians on display.

Text alerts: Get South Florida sports news on your phone

"We're riding pretty low in the water right now," said Vanderkaay, a three-time Olympic medalist.

This is Spring Break on Fort Lauderdale beach, but these boys are here mainly to work. They swim a full workout each morning before competing in the preliminaries of their events.

Still, it is a welcome break from the arduous regimen with their training group at the University of Florida. Since recovering from a knee injury suffered in 2009 while, ahem, break-dancing, Lochte has undertaken a serious weight-training program patterned after the strongman competition. He tosses empty beer kegs, hoists cement barrels onto a platform, drags heavy boat chains, among other back-breaking exercises.

Lochte credits the program for his remarkable 2010 season. The world records he set in the 200 and 400 individual medleys are the only ones recorded since high-tech suits were banned. He won six gold medals each at the Pan-Pacific Championships and the Short Course Worlds.

"It worked out so well last year, I'm going to keep doing it," said Lochte, 26. "At this point in the season, I'm definitely in the best shape that I've ever been."

Vanderkaay, 27, relocated to Gainesville from Michigan in December and is following a similar program in quest of a third Olympics.

"Flipping a 650-pound truck tire, that's one of the things I didn't have much experience with," Vanderkaay said. "It's been fun and challenging."

The two veterans are putting on an entertaining show. Vanderkaay came from behind to out-touch Lochte in the 400 freestyle in 3:58.78. Pine Crest senior Thomas Veale was a close third. Vanderkaay also won the 200 IM, an event he rarely swims.

Neither are concerned with the times they swim here. Nor does Lochte see any significance in his loss to Michael Phelps earlier this month at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. This year is all about peaking for the FINA World Championships in Shanghai in July.

"I don't really swim fast in the season because I'm so tired," Lochte said. "I know the work that I'm doing, and I'll be there at the end of the season when it really matters."

Not that this weekend is all about work. Lochte is finding time to mingle with the Spring Break crowd at the beach. But, he promises, no break-dancing.