Over the years I have trained many swimmers. Whether they are collegiate swimmers, training for the Olympics or a professional triathlete, they all need some type of land-based training program to help with their swimming in the water.
Swimmer conditioning consists of numerous hours in the pool. Different distances require different training plans and goals. Distance swimmers are going to have different plans than sprinters, so make sure you know why and what you are training. When setting up a plan, focus on how long the event will be and figure out where the athlete is weakest.
Swimming training regimens are not one-size fits all but there are some common areas all swimmers need.
Shoulder preventative care needs to be a priority. Make sure you add plenty of shoulder complex exercises to strengthen the supportive muscles. We like to use cross symmetry at the gym with sots press, planks, dip holds, 30/30 presses, Cuban presses, shoulder dislocates and over head squats. You do not need more than five pounds weights for these movements and make sure you use perfect form. Remember static stretching weakens the muscles so make sure you add plenty of dynamic stretches with a strength emphasis.
Swimming is extremely dependent on a strong core. You need to balance in the water and engage your core without constantly thinking about doing so. Core exercises we use are med-ball walk outs, GHD holds, toes to hands, atomic sit ups, v-sits, planks, slosh pipes, anything held over your head, farmer walks, superman’s, bridges and many more. Don’t constantly do the same exercise because your body will adapt. Learn to engage your core in any movement you do in the gym.
Mix in plenty of pulling and pushing exercises for strong supportive arms. You want to keep the range of motion without adding too much bulk to the arms. Your reps should be in the strength or endurance lifting schemes to avoid adding too much bulk, which can hinder your performance. We use body weight rows, pull-ups, bent over rows, push-ups, presses and many more exercises to incorporate pulling and pushing.
Swimmers use their legs to kick but in more of a supportive role. If you are swimming in the pool, you need to develop power in your legs to push off the wall. A strong push can put you significantly ahead of your competitor. Single leg exercises can be a great transferable tool to use in the gym. We have had great success using split jumps, lunges and box squats.
Finally, use dry land training for the mental aspect. In swimming you have a lot of time to think because you are alone in the water. Usually the hardest thing mentally is when you have too much time to think. Work on mental training with tests in the gym. We also love using the Skierg because it works similar muscles and is easily measurable. Some of our best swimmers seem to dominate on the Skierg. It might be related to swimmers typically being tall or their strong lats and upper body from swimming.
Find a plan that works with your swimming goals. The most important thing is to get the hours in the pool but you are still going to need the gym work to make you better and more efficient when you swim.
