While swimmers do the majority of their training in the pool, dry land strength and conditioning workouts are also extremely useful in helping improve performance and prevent injuries. They are also valuable if you have limited access to a pool and are looking to train and improve your swimming.
If you’re spending long hours swimming, then one or two dry land sessions a week will be enough. Increase this to three or four if your swimming sessions are limited.
Strength & Power
Good overall strength helps swimmers improve technique and performance. A strong back enables a more efficient pull with each stroke; strong and balanced shoulders help prevent injuries like swimmer’s shoulder; and strong legs help give the power to push off the wall with every flip turn.
Core strength
A strong core helps swimmers with every part of their performance in the pool – building a better dolphin kick underwater, a faster flip turn, and a more explosive start. It gives athletes a powerful platform from which to pull, push and kick through the water, helping keep the body properly aligned to reduce drag and increase efficiency.
Flexibility
Good flexibility in swimmers is important in preventing injury. When stretching you should aim to include static stretches targeting the chest, shoulders, abs, hip flexors, quadriceps and feet/ankles.
