Seven Benefits of Strength Training for Swimmers and Seven Movements to Add to Your Routine

As someone who has spent more than two decades teaching people how to sweat, I am often asked about the “best” kinds of movement that can help provide popular benefits like weight loss or improved muscle definition. That is such a general question that the first two words out of my mouth are, “That depends.”

Identify the goal

To identify the best type of movements for your specific needs first requires identifying the actual goal you want to achieve. The human body is a completely adaptable organism that will change its structure and function based on how it is used. The generic goals of weight loss or muscle growth require different types of movement for the desired outcomes. Lifting heavy weights until complete failure will produce one type of response (muscle growth), while running for miles at a time can help burn the calories for weight loss but will result in a completely different type of adaptation (improve cardiorespiratory efficiency) than strength training.

Identify what you enjoy

Once you’ve determined a specific goal, the next step is to identify the movements that you actually enjoy because it doesn’t matter how many benefits a particular movement may provide. If you don’t like doing it, you most likely are not going to, therefore there won’t be any benefits to worry about.

Identify your “why”

Once you’ve determined a favorite activity or mode of movement that can help you reach your objective, the next logical question is, Do you want to pursue that activity to get in shape or do you want to get in shape to enjoy your favorite activity?

This is an important question for people who enjoy popular recreational activities like running, cycling or swimming. Yes, each of these activities can be an effective means of movement for the purpose of improving general health. But if you are doing any one of these activities as your primary form of fitness, then it is probably a good idea to develop a workout program that will help you get in optimal physical condition so that you can enjoy your selected activity, as opposed to simply doing that activity in an effort to improve your fitness level.

Seven benefits of strength training for swimmers

One example of this approach is with the activity of swimming. Many adults first learned how to swim as children, and while it is an excellent form of fitness, it should be supported with a proper strength-training program so that you can receive the maximum amount of benefits possible. Think of it this way: You can spend your time in the pool floundering about as you struggle to make it from one end to the other, or you can spend some time in the weight room to develop the ability to perform your favorite strokes with optimal strength and efficiency.

Listed below are seven benefits of strength training for swimming followed by a few movements that can help you improve your strength so that you can achieve the maximal returns from your investment of time in the water.

Muscle timing means that as one set of muscles contracts to create movement, the muscles on the opposite side of the joint have to lengthen to allow the joint to experience unimpeded motion. Strength training with compound movements that incorporate many muscles into one lift can improve the coordination and motor control of the leg, core, upper-back and shoulder muscles to function more effectively as a single unit, which is important because all these muscles have to work together effortlessly to move you through the water.
Endurance strength training (any strength exercise performed for more than 15 repetitions) can help improve a muscle’s ability to use oxygen to sustain force production over an extended period of time, which is important for those who want to train for long-distance swimming events or just want the stamina to keep up with the kids all day while playing in the ocean or local pool.
Power movements, which include dynamic barbell lifts like power cleans or push presses, medicine-ball throws, kettlebell swings or plyometric jumps, can help develop the explosive strength for rapid acceleration—important when competing in a race and needing to pass or create more distance between you and your opponent.
Strength training is mobility training. As one set of muscles contracts to move a limb through space, the set of muscles on the opposite side of the joint have to lengthen to allow the motion to occur. Strengthening movements for the hips, upper back and shoulders can help improve force output of the involved muscles while simultaneously improving the range of motion allowed by the involved joints.
Body-weight movements like planks, push-ups and lunges are all effective for improving muscular endurance, yet they also can help improve mobility and range of motion of the involved joints via the crossed extensor reflex. From a high plank (the up position of a push-up), press your left hand into the ground while rotating your right hand to reach up toward the ceiling (allowing your hips and both legs to rotate to the right). The pressure of your left hand into the ground allows more range of motion from your right shoulder—this is the crossed extensor reflex, which also occurs in the hips when doing exercises like lunges. The pressure of the palms of your hands or the bottom of your feet against the ground enhances the nervous system activation of the muscles that surround the involved joints. Using the ground for leverage can help improve motion in the shoulder and hip joints.
Carrying extra body weight can cause you to move slower because your muscles have to generate more force to move the mass against the drag of the water. Strength training can help burn the calories to maintain a healthy body weight with low levels of excess body fat, resulting in a more efficient and effective swimming stroke.
Movement can make numerous changes to your body, but those changes come during the time after the workout, as the body is recovering from the stresses of the movement. Hard workouts challenge your muscles to generate more force than they normally produce, which could lead to post-workout muscle soreness. Regular strength training can help the muscles become more effective at removing the metabolic byproduct produced during strenuous movement and replacing the spent energy, allowing you to recover more effectively from the hard, challenging workouts that lead to the physiological adaptations you want.

Seven strength-training movements for swimmers

Optimal strength-training movements for swimming should use the muscles of the hips, core, upper back and shoulders together at the same time because that is how they function when moving your body through the water. For best results, perform each set to fatigue—the inability to complete another repetition.

To improve endurance, perform this workout as a circuit by doing each movement one after the other with minimal rest. Once you have completed all movements, rest one to two minutes, or until your breathing has come back to a normal rate.

High Plank With Knee Tap

Deep core stabilizers

Shoulders

Upper back

Hips

Start in a high-plank (top of the push-up) position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your legs extended behind you, about hip-width apart. Breathe normally as you lift your hips into the air and hinge back as you tap your right hand to your left knee. Alternate hands and knees for a total of eight to 12 reps.

8 to 12 taps (each knee)

2 to 4

Slow-Motion Burpee

Deep core stabilizers

Shoulders

Upper back

Triceps

Hips

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your arms hanging down along the front of your body. Keep your spine long as you push your hips back to lower yourself into a squat. As your body sinks lower, place both hands on the ground in front of you. Once you lower your hips as low as possible, start walking forward with your hands to move into a full plank position. Pause at the end before walking your hands back toward your feet. As your hands move back toward your body, bend your knees and drop your hips so you end at the bottom position of a squat. Pick your hands up off the ground as you raise your chest and push both feet into the floor to return to the initial standing position.

10 to 12

Step-Through

Deep core stabilizers

Shoulders

Upper back

Triceps

Hips

Start in a quadruped position with your hands directly under your shoulders and the tops of your toes on the ground (so that your knees are off the ground). Pick up your right arm and pull it back as you rotate on your left shoulder and kick your left leg across your body. Pause for a moment, then rotate back to place your right hand and left foot on the floor before rotating to the other side by pulling your left hand back and kicking your right leg across your body so that your right hand and left foot are the only points of contact on the ground.

6 to 10

(each leg)

Single-Leg Hip Hinge

Deep core stabilizers

Upper back

Hips

Thighs

Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart, your spine lengthened and your knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand directly in front of your waist. Push your hips backward as you begin to lift your right foot off the ground. Keep your spine long as you straighten your right leg and point your right foot directly behind you. Continue hinging forward from your hips to a comfortable distance. Allow the weights to lower to the floor in a straight line directly in front of your legs. To return to standing, pull the bottom of your left pelvis down toward the back of your left thigh while swinging your right leg down toward the floor. Perform six to 10 reps standing on your left leg, then switch legs.

6 to 10

(each leg)

Single-Leg Sword Draw

Shoulders

Upper back

Stand balanced on your left leg. (Keep your right knee bent so your pelvis is level during the movement.) Hold one dumbbell in your right hand so that your right arm is straight and your right palm is resting in front of your left hip. Press both feet into the ground, and maintain a long spine as you raise your right arm across your body and out to your right side so that the weight ends up at shoulder height. Return the weight back to the front of your left hip. Perform 12 to 15 reps with your right arm and then switch to your right leg and left arm.

12 to 15

(each arm)

V-Raise

Shoulders

Upper back

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Keep your spine long and tall. Hold one dumbbell in each hand directly next to each other in front of your waist. With your thumbs up toward the ceiling, lift both weights up to shoulder height, moving the weights apart (in a V) as you raise them. Slowly lower to the starting position.

12 to 15

Windmill

Deep core stabilizers

Shoulders

Upper back

Triceps

Hips

Stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart so that your left foot is pointing straight ahead (in the 12 o’clock direction) and your right foot is in a staggered position pointing in the 5 o’clock direction. Hold a kettlebell in your right hand in the racked position—your right wrist should be bent so the knuckles of your right hand are by your right collarbone and your right elbow is next to your rib cage with the kettlebell resting on your forearm. Press the kettlebell straight overhead and hold your right arm straight during the movement. Hold your left arm by your side and maintain a long spine as you push your weight back into your right hip and turn to look at your right hand while allowing your left arm to drop along the inside of your left (front) leg. Lower yourself as far as you can while keeping a straight spine. To return to standing, push your right leg into the floor and slide your hips forward as you bring your back up straight and tall. Perform six to 10 reps with your right arm and then switch arms and change feet positions. This is a challenging movement; take your time to learn it properly.

6 to 10

(each arm)

There won’t be any promises of Olympic records or even being able to make it to the far side of a 50-meter pool, but a proper strength-training program can help you develop the ability to maximize the enjoyment of your time in the water. Another axiom when it comes to the human body is that form follows function. If you do the dry-land strength training combined with more time in the pool, your ability to function as a swimmer will improve, which could ultimately result in the appearance that you’re working so hard to achieve, a definite win-win scenario.

Photo credit: AleksandarNakic, Getty Images