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The best dryland workouts for swimmers: dryland exercises for beginner, intermediate and advanced swimmers

July 6, 2023

For athletes who are unable to access open water or pools, engaging in dryland workouts for swimmers offers a valuable opportunity to supplement their aquatic training. Exercises on land have a rather straightforward primary objective: to establish a solid base of strength and flexibility that can enhance athletes’ performance in the water.

Why are dryland training routines so important for swimmers?

We are telling you why it is essential to practice these when you’re not engaged in your regular swimming routines.

Preventing the risk of injuries. By addressing muscular imbalances and strengthening your core, you can avoid injuries. The shoulders endure significant strain during intense swim training, and maintaining their mobility and flexibility aids in avoiding shoulder injuries.

Boosting stroke efficiency. By applying more power per stroke, you are able to cover more distance with less effort. Moreover, integrating swimming dryland workouts into your regimen can enhance balance and rotation, which is crucial for swimming in open water.

Increasing stroke rate. This enables you to execute forceful strokes in less time.

Sticking to habits. The training routines follow a similar structure to your swim practices, which you already got used to. Moreover, they serve as a strong foundation for conducting exercises within the comfort of your own home.

What do dryland exercises for swimmers include?

Warm-up

This is a mandatory part of any dryland swim workouts. Such preparation makes the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system ready for the load, reduces the chance of injury and helps you tune in to the workout.

It is an important component of any workout. Warming up reduces muscle fatigue after a workout and decreases lactic acid levels in the muscles.

The pre-training warm-up should be dynamic, but at a calm pace and without sudden movements. It should start with the upper part of the body and gradually move to the lower part. The dryland swimming exercises are suitable for both inexperienced athletes and professional swimmers.

Flexibility training

This type of dryland training for swimmers allows you to increase the amplitude of movements, reduces fatigue in training and the likelihood of injury. Flexibility working out lengthens muscle fibers. And the longer they are, the greater the strength and speed of their contraction.

Stretching and flexibility exercises can make up a separate routine or can be part of a warm-up activity.

Strengthening the core

The goal is to strengthen the muscles of the crust, develop mobility of shoulder joints and stretch the hip flexor muscles. You will need: a body bar (towel or stick).

Lie on your back on a bench. Grab a body bar (a towel will also work). Straighten your arms and extend upward. Lift your legs, knees bent, shins parallel to the floor. Bend angle between knee and thigh ninety degrees. Press your lower back against the bench. Pull your stomach in.

Simultaneously straighten your right leg and pull your arms back. Make sure your lower back stays pressed against the bench.

Simultaneously return the leg and arms to the starting position.

Do the same for the left leg.

Repeat the exercise eight to ten times for each leg.  

Do two to four more sets.

To do a good dryland workout for swimmers for all muscle groups, a mat (or a towel if you do not have a mat) is enough. It does not matter if you are a beginner or an advanced athlete. It is important to start your workouts with simple exercises, gradually increasing their complexity and adding equipment.

Strength work

Here we add expanders, dumbbells, weights, fitness bands to our workouts. Particular attention is paid to the development of muscles directly involved in swimming.

Start such dry land exercises for swimmers with exercises involving the whole body or a large number of muscles, followed by exercises for working out the isolated muscles. In the process of training, it is necessary to alternate movements backward and forward.

Aerobic exercise on dry land

This can be anything you like – running, cycling, dancing, classes on any cardio machine. Such workouts can increase endurance and improve overall fitness.

1.Unwind. The principle is to twist both hands forward and backward. The goal of this exercise is to spin them as easily and calmly as possible. Such dry land swimming exercises develop flexibility and mobility of the shoulder joint. It is necessary to look forward upwards. Arm swing – twenty times forward, twenty times backward.

2. Rowing in gradient. The exercise is designed to develop the brachial polis and the correct swimming of the crawl on the long arms. Bend over, relax arms and try to swim forty times.

3.Rowing with an elastic band. For this exercise you will need a rubber band, which you can buy in a sports store, or at the drugstore. The principle of the exercise on the rubber is the same repetitive movements, to work off the muscle memory, which will help you to swim the crawl in the pool. The most important thing is to take your time, watch the beginning, the high elbow and the end of the row. Suggested to perform in two-three approaches of forty-fifty reps each.

4. Boat. This dry land swim workout is designed to work the back muscles and to keep the body straight while swimming. The position is lying on your stomach. Lift straight arms and legs at the same time, stretching arms as far forward as possible and legs as far back as possible. Try to stay in this position and slowly lower yourself down. Suggested to do in two approaches of eight to ten reps.

5. Crawling in the plank. This land exercises for swimmers are quite difficult, do not worry if you do not succeed at the first time. The most important thing is not to be in a hurry! It is necessary to rest your feet and hands on the floor, as if you were standing in a plank. Do not lift your pelvis in any way. Do alternating strokes with your hands. Suggested to perform in two sets for thirty seconds.

6. Crawling with your legs while sitting. You need to sit on the floor, stretch your legs, you can hold a support with your hands or keep your hands on the body. Try to stretch your legs, trying to do light strokes. Suggested to complete in one approach of one minute or two approaches of thirty seconds.

7. Crawling legs lying on stomach. Lie on stomach, stretch arms forward, legs straight back. Make light movements with your legs, as if you were swimming in water. Try to pull with your back, everything below the knees should be relaxed. Suggested to perform in one approach of one minute or two approaches of thirty seconds.

8. Squatting near the corner. It is necessary to stand at the corner, legs parallel to the corner. The task is to do 5 straight squats without touching the wall with your chest. The pelvis can be moved back, pulling the crown up all the time. 5 squats. swimmer's exercises on dry land

Guys, doing exercises for swimmers on land, just take your time! If you do everything calmly, slowly, then you will learn to swim much faster!

IMPORTANT!

In order to master proper swimming techniques, as well as to maintain your physical fitness in the period you don’t have access to a pool or to open water, you must regularly engage in the best dryland workouts for swimmers.

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