One of the fastest ways to improve in swimming is to add strength training to your program. This might bring back memories of ‘hitting the gym’ or dragging yourself out of bed on a cold, icy morning to exercise. Luckily things have changed.
It’s now possible to increase your strength and endurance without slugging away at the gym for hours. By being smart and doing the exercises which work specific muscles, you can save time and squeeze in quick exercises before a swimming session.
I traveled to Queensland to visit Australian swimmer Sam Ashby and see what he was doing for strength training. I discovered the exercises they had been doing:
- Got results within days, not months like most gym programs
- Didn’t take 2-3 days to recover from, so you could get into the pool and feel fresh and strong
- Could be done almost anywhere so you weren’t restricted to only doing strength training at the gym
This meant that you didn’t need to hire an expensive personal trainer, you didn’t need an expensive gym equipent and best of all swimmers of any age could do the program and get results fast.
I confirmed that these were the strength workouts that Australia’s best swimmers were using when I chatted with Jeremy Saunders who trains with numerous Olympic swimmers.
Most of the exercises can be done without any equipment, but they also use swiss balls and strength bands.
This video shows three exercises you can do in under 5 minutes before any training session. It will build strength and increase power if you do it consistently for a few days.
We’ve put together a video program of the most effective way to build strength for swimming, using the same exercises Australia’s best swimmers are doing. It’s called SwimGymPRO and is available now.
Interesting! How many sets/reps each?
Arm pulses 60-90 seconds
Push Ups 5-20
Crunches 45-90 secs
I all depends on fitness, but make sure you feel a burn during each exercise
I satisfied to your instruction, my child has swim more fast than before
Awesome Iwan!
ty so much i am the best swimmer in Cambridgeshire for my age (15 )be for i saw this now this has made me improve so much
Brendon, Finally an opportunity to thank you for all your GREAT freestyle tips!! Making a HUGE difference decreasing my stroke count across our short 55ft pool!
My favorite dryland right now is a pulley I’ve attached to the garage ceiling and a plastic bucket full of old heavy engine parts (camshaft etc). From the opposite handle end of the cord I get full lat extension (reach) pulling the weight clear down to my hips…same motion as freestyle. 20×3 reps.
Video link is 58yr old never-coached self-taught amateur ME (fitness swimmer since mid-20s) with my first & only coaching input 2 months ago from coach Brad Hering.
Thanks again. Keep it coming!
Paul, great looking technique! Thanks for your kind words I appreciate your feedback. Keep up the great work mate!
Hi Ben,
Glad it’s working well for you!
Brent
GREAT.Simple but very effective.I lay down on floor in streatched streamline position(diving and start) and roll on the floor .
Why is it that I can swim quicker and easier with pull buoy and band than without these devices. So using my legs slows me down?
A pull buoy raises your hips and legs which reduces your frontal drag. To swimmer faster with out a buoy try keeping your feet higher so your heels are breaking the surface in your kick
Hi Rohan, when I started drill training, I had no pull buoy so I just kicked slightly to keep my heels on the surface of the water. I noticed this hardly reduced my speed whilst maintaining energy. This is really handy for long distances but for short sprints I now kick faster whilst maintaining this elevated posture. Really helps…