Dryland swim exercises are a practical way for triathletes to develop swim-specific strength and improve performance without adding more trips to the pool. Heading into the off-season is an ideal time to assess areas that could be improved for next season. For many triathletes, swimming is high on that list.

Training on dry land in addition to your normal pool sessions can help you become a stronger and more efficient swimmer. Adding two or three short sessions each week provides extra work for the swim-specific muscle groups without the additional time required to travel to the pool.

Why do land training, and how can you improve your swimming without actually going swimming?

Land training, or swim-specific strength training, is a great way to make up for limited pool time. It can also complement your regular swimming by developing additional strength without having to get wet.

The principle behind dryland swim exercises is to add an element of strength training that can be difficult to achieve through swimming alone.

Water does not provide the same stable resistance as conventional strength training. This is one reason swimmers use equipment such as paddles, swim bands and other resistance tools to increase the workload during training.

By performing swimming-specific exercises on dry land, we can develop a stronger foundation on which to build endurance, technique and speed.

Most of these exercises can be performed almost anywhere. Apart from chin-ups, no weights are required, and many exercises can even be completed at home in front of the TV. Spending 20–30 minutes a few times each week can provide useful additional swim-specific conditioning.

When starting a new routine, gradually increase the number of repetitions and sets over several weeks rather than doing too much too soon.

Don’t neglect your abdominal and core muscles either. Core strength is important for maintaining body position, controlling rotation and transferring power through the swimming stroke. Crunching movements can be used instead of full sit-ups. A short core routine also makes an effective warm-up before completing the exercises below.

Dryland Swim Exercise: Push-Ups

This is a simple exercise with a slight variation to make it more specific to freestyle swimming. The triceps produce considerable force during the final third of the freestyle stroke, from around the belly button through to the hip.

A push-up is one of the easiest ways to develop strength in these muscles. For a swimmer’s push-up, keep your elbows tucked close to your sides rather than allowing them to flare out. This places greater emphasis on the triceps and makes the exercise more swim-specific.

If a full push-up is too difficult initially, perform the movement from your knees and progress as your strength improves.

Example Dryland Swim Exercise Session

Start with 3 x 10 repetitions with one minute of rest between sets. Gradually increase the total number of repetitions or sets from week to week.

Dryland Swim Exercise: Chin-Ups

Chin-ups are another excellent swim-specific strength exercise. Using an overhand grip, with your fingers facing away from you, encourages the use of many of the major muscles involved in swimming.

Your arms are responsible for helping propel your body through the water, making upper-body pulling strength particularly valuable. Position your hands at least shoulder-width apart, use an overhand grip and pull until your chin rises above the bar.

Chin-ups can be difficult when starting out. Begin with one or two quality repetitions and gradually increase the number as your strength develops.

Dryland Swim Exercises with Stretch Cords

Stretch cords, swim bands or Therabands are one of the most useful tools for dryland swim exercises. They can be attached securely to a suitable fixed object at home or taken with you when travelling.

Stretch cords allow you to work on strength while also concentrating on the underwater phase of the swimming stroke. Their biggest advantage is that you can slow the movement down and focus on using the full length of your stroke.

Concentrate on technique first: position the hand below the wrist and the wrist below the elbow, then push through and beyond the hip. Start slowly until the movement is controlled before progressing to faster repetitions.

Resistance can be increased by gripping the band closer to the anchor point. A short, well-executed stretch-cord session can provide an effective addition to your regular swimming program.

Example Stretch Cord Session

Start with 10 x 30-second repetitions using both arms together or alternating individual arms. Take approximately 15 seconds of rest after each repetition. The number of repetitions can then be increased gradually over subsequent weeks.

These three dryland swim exercises are only a small selection of the exercises available. However, in my experience they are among the most practical for time-poor age-group triathletes.

I have coached athletes who have maintained very good swimming performances despite limited pool time while travelling for work. Maintaining two or three short dryland strength and core sessions each week can help preserve swim-specific strength until normal pool training resumes.

For additional information about strength and conditioning principles for athletes, visit the Australian Institute of Sport.

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