Supplementing Swim Training

My focus this week has been exercises to help you improve your swim strength and core stability.

When swimming your goal is to cover a set distance in a given stroke as fast as you can.  In order to achieve this, you must reach, and maintain, the highest average velocity you can. This requires a combination of attributes including technical proficiency, fitness, tactical awareness and strength.

Swimmers often get a lot of overload just by swimming by overcoming the resistance of the water; those that train several times therefore won’t get the necessary overload by mimicing these actions with bands and cables.

Therefore when designing S&C programmes it’s important to include exercises which mimic the demands of the sports, the shapes that are made and the muscles used.

To create that overload in the muscles used for swimming and stress the body to adapt we need to be targeting the main propulsive muscles used which are the latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major and quadriceps. You also need a strong core to keep you aligned in the water.

You can train the following muscles with these exercises:

Latissimus Dorsi: Pull up and Chin ups (Banded Variations); Inverse Row; Face Pull (Cable and Band Variations); Lat Pulldown & Banded Version; Single Arm Row; Barbell Bentover Row

Pectoral Major: Push Up; Bench or Floor Press; Single or Double Arm Press
Quadriceps: Squat Variations; Lunge Variations; Step Ups

Core: Plank; Side Plank Transverse Reach; Glute Bridge; Russian Twist; Lying Superman; Flutter Kicks