- We all know that swimming is a demanding sport.
It's a full body workout requiring strength
from the arms, shoulders, back,
core, legs and so on.
So, to help condition us better for this today
I've got six great exercises
that can be performed on dry land.
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Okay, first up we have the pull up.
I know everyone's favorite,
but this has always been a bit of a go to for me
in terms of swimming exercises
because it really helps to strengthen the back muscles
and the latissimus dorsi muscles.
Both of which play a huge role in our swimming,
they provide stability and strength
during the pool phase.
Now, ideally for this you want something fairly sturdy,
hopefully a pull up bar in a gym
rather than some precarious ledge around your own home.
But granted, this is not one of the easiest exercises,
but it is still definitely achievable.
So, even if you just have to start with one
or maybe even two reps,
that's absolutely fine.
So, a couple of quick progressions
are the Australian pull up,
which is very similar to a normal pull up,
except you are lying at an angle
of about 45 degrees with your feet on the ground.
Just make sure that you set your shoulders back
and then you pull yourself all the way up to the bar.
Next is to progress to doing a pull up
with a resistance band to take some of your weight.
Just take your resistance band,
put them over the pull up bar
and then place your feet or knees in the resistance band
and do as many pull ups as you can.
Do this until you're strong enough to do
normal pull ups.
For this I would advise an over hand grip
to focus on activating the larger muscles in the back.
Hands a little wider than shoulder width,
but feel free to play around with this.
Try to control your pull ups without using momentum.
And if you do require a bit of momentum
at the beginning that's fine,
but as you get stronger
you should aim to reduce that momentum.
Then try to build up to doing
three sets of five to begin with.
I like to do ascending sets,
starting with something like 10,
then nine and then finishing with eight.
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I'm now moving on from the pull ups
and on to the press up or push up.
This is another very popular one with swimmers
because it hits a number of key muscle groups.
The pecs, the triceps,
a number of muscles around the shoulders
and of course the core to maintain our posture
whilst doing it.
So, to perform the push up,
lie on your front, legs outstretched,
heels up, toes down on the ground
and then place your hands shoulder width apart
beside your pecs.
Elbows tucked in towards your body
and then push up maintaining a straight
and good posture from head to toe.
And then lower back down
whilst keeping the elbows in.
Don't let them flair out to the side.
As you lower yourself down, just make sure
that you don't go quite down to the floor
and then push yourself back up again.
Now this elbow in technique is used a lot
by swimmers because it recruits the correct
and specific muscles to swimming
without pulling your shoulders
or straining your shoulders by being in
an awkward angle.
Now, if you're not quite ready for a full press up,
then it's absolutely fine to drop down onto your knees.
It's exactly the same action,
we're keeping a straight line and good posture,
but now it's between our head
and our knees instead.
Now when you're starting out,
maybe go for something like three sets of six reps
progressing to eight, 10, 12
or maybe even more reps with time.
Now if you are performing this exercise correctly
you won't need to be knocking out
hundreds of reps at a time.
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Now an exercise I used to do a lot is
the straight arm pull down.
It looks very similar to
and also recruits very similar muscles to
the lap pull down, except it feels a bit more like
and is a bit more specific to the swimming stroke.
It also recruits the core muscles too.
So, to perform this, stand up right in front a cable machine
with a straight bar attachment.
Or if you like use an elastic or TheraBand instead.
Grip with your palms facing down
and push down as far as you can
while keeping your arms straight
with a natural subtle flex in the elbow.
Hold your shoulders back
and shoulder blades in place.
Pull all the way down to your hips
then slowly and controlled come back up
to the start.
Aim to perform three sets of eight
and progress from this with time.
(upbeat music)
Right then the plank is the next exercise for you.
I know it's an absolute classic,
but it really does work.
And I also have a nice little progression for you,
both of which really work the core.
So, start by supporting yourself
on your forearms and toes.
Again maintaining a straight line
and good posture from head to toe.
Tighten your lower abdominal muscles
and then try holding for 30 seconds,
progressing to one minute or more with time.
Now if you like you can also perform this
on your knees.
It's exactly the same action,
but now we're supporting ourselves on our forearms
and our knees, keeping a nice good posture
and a straight line between our head
and our knees.
Now, if you're happy with that my progression
is now to include some rotation,
which is obviously specific to swimming
as we try to rotate in our swimming stroke
and keep everything in sync
from our shoulders through to our hips.
So, whilst in the plank position on your forearms
and toes rotate your body through 90 degrees.
Rotating your head, shoulders and hips
all in time with one another.
Extend your upper arm in the air,
supporting yourself on one foot
and one forearm.
Hold for five seconds
and then rotate your body back around
to the center to support on both toes
and both forearms.
Hold for another five seconds
and then rotate the other direction
in exactly the same way.
Repeat 10 to 15 times,
or as long as you can hold.
(upbeat music)
Okay, still staying with the core
but now introducing the legs,
we have the flutter kick.
So, lie on your back, on a gym mat
or a soft surface with your legs extended
and your arms along side your hips
with your palms down.
Lift your legs four to six inches off the floor,
squeeze your abs to keep your back from over arching
and keep your legs straight
as you rhythmically raise one leg higher
and then switch.
Move in a fluttering up and down motion.
Perform for 15 to 20 repetitions
or alternatively flutter kick for a period of time,
such as 20 to 30 seconds.
(upbeat music)
Well, now for burpees.
Now this is a full body workout,
perfect for improving strength
and aerobic capacities.
So, stand with your feet shoulder width apart,
weight on your heels
and your arms at your sides.
Push your hips back, bend your knees
and lower your body into a squat.
Place your hands on the floor directly in front
and just inside of your feet.
Shift your weight onto your hands
and then jump your feet back
to softly land on the balls of your feet.
Your body should form a straight line
from your head to your heels.
Jump your feet back,
so that they land just outside of your hands
and then reach your arms over your head
and explosively jump into the air.
Land and then imediately lower back
into a squat for the next rep.
Start with three sets of 10 reps
building up to 12, 15 or 20 reps with time.
Well there we go, there's my six great swim exercises
that can be performed on dry land.
Do let me know how you get on in the comments section below
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And if you'd like to see our
seven resistance band exercises,
you can see that by clicking just down here.
And if you'd like to see our
how to swim freestyle, the technique,
a step by step video on that,
you can see that by clicking just down here.