Strength for Swimmers: Gym Work That Supports the Pool
Good dry land training for swimmers is mostly about three things: a strong, well-controlled upper back and shoulders to cope with thousands of strokes, legs and hips that can produce force off the wall and through the kick, and a trunk that keeps the body long and level in the water. Two gym sessions a week of 45 to 60 minutes, built around pulling, pushing, squatting, hinging and rotation, are enough for most adult swimmers. Keep them away from your hardest pool sessions and progress the loads slowly.
This is written for the adult swimmer: the masters squad member, the open-water swimmer training for a summer event, or the person who swims three mornings a week and wants to stay comfortable doing it.
What swimming does and does not train
Swimming is excellent conditioning. It is also very repetitive and largely unloaded. The pulling muscles, particularly the lats and the front of the shoulder, work constantly, while the muscles that hold the shoulder blades back and control the shoulder joint often lag behind. The legs work, but rarely against much resistance. And because the water supports your weight, swimming does little to load the bones, which is one reason the UK physical activity guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days a week alongside aerobic exercise.
The gym’s job is to fill those gaps, not to replicate the stroke with a cable.
The five areas to train
1. Upper back and shoulder blade control
Swimmers tend to arrive with strong lats and rounded shoulders. Rows, face pulls and rear-delt work balance that out. A seated cable row and the face pull are the two I use most. Focus on control and a full range, not heavy weights.
2. Vertical pulling
Lat pulldowns and, when ready, pull-ups build the pulling strength behind the catch. Use a controlled lowering phase. Our comparison of the lat pulldown and pull-up helps decide which suits you now.
3. Pushing, done carefully
Push-ups, dumbbell presses and landmine presses keep the front of the body strong without forcing the shoulder into end-range positions under heavy load. Many swimmers already have shoulders that are mobile but not especially stable, so heavy behind-the-neck presses and very deep dips are best left out.
4. Legs and hips
Squats, split squats, Romanian deadlifts and step-ups build the force you use pushing off the wall and help the kick. Box jumps or squat jumps at low volume add some power for turns and starts if you race.
5. Trunk and rotation
Dead bugs, side planks and cable chops teach the trunk to hold a long, level body position and transfer rotation between hips and shoulders. These are short, controlled sets, not endless crunches.
A sample week for an adult swimmer
| Session A (lower body emphasis) | Session B (upper body emphasis) |
|---|---|
| Goblet or back squat: 3 x 6-8 | Lat pulldown or assisted pull-up: 3 x 8 |
| Romanian deadlift: 3 x 8 | Single-arm dumbbell row: 3 x 10 each side |
| Split squat: 2 x 8 each leg | Push-up or dumbbell press: 3 x 8-10 |
| Face pull: 3 x 12-15 | Face pull or band pull-apart: 3 x 15 |
| Pallof press: 3 x 10 each side | Cable chop: 3 x 8 each side |
| Side plank: 3 x 20-30 seconds each side | Dead bug: 3 x 6 each side |
Start with weights that leave two or three reps in reserve. Increase load or reps a little each week while the pool training stays steady. During a taper before an event, keep the gym sessions but halve the sets for the last week or so.
Fitting it around the pool
- Same day is fine. Swim in the morning and lift in the evening, or lift first if the swim that day is easy. Avoid heavy upper body work immediately before a hard pull set.
- Do not stack hard days. If Tuesday is your toughest squad session, make Monday or Wednesday the lower-body gym day and keep the upper-body day further away.
- Warm the shoulders properly. Five minutes of band work and light rows before lifting makes a noticeable difference for swimmers, whose shoulders are often already tired.
- Expect some heaviness at first. The first two or three weeks of gym work can make your stroke feel sluggish. That usually passes as you adapt.
Looking after swimmers’ shoulders
Shoulder pain is the most common complaint among regular swimmers. Strength work is part of the answer, alongside sensible pool volume and good technique. A few points worth knowing:
- Upper back mobility matters. If the thoracic spine is stiff, the shoulder makes up the difference. Our piece on thoracic spine mobility covers simple drills.
- Pulling volume in the gym should not be enormous. You already pull thousands of times a week in the water.
- Sudden jumps in pool distance cause more problems than the gym does. Build distance gradually.
Check with your GP or a physiotherapist first if you have shoulder pain that wakes you at night, weakness lifting your arm, or pain that has lasted more than a few weeks. The same applies if you are returning after a long break or have a heart condition.
Common mistakes
- Copying the stroke with cables and bands. Resisted stroke drills have their place, but they are not a substitute for building general strength.
- Training only the upper body. Legs drive starts, turns and a lot of open-water efficiency.
- High-rep everything. Swimming already provides endurance. Lower reps with more load give the gym a different stimulus.
- Dropping the gym in race season. Strength fades over several weeks without any work. One short session a week holds most of it.
How we coach swimmers in the studio
The first session covers your pool schedule, your events and any shoulder history, followed by simple movement checks: overhead reach, rotation, squat and single-leg control. The plan is then built around your week in the water, not the other way round. The studio under The Highgate House has a cable station, lat pulldown, seated row, dumbbells and a squat rack, which covers everything above. More on how it works is on our personal trainer in Highgate page, and if chlorine is the other thing you are fighting, our barbers have written about chlorine and salt water hair care.
Questions we get asked
Will lifting weights make me slower in the water?
Not if it is planned sensibly. Strength work supports power off the wall and helps you hold technique when tired. The early sluggish feeling is temporary.
How many gym sessions does a swimmer need?
Two a week is the sweet spot for most adults. One maintains strength; three is rarely needed unless you are competing at a high level.
Should I lift before or after swimming?
Whichever matters most that day goes first. If the swim is a hard, technical session, swim first. If it is easy, lifting first is fine.
Can I start if I already have sore shoulders?
Often yes, with adapted exercises, but get the pain assessed first. A 1-1 trainer can then work around whatever the physiotherapist recommends.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
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