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Exercises

Swimming workout: the dryland strength sessions that make you faster in the pool

Published October 24, 2026

A swimmer's gym session pairs a lat pull, a leg move, shoulder-balance work and a trunk hold: for example lat pulldowns or pull-ups, goblet squats or Romanian deadlifts, face pulls and side-lying external rotations, then a hollow hold. In the pool, a workout runs warm-up, drills, main set and cool-down; out of it, two dryland sessions a week in season and three in the off season build the pull, the starts and the turns. The best exercises for swimmers are the pull-up, straight-arm pulldown, face pull, push-up plus, goblet squat, box jump and hollow hold.

  1. Pull-Up Lats
  2. Straight-Arm Pulldown Lats
  3. Face Pull Shoulders, Upper Back
  4. Push-Up Plus Chest
  5. Goblet Squat Quads, Glutes
  6. Box Jump Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
  7. Plate Hollow Hold Abs
  8. Pallof Press Abs

Pulling exercises for swimmers

Most of the force in every stroke comes from your lats pulling your arm from overhead to your hip. Train a vertical pull, a straight-arm pull, and a one-arm row with a little rotation.

Lats, vertical pull

Pull-Up

Lats

Your lats drive the pull phase of every stroke, and the pull-up loads them through the same arm-overhead-to-hip path. Getting stronger here means more force per stroke.

How to do it

  1. Hang at arm's length with an overhand grip just outside your shoulders.
  2. Draw your shoulder blades down, then bend your elbows toward your ribs.
  3. Rise until your chin passes the bar.
  4. Lower slowly to a full hang.

Cues

  • Shoulders down first
  • Elbows to the ribs
  • Full stretch at the bottom

Common mistakes

  • Swinging to finish reps: stop the set when strict reps run out.
  • Stopping short of a full hang: the stretched part is the part you swim in.

Swap for: Lat Pulldown, Band-Assisted Pull-Up, Chin-Up

Build a session with Pull-Up

Lats, adjustable vertical pull

Lat Pulldown

Lats

The pulldown does the pull-up's job at a load you choose, so you can hit the rep range even on days the pool left your arms tired.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your thighs under the pad and take the bar a little wider than your shoulders.
  2. Lean back a touch and pull the bar to your upper chest.
  3. Squeeze your elbows down toward your sides.
  4. Let the bar rise until your arms are straight and your lats stretch.

Cues

  • Bar to the collarbone
  • Elbows to the hips
  • Long arms at the top

Common mistakes

  • Pulling the bar behind your neck or leaning far back: stay close to upright.
  • Letting the weight yank your arms up: control the return.

Swap for: Pull-Up, Single-Arm Lat Pulldown, Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown

Build a session with Lat Pulldown

Lats, straight-arm pull

Straight-Arm Pulldown

Lats

Sweeping a bar from overhead to your thighs with straight arms is the closest gym movement to the catch and pull of freestyle and butterfly. Smooth, controlled reps teach the lats to work without the biceps taking over.

How to do it

  1. Stand facing a high cable with a straight bar or rope, arms reaching forward to head height.
  2. Hinge forward slightly at the hips and lock your elbows softly.
  3. Sweep the bar down in an arc until it touches your thighs.
  4. Let it rise back to head height under control.

Cues

  • Arms stay long
  • Sweep to the thighs
  • Ribs down

Common mistakes

  • Bending the elbows to pull more weight: lighten it.
  • Arching the lower back at the top: keep the ribs tucked.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lat Pullover, Lat Pulldown, Kettlebell Pullover

Build a session with Straight-Arm Pulldown

Upper back, one-arm pull

Single-Arm Cable Row

Upper Back, Lats

Rowing one arm at a time with a little rotation mirrors the way your body rolls in freestyle and backstroke, and it trains each side on its own so one does not carry the other.

How to do it

  1. Set a cable at chest height and hold the handle in one hand, arm straight.
  2. Stand or kneel side-on with a slight reach forward through the shoulder.
  3. Row the handle to your ribs while your torso rotates a little toward the working side.
  4. Return to the full reach under control and finish all reps before switching.

Cues

  • Reach, then row
  • Elbow close to the ribs
  • Rotate a little, not a lot

Common mistakes

  • Yanking with the whole body: the shoulder and back do the work.
  • Cutting the reach short: let the shoulder blade slide forward each rep.

Swap for: One-Arm Dumbbell Row, Seated Cable Row, TRX Row

Build a session with Single-Arm Cable Row

Shoulder balance for swimmers

Thousands of strokes a week work the front of your shoulders far more than the back. Light, frequent work for the rear delts, rotator cuff and serratus keeps them in balance, and it is the part of a swimmer's dryland session to never skip.

Rear delts and rotator cuff, pull

Face Pull

Shoulders, Upper Back

Swimmers push the shoulders through thousands of overhead strokes a week, mostly with the front of the shoulder. Face pulls build the back of the shoulder and the external rotators that balance it.

How to do it

  1. Set a rope on a cable at face height and hold the ends with your thumbs pointing back.
  2. Step back until the arms are straight and the weight is off the stack.
  3. Pull the rope toward your forehead, spreading the ends apart and turning your hands up.
  4. Hold a moment, then let your arms extend again.

Cues

  • Pull to the forehead
  • Hands finish high
  • Pause at the back

Common mistakes

  • Going too heavy and leaning back: light weight and strict reps.
  • Pulling to the chest: aim higher, at your face.

Swap for: Band Face Pull, Band Pull-Apart, Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly

Build a session with Face Pull

Rotator cuff, external rotation

Dumbbell Lying External Rotation

Shoulders

Lying on your side and rotating a light dumbbell up trains the small muscle that holds the shoulder in place during the stroke. Light weight and high reps are all it needs.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your side with a light dumbbell held in the upper hand and a folded towel between your elbow and ribs.
  2. Bend the elbow to 90 degrees with the forearm across your stomach.
  3. Rotate the forearm up toward the ceiling, keeping the elbow on the towel.
  4. Lower slowly back down.

Cues

  • Elbow pinned
  • Rotate, do not lift
  • Slow down

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the elbow off the side: keep it on the towel.
  • Using a weight that makes the movement jerky: go lighter.

Swap for: Face Pull, Band Pull-Apart, Dumbbell External Rotation

Build a session with Dumbbell Lying External Rotation

Upper back and rear delts, band

Band Pull-Apart

Shoulders, Upper Back

A band and two minutes on the pool deck is enough to warm up the upper back before a session, or to add pulling volume at home.

How to do it

  1. Hold a light band at shoulder height with straight arms, hands shoulder-width apart.
  2. Spread your arms out to the sides by squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  3. Pull until the band touches your chest.
  4. Return slowly to the start.

Cues

  • Arms straight
  • Squeeze the blades
  • Slow back

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging up as the band stretches: keep the shoulders low.
  • Bending the elbows to finish: use a lighter band.

Swap for: Face Pull, Band Face Pull, Band Scapular Retraction

Build a session with Band Pull-Apart

Serratus and chest, push

Push-Up Plus

Chest

The extra push at the top of each rep spreads your shoulder blades around your ribs, training the serratus that keeps them moving smoothly during every stroke.

How to do it

  1. Get into a high plank with your hands under your shoulders.
  2. Lower your chest to the floor with your body straight.
  3. Press back up to straight arms.
  4. At the top, push the floor away a little further so your upper back rounds slightly, then repeat.

Cues

  • Push, then push more
  • Body straight
  • Blades wrap forward at the top

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the extra push: it is the point of the exercise.
  • Letting the hips sag: squeeze your glutes.

Swap for: Push-Up, Incline Push-Up, Plank

Build a session with Push-Up Plus

Leg exercises for starts and turns

Your legs win starts and turns. A squat and a hinge build the strength, and box jumps train you to use it fast.

Legs, squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

Starts and turns are leg drives, and a squat builds the strength behind them. The goblet squat lets you squat deep with an upright torso and no barbell.

How to do it

  1. Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell against your chest, both hands cupping it.
  2. Stand with your feet just outside your hips, toes turned out a little.
  3. Sit down between your heels as low as you can with your chest up.
  4. Stand back up through your whole foot.

Cues

  • Weight at the chest
  • Sit between the heels
  • Knees follow the toes

Common mistakes

  • Rounding forward at the bottom: hold the weight higher and stay tall.
  • Heels lifting: widen your stance a little.

Swap for: Front Squat, Bulgarian Split Squat, Dumbbell Squat

Build a session with Goblet Squat

Leg power, jump

Box Jump

Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings

A fast start off the block and a hard push off the wall both depend on how quickly your legs produce force. Box jumps train that speed with soft landings.

How to do it

  1. Stand a short step from a box, feet under your hips.
  2. Swing your arms back and dip into a quarter squat.
  3. Jump onto the box and land softly with your knees bent.
  4. Stand tall, then step down.

Cues

  • Swing and jump
  • Land quiet
  • Step down

Common mistakes

  • Choosing a box so high you land in a deep squat: the jump matters, not the height.
  • Doing them tired: keep reps few and rest long.

Swap for: Jump Squat, Single-Leg Box Jump, Frog Jump

Build a session with Box Jump

Hamstrings and glutes, hinge

Romanian Deadlift

Hamstrings, Glutes

Your kick and your push-off both come from the hips. The Romanian deadlift builds the hamstrings and glutes behind them without heavy loading of the knees.

How to do it

  1. Stand holding a barbell at your thighs, feet under your hips, knees softly bent.
  2. Send your hips back and let the bar slide down your thighs.
  3. Lower until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, back flat.
  4. Squeeze your glutes to stand tall.

Cues

  • Hips back, bar close
  • Flat back
  • Stand by squeezing the glutes

Common mistakes

  • Bending the knees more as you go down: keep them softly bent, the hips move.
  • Going lower than your back can stay flat: stop at the stretch.

Swap for: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Single-Leg RDL, Good Morning

Build a session with Romanian Deadlift

Core exercises for swimmers

A long, still body in the water is a trunk skill. The hollow hold trains your streamline, and the side plank and Pallof press train you to keep your hips and shoulders connected as you rotate.

Trunk, streamline

Plate Hollow Hold

Abs

The hollow hold is a streamline on land: arms overhead, body long, lower back pressed down. Holding a plate overhead makes it harder.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your back holding a light plate overhead with straight arms.
  2. Press your lower back into the floor and lift your shoulders and legs off it.
  3. Hold your arms by your ears and your legs straight, a few inches up.
  4. Breathe and hold for the set time.

Cues

  • Lower back pinned
  • Arms by the ears
  • Long body

Common mistakes

  • Lower back peeling off the floor: raise the legs higher or bend the knees.
  • Holding your breath: breathe shallow and steady.

Swap for: Dead Bug, Plank, L-Sit Hold

Build a session with Plate Hollow Hold

Obliques, side support

Side Plank

Abs

The obliques connect your hips and shoulders as you rotate in each stroke. Side planks train that connection on each side with no equipment.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder and your legs stacked.
  2. Lift your hips until your body forms a straight line.
  3. Hold, keeping your hips from sagging or swinging back.
  4. Lower, then switch sides.

Cues

  • Elbow under the shoulder
  • Hips high
  • Straight line

Common mistakes

  • Rolling the hips back: keep them stacked.
  • Letting the shoulder sink: push the floor away.

Swap for: Copenhagen Plank, Pallof Press, Dumbbell Side Plank

Build a session with Side Plank

Trunk, anti-rotation

Pallof Press

Abs

Pressing a cable out in front of you while it tries to twist you trains the trunk to stay still against rotation, which keeps your body line steady as your arms work.

How to do it

  1. Stand side-on to a cable set at chest height, handle held at your chest.
  2. Step away until the cable pulls you toward the stack.
  3. Press the handle straight out in front of your chest without letting your torso turn.
  4. Hold a second, bring it back, and switch sides after the set.

Cues

  • Press straight out
  • Hips and shoulders square
  • Hold, then return

Common mistakes

  • Rotating toward the cable: stand further from the stack only when you can stay square.
  • Rushing reps: pause with the arms out.

Swap for: Side Plank, Cable Woodchop, Dead Bug

Build a session with Pallof Press

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

In season, swimming most days

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Lat Pulldown, Adjustable Cable, Barbells +2

You are in the water five or more times a week, maybe with meets, and need dryland work that keeps you strong without leaving you heavy-armed in the pool.

Pool training is already a huge pulling load, so in-season sessions are short, around 12 sets, with every set stopping 3 reps short of failure. That keeps strength and shoulder balance without soreness. Shoulder-balance work stays in both sessions because that is what high swimming volume wears down.

Dryland A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat 3 × 6–8 3 90 s
Lat Pulldown 3 × 8–10 3 90 s
Face Pull 2 × 12–15 2 1 min
Plate Hollow HoldSeconds. 3 × 20–30 2 45 s

Open Dryland A in the session builder

Dryland B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Romanian Deadlift 3 × 6–8 3 90 s
Single-Arm Cable RowPer arm. 3 × 8–10 3 1 min
Dumbbell Lying External RotationPer arm. Light. 2 × 12–15 2 45 s
Box JumpStep down. Fast, fresh reps. 3 × 3–5 4 90 s

Open Dryland B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Dryland A and Dryland B twice a week, after an easy swim or on a lighter pool day. Skip the second session in a meet week.
How to progress
Keep the weights the same through the season and only add a rep when a set feels clearly easy at 3 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Off season, building strength

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets41 a week
  • Per workout~30 min
  • EquipmentPull-Up Bar, Dumbbells, Adjustable Cable, Barbells +3

You have a break from meets, fewer pool sessions, and want to get stronger for next season.

With less time in the water, three sessions of about 15 sets each push harder, at 1 to 2 reps in reserve, to actually build strength in your pull and legs. Shoulder-balance work stays in every session.

Day 1
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Pull-Up 4 × 5–10 1 2 min
Goblet Squat 4 × 6–10 2 2 min
Face Pull 3 × 12–15 1 1 min
Plate Hollow HoldSeconds. 3 × 20–40 1 45 s

Open Day 1 in the session builder

Day 2
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Romanian Deadlift 4 × 6–10 2 2 min
Straight-Arm Pulldown 3 × 10–12 1 1 min
Push-Up Plus 3 × 10–15 1 1 min
Pallof PressPer side. 3 × 10–12 1 1 min

Open Day 2 in the session builder

Day 3
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Box JumpStep down. 4 × 3–5 3 2 min
Single-Arm Cable RowPer arm. 4 × 8–12 1 1 min
Dumbbell Lying External RotationPer arm. 3 × 12–15 1 45 s
Side PlankSeconds per side. 3 × 20–40 1 45 s

Open Day 3 in the session builder

How to run it
Do the three sessions on non-consecutive days.
How to progress
Add weight when every set reaches the top of its range at the target reps in reserve. When you can do 10 pull-ups, add weight with a belt.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Home or pool deck, one dumbbell and a band

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets23 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Resistance Bands, Barbells, Plyo Box

You do not have a gym, but you have a band, a dumbbell and a little floor space.

One dumbbell and a band cover the squat, hinge, shoulder balance and trunk. Higher reps make a light weight count, and sets stop 1 to 2 reps short of failure. Each session is about 13 sets and fits in 30 minutes.

Session A
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Goblet Squat 3 × 12–20 1 1 min
Band Pull-Apart 3 × 15–25 1 45 s
Push-Up Plus 3 × 10–20 1 1 min
Plate Hollow HoldSeconds. Plate optional. 3 × 20–40 1 45 s

Open Session A in the session builder

Session B
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Box JumpOr jump onto a step. Step down. 3 × 4–6 3 90 s
Dumbbell Lying External RotationPer arm. 3 × 12–15 1 45 s
Band Pull-ApartPalms up. 2 × 15–25 1 45 s
Side PlankSeconds per side. 3 × 20–40 1 45 s

Open Session B in the session builder

How to run it
Do Session A and Session B twice a week, before or after swimming.
How to progress
Add reps until you hit the top of each range, then slow the lowering to three seconds, or pick a harder band.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What does a swimming workout look like?

In the pool: a warm-up of easy swimming, drills for technique, a main set of repeats at a target pace with short rests, and an easy cool-down. In the gym: a pull, a leg exercise, shoulder-balance work and a core hold, two or three times a week.

Should swimmers lift weights?

Yes. Stronger lats and legs mean more force per stroke and better starts and turns, and shoulder-balance work offsets the pool. Keep it short and stop sets short of failure in season so your swimming does not suffer.

How many days a week should swimmers do dryland?

Two days in season and three in the off season work well. The in-season sessions here are about 12 sets each; the off-season ones about 15.

What exercises are best for swimmers?

Pull-ups or lat pulldowns and straight-arm pulldowns for the pull, face pulls and external rotations for the back of the shoulder, squats and box jumps for starts and turns, and hollow holds and side planks for the trunk.

Is swimming 30 minutes a good workout?

Thirty minutes of steady laps or a structured set is a solid workout for most people. If you want to swim faster, add two short strength sessions a week like the ones above.