Growing up as a USAS competitive swimmer, dryland training was an essential component to daily practice sessions. Typically, dryland consisted of lots of bodyweight strengthening exercises that underscored core work and functional fitness. For those who consider themselves “aqua athletes” it’s critical to incorporate dryland work because it challenges muscle groups not focused on during swimming.
While this dryland workout doesn’t include equipment, it’s best done with a yoga mat and athletic shoes to reduce the risk of injury on a slippery pool deck. Feel free to mix it up and experiment with the dryland portion before or after the swim workout and notice the difference in your body. Adjust the intensity and volume based on your fitness level and listen to your body to avoid overtraining.
Workout of the Week: Swim + Dryland Circuit | 2,200m/yds
Warm-up
300 swim
200 kick
100 pull with a buoy
Main set
400 swim, every fourth 25 is fast
300 swim, every third 25 is pull
200 swim, every second 25 is kick
100 swim, moderate to fast
2 sets of 4 × 50 as:
25 fast/25 easy
25 easy/25 fast
25 easy/25 easy
25 fast/25 fast
Rest 20 sec. between each 50.
Swim cooldown
200 easy swim
Dryland
Perform all exercises continuously, without rest.
3 sets:
30 sec. jumping jacks
15 bodyweight squats
10 wide push-ups
20 Russian twists
30 sec. running in place
10 front lunges ea. leg
10 regular push-ups
30 sec. plank hold
2 min. set rest.
Cooldown
5-10 min. of static stretching major muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, shoulders, back, chest)
