Picture a swimmer: What do you see? Some physical features may stand out to you. Maybe you picture the wingspan of Michael Phelps. Perhaps you envision a tall build with 6 pack abs and defined lats. Although there are swimmers out there that look like this, it isn’t the rule. There are outliers to the traditional swimmer look. Remember Kitajima? The 5’10” breaststroker from Japan. Instead of surface-level looks, we look at what the best swimmers in the world have in common. Spoiler alert: they all have a high strength to mass ratio, strong core, and helpful mobility range. If coaches can address these 3 factors in dryland, then they will see better results in the water. Let’s break down the characteristics of an ideal swimmer’s body and address barriers that coaches face when coaching up better swimmers:
Assess Strength to Mass Ratio to Build a Swimmer’s Body
A question we get a lot when trying to quantify strength to mass ratio is whether a body composition test is necessary. We don’t believe going out of your way to get one of these tests is necessary, but we do recommend assessing your swimmers’ strength to mass ratio in a quantifiable way. This is important because it determines how well the athlete can pull his or her own bodyweight. One way to do this is to have your swimmers test their pull-ups. How many times can they lift their own body mass to the bar? Add these types of movements into the workout’s dryland order to see an increase in strength. Add resistance to them and watch your strength to mass ratio increase. Then, see how it carries over when the swimmer has to pull their weight through the water.
Build a Swimmer’s Body with a Strong Core
We cannot overstate the value of building a strong core. Keep in mind that the core consists of the entire trunk of the body and not just the 6-pack abs we tend to imagine. This trunk includes the posterior chain, glutes, and even the pelvic floor. The core works with the diaphragm to brace and move the entire body. It transfers force from the top to the bottom of the body and vice versa. In swimming, this is what allows the body to move as one unit through the water.
Train the core in all planes. Incorporate rotation, anti-rotation, flexion, anti-flexion, extension, and lateral flexion into your dryland core program (If you have questions on these send us a DM on Instagram – @surge.strength). Also, consider both dynamic and isometric variations of movements in order to challenge the core in different ways. In dynamic variations, you are muscles while doing the exercise, so the muscles will be shortening and lengthening throughout. In isometric variations, you are looking to create tension by holding an exercise position. So, a plank would then be an isometric variation and a push-up would be a dynamic variation.
Having a “strong” core is just part of the puzzle. Swimmers need to also know how to translate that strength into effective usage while in the water. Learning how to brace with their breathing (Learn More – Better Core Training is Just a Breath Away) is a missing component of many dryland training programs. And, the breath translates this strength for the swimmer.
From there, once athletes understand how to brace their core, they can connect it to the rest of the body. Better body connection creates more tension and improves body coordination. With this, swimmers pull more water and recruit a better kick. So, start by looking at your athletes from the core then move out.
Inside of the SURGE Strength Dryland Certification, we give coaches the ultimate assessment for testing your athlete’s breathing patterns through the “Gut Punch Breathing” (Self-Test).
Build a Swimmer’s Body through Increased Mobility
Better mobility allows for a better range of motion (ROM) in each swim stroke. It also reduces the risk of injury both in the water and during dryland. When a swimmer has access to a full ROM in any movement, they have better technique. They also have better body awareness. They will be able to act and improve on what you’re asking them to do faster. Getting into the full ROM ensures that the swimmer is engaging the right muscles for each exercise. Better ROM leads to more effective training sessions and places stress on the muscles rather than the joints.
Periodization to Build a Swimmer’s Body
If you aren’t seeing results from your dryland program, try periodizing it differently. Periodization is the organization of your dryland training plan across each session, training phase, and season. Spending most of your training in a hypertrophy phase, aimed at high volume in order to increase muscle fiber size, results in swimmers looking more like bodybuilders than athletes. Not emphasizing progressive strength training enough results in a low strength to mass ratio. Hitting all 8 training variables (Learn More – 8 Workout Variables Every Dryland Program for Swimmers Needs) will give you a more balanced program and lead to better results.
Exercise Ratios to Build a Swimmer’s Body
Another factor preventing athletes from achieving their ideal swimmer’s body is improper exercise ratios. When writing a dryland program, count how many pushes to pulls you are implementing for the upper body. Also, look at your ratio of hinges to squats. Chances are, the posterior chain, or the hinge, needs more attention than your squats. Addressing the ratios of movements in your dryland plan is often overlooked as a culprit for blocking results.
As coaches, the goal is to see swimmers get faster in the pool regardless of how they are built. We can’t change genetics, but we can increase their potential with the bodies they have. Set up swimmers for success in dryland and in their races. Periodize your program to focus on strength gain. This helps swimmers lean out. In turn, they will become more efficient in the water. Analyze exercise ratios to address swimmers’ weak points. This will also increase their longevity in the sport. Create healthier swimmers by using the 3 checkpoints we unpacked. Increase their strength to mass ratio, improve their core strength, and incorporate mobility work into your dryland program. These key attributes work together to accomplish your main goal as a coach: creating the ideal athlete and build a swimmer’s body.
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Courtesy of SwimSwam’s exclusive dryland training partner, SURGE Strength.
SURGE Strength, a strength training brand created by Chris Ritter, CEO of RITTER Sports Performance, aims to build better athletes and faster swimmers through dryland programs, and coaching education.