For the past few months, SwimSwam has been posting a daily swimming workout to help inspire swim coaches around the world who are looking for new ideas to try with their swimmers. Since most of the world’s pools are currently closed for business, we wanted to give swimmers and coaches an alternative set of dryland workouts to use to stay fit during the quarantine. These workouts will be designed to be done around the house. Some will use basic equipment, like medicine balls or stretch cords, while others will be all body-weight exercises.
These workouts are provided for informational purposes only.
See more at-home training ideas on our At Home Swim Training page here.
This dryland circuit that comes from 2000 Olympic coach Ross Gerry and 1988 Olympian Katrina Radke, who run WeCoach4U.
Here is the 3rd set of six exercises for the dryland circuit for Swimmers, now totaling 18 exercises.
We’re continuing with the same idea of lower body, core, and upper body exercises in triads to reduce local fatigue and help maintain overall intensity in the exercises. Based on your fitness level, you can do 2 Lower body in a row, then two core, and then two upper body to increase local endurance and power. As mentioned in an earlier article, you do 1 round of the 18 exercises, or 2, 3, or more. You got this.
3rd video of 6 exercises:
- 13. Burpees: A classic whole body exercise to get your heart rate going! For added intensity, do a push up at the bottom.
- 14. Cat cows: A great Yoga exercise for spinal mobility that is terrific for Breaststroke, Butterfly and Underwaters, too.
- 15. 3 Way Shoulder raises: Trains the arm recovery muscles, front, side and rear deltoids. We need endurance and quickness in these muscles, so keep the resistance light. If your tube has too much resistance, you can kneel down on your tube and do the exercise from your knees. Light dumb belles (5-8 lb for most) are also a good choice.
- 16. Body weight Squats plus Tuck Jumps: 5 parallel squats plus 1 Tuck jump. Add more tuck jumps to increase the intensity.
- 17.10 Second plank push ups: Keep body of the floor in low position and don’t fully lock elbows at top. 5 seconds down and 5 seconds up.
- 18.Prone Fly arm recoveries: Focus on relaxed arms and hands while shoulders and back do the work. Add flutter kick for increased intensity.
To review the overall purpose of this circuit, and how long to do it, please check out the first video and article, with the first 6 exercises.
2nd video with the next 6 exercises to add to the first 6:
2nd video on SwimSwam, with the next 6 exercises to add to the first 6.
For you to have handy, here are the first 12 exercises:
1.Wall sits With feet hip width apart, knees at 90 degrees to the wall, and back flat. Place arms straight out from shoulders and bend elbows 90 degrees so hands are pointing straight up. As you sit there, slide your arms up the wall staying in contact with the wall as far as you can get toward streamline. Do about 8 of these as you sit there.
2.Land Swims Laying on your stomach with arms and legs extended straight like Superman. Raise arms and legs about 6 inches off the floor and begin raising and lowering the opposite arm and leg at same time while keeping your core very stable.
3.Bird Dog Tubing Pulls Start on hands and knees, with arms straight down from shoulders, and knees straight down from hips. Extend the opposite arm and leg horizontally. Grasp the tubing handle and do a nice high elbow freestyle pull with a slight body roll towards the working arm, about 45 degrees max. Switch sides after 10 pulls.
4.Lunges Start from a standing position and take a big step forward with one leg so that the knee doesn’t extend beyond the toe line. Allow trailing knee to almost or lightly touch the ground. Stand back up and repeat with the other leg.
5.Twisting Abs Start by laying on your back, hands clasped behind your head and legs extended. Bring the opposing knee to the elbow in a diagonal path to work the Obliques and Transverse abdominals. In the video, Trina shows a more advanced version you can do, too.
6.Scapular Push ups From the top of a push up position lower your body just enough to pinch your shoulder blades together without sagging in the hips. Then, push up by doming your back and allowing shoulder blades to slide around the rib cage as far as they can. Pause and repeat.
7. Streamline split jumps– Upper body stabilization while hips and legs work
8. Downward Dog and Cobras– Trunk and Hamstring Flexibility and strength
9. Tubing External Rotators with Scapular retraction Thanks to Scott Riewald for this exercise!
10. Jump Rope – Aerobic endurance light plyometric for legs and quick feet
11. Supine Flutter Kicks with bands, upper body and trunk stabilization while Abs, Hip flexors, and Extensors all work. Thanks, Jane Fonda!
12. Supine Tubing pulls with flutter kicks-Stabilize the core while doing double arm Backstroke tubing pulls focusing on world class elbows!
IMPORTANT to PREVENT INJURY: IF YOU HAVE ANY PAIN IN A JOINT, ELBOWS, KNEES, SHOULDERS, HIPS, SPINE, ETC. STOP THAT EXERCISE IMMEDIATELY.
ALSO, IF YOU FEEL FAINT, DIZZY, OR LIGHT HEADED, STOP EXERCISING AND DRINK WATER. LET YOUR BODY COOL DOWN. SEEK HELP FROM A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL IF CONDITION PERSISTS.
Feel free to email us with questions at [email protected]. For more services that we provide for athletes, please check out: www.wecoach4u.com.
Ross Gerry is Co-owner of Wecoach4u.com where he works with athletes and coaches from local to elite helping them with training programs, technique, race and strength plans. He is C.S.C.S. (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist), 2000 Olympic Coach, former Associate Head Coach, Stanford Women’s Swimming. Designer of all strength programs Stanford Women Swimming, 1991-2001.
Katrina Radke is Co-owner of Wecoach4u.com, Olympian, Sport Psychology Professor, and Health and Peak Performance Expert. She works with people in small group settings on peak performance and mental health, and does video calls for private sessions.
If you would like to sample a couple of our exercise routines online, you can check out the link below to sample two different classes:
1 Swim dryland circuit and 1 Energizer and Mobility Movements link.