Swimming-Focused 2-Day Strength and Conditioning Plan for Beginners

In this article, we discuss about why strength and conditioning is essential for swimmers and how beginners can incorporate it in their routine.

Swimming stands out as a highly popular form of exercise that is non- weight bearing. Apart from being a life skill, swimming offers extensive health benefits. It serves as an effective cardiovascular training activity, enhancing overall endurance. Moreover, swimming is a powerful activity, engaging both the upper and lower limbs through rhythmic movements against the resistance provided by water. This dual action also improves flexibility and coordination, making swimming a comprehensive workout for maintaining physical fitness.

Swimming differs from most activities in various aspects:

• It is one of the very few sports that involves the prone position (lying on your stomach)
• The arms and legs are used simultaneously to move forwards, with the arms being the driving force to propel
• It involves rhythmic breathing against the pressure exerted by water on the ches
• Equipment has minimal effect on swimming performance

Types of strokes:

• Freestyle: Most common and the fastest stroke. The body moves forwards with the help of alternating hand movements and a continuous flutter kick. Breathing is coordinated when the arm is in recovery position (i.e. above water)
• Breaststroke: Most commonly learnt while being the slowest stroke. Often compared to a frog’s movement, this stroke can be done with or without submerging your head in water. The arms move in a circular pattern while legs perform a whip kick.
• Backstroke: This is the only stroke performed while lying on your back. The face remains above water with the breathing being coordinated with the arm strokes that move alternately, and a flutter kick that resembles freestyle. 
• Butterfly: Most complex stroke to learn that requires coordination, strength and practice. The arms move together while coming above water, your head moves out of the water to breathe when arms are in the water and the legs perform a dolphin kick.

Importance of Strength Training: 

Irrespective of the stroke, distance and level of competitiveness one wishes to achieve in swimming, it is essential that strength training is a part of your workout routine for the following reasons:

• Injury Prevention: To avoid injuries, it’s essential to correct any existing muscle imbalances to get your muscles ready for the stresses they’ll face. If your muscles aren’t prepared to withstand the loads, you might experience aches and slow down your swimming progress. Strength training is key because it helps your muscles produce the power needed to swim comfortably without getting fatigued too quickly. It also improves joint stability which leads to better control and less irritation of the joints. 
• Improved technique and performance: Strength and conditioning helps one in enhancing force generated by muscles to propel forwards efficiently, being able to swim longer distances and improving speed which enhances the quality of your swims. Better technique ensures that your energy is utilized effectively.
• Longevity of swimming: Proper training ensures you can run effectively and enjoy the sport for many years.

How to Get Started:

Get existing aches and pains identified and treated before you start to swim so you don’t injure yourself more. Here are some exercises one could work on to increase strength if you are a beginner:

• Frequency: Two to three times per week (based on intensity and volume of swimming)
• Duration: 40 mins to 1 hour per session
• Intensity: Moderate loads (30–60% 1 RM), preferably with the guidance of a coach or professional

What to Include:

• Upper body, lower body and core
• Plyometrics
• Cross training: Running, cycling
• Active recovery day: Foam rolling, deep tissue release, ice baths

Here is a sample plan that you could use as beginner swimmer for your strength training workout: