
Land training for non-competitive swimmers
There are lots of benefits to swimmers from land training, even if you never race
Elite swimmers do a lot of training on land. To swim as fast as they do requires strength and mobility as well as great swimming technique. But recreational swimmers can also benefit from land training, and not just to swim faster. We asked fitness expert and strength and condition coach Eryn Barber from the Fitness Group to tell us why we should also train on land, and what we should prioritise.
Swim With Confidence: The Benefits of Land-Based Training
What is land-based training?
Land-based training refers to exercises performed out of the water to improve swim performance. This type of training is usually designed to improve strength, stability, mobility and endurance. It should be performed alongside your time in the water to help you get better at swimming.
Why do swimmers need land-based training?
You love swimming, so why would you spend time out of the water exercising? Well, because cross-training can hugely benefit your ability to swim well. Not only elite swimmers or those looking to compete, but everyday recreational swimmers can also benefit from strength work. If you want to feel more confident and swim with ease, land-based training can help. Other benefits include:
Decreased injury risk: Although swimming is a low-impact sport, the repetitive nature of the movement can put you at risk of repetitive strain injuries, especially in the shoulders. Approximately 47-80% of competitive swimmers gain a shoulder injury at some point in their career. So, it’s important to incorporate shoulder strengthening exercises into your training that will reduce the likelihood of overuse causing stress to your muscles and tendons.
Increased strength: Getting stronger out of the water means you’ll be stronger in the water. As a result, you’ll have a more powerful stroke and increase your stroke length, which leads to speedier swimming. However, even if performance isn’t your main goal, increasing your strength will make swimming more comfortable and give you greater confidence in the water.
Improve stamina: Muscular endurance is another aspect of swimming that land-based training can improve. If your muscles are equipped to withstand the resistance of water for longer periods, you’ll be able to spend more time swimming, doing what you love.
Increased mobility: To swim well you need good shoulder mobility. But as well as improving your swimming ability, having better mobility can make a difference to other things, such as getting in and out of the water. It might seem like a small issue, but it can have a huge impact on your confidence.
Muscles used in swimming
One of the biggest benefits of swimming is that it’s a full-body sport. This makes it a great workout for overall strength and improving your cardiovascular health. The key muscle groups engaged when swimming include:
- Latissimus Dorsi (back muscles)
- Trapezius (upper back muscles)
- Deltoids (Shoulders)
- Pectoralis major and minor (chest)
- Core
- Glutes
When planning your land-based training, focus on movements that target these muscle groups. This makes the workout specific to your strength and conditioning goals.
Another consideration when choosing which muscle groups to target in your workout is the type of swim stroke you predominantly use. If the breaststroke is your preferred swim style, then you’re working your chest and lower body muscles. On the other hand, front crawl heavily relies on the lats, traps and deltoid muscles.
Land-based training exercises
If you’re convinced and ready to try land-based training, here are some of our favourite exercises to boost your swimming confidence.
Pull-ups: Pull-ups are the ultimate posterior chain exercise for building strength in the lats, traps and rhomboids. If you want to be able to swim well for long periods, you need strong back muscles. Pull-ups require minimal equipment and can be performed at a gym or at home with a pull-up bar.
To do a pull-up, hold the bar with a neutral grip, brace your core and pull yourself up to the bar by retracting your shoulder blades. Once at the top, control the movement back down and repeat.
If it’s an exercise that you struggle with, there are several regressions you can do and still get the benefits:
- Scapular pull-ups – Hang from the bar and shrug your shoulders.
- Resistance band assisted pull-ups – Loop a resistance band around the bar and under your feet to reduce your effective weight.
- Negative pull-ups – Use a step to start in the pulled-up position and slowly lower down.
- Machine-assisted pull-ups – Use an exercise machine designed to reduce the weight lifted during a pull-up.
- Lat pulldowns: Sit at a lat pulldown machine, grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder width, lean back slightly, pull the bar down to your upper chest while squeezing your shoulder blades together, and slowly return to the starting position.
Shoulder press: Shoulder press variations help to build muscle in the deltoids, another powerhouse muscle for swimming.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Push the dumbbells overhead and return them to the start position.
Single-leg glute bridge: Your glutes are the biggest muscle in your body and help drive the body forward. Your legs are an important part of swimming biomechanics. Swimming is also a unilateral movement as your arms and legs move alternatively. Therefore, single-sided movements should be a fundamental part of your training.
Lie down on your back with your feet on the mat. Take one foot off the floor, push your back into the mat and lift your hips off the ground. Keep your core braced and hips in line as you repeat the movement, then switch sides.
Pallof Press: Your core is a great stabiliser for swimming. It helps keep your hips in a stable position. The pallof press is an anti-rotation movement where you’re using core strength to stop the resistance twisting your body. You can do this using a cable machine in a gym or resistance bands at home.
Loop a resistance band around a solid post and hold onto the other end with both hands. Stand side on to the post and far enough away that the resistance band is fully extended. With your feet hip-width apart, hold the band at stomach height and push the band directly forward, resisting the band. (See a demo)
Russian Twists: Unlike the pallof press, Russian twists are a rotation movement. This exercise works the internal and external oblique muscles (side core muscles) which are crucial for swimming. Adding a load such as a dumbbell will progress the movement.
Sit on a mat and hold a dumbbell in both hands. Lean back slightly and lift your feet off the ground, then twist the weight side to side using your oblique muscles.
If you want to increase your understanding of the importance of resistance training, a Level 2 Gym Instructor Course would provide you with the necessary tools. Expand your exercise knowledge so you can become a more confident swimmer with land-based training.
Regardless of whether you’re swimming for performance or to better your health, land-based training can truly benefit you. Be more confident in the water and swim further with ease.
About the author

Eryn Barber from The Fitness Group is an experienced S&C coach with over eight years in the industry and a Master’s degree in Strength and Conditioning.
As a passionate advocate for women’s health in sport, Eryn has worked as a guest lecturer, sharing expertise on women’s health, and specifically menstrual health in sport. She is a certified running coach and keen fell/trail runner, combining personal experience with professional knowledge.

