“Dry-land workouts are just as important as swim training when it comes to boosting performance,” says Andy White.
Andy is an open water swim coach and founder of Ocean Set. “They also play a key role in reducing your risk of injury.”
He advises swimmers to look for full-body workouts that increase strength and mobility, paying special attention to your shoulders, lower back, and hip flexors. “When you’re swimming you want to maintain good body shape through the water, and if you’ve got a strong and mobile body, that will significantly increase how efficiently you move through the water,” he says.
For Andy, swimmers should be like an uncooked piece of spaghetti – strong and long with an engaged core – as opposed to a cooked piece of spaghetti which is loose and floppy.
Boost your training with this selection of dry-land workout classes.
1. Good Gym
Fitting regular movement and exercise into your week will only help your swim fitness and physical health. Good Gym lets you achieve this, while benefiting your local community and meeting people, with activities such as tree planting, gardening, and moving furniture around for older people.
To find out more about what they do in your area, head to their site.
2. Rowing
Rowing-based fitness classes offer swimmers a complete body workout, strengthening every major muscle group, especially the lower back and core, while lengthening the body and improving posture. Look for classes that focus on cardio, endurance, or upper body strength.
To get started visit ROWBOTS in Fitzrovia.
3. High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
In a HIIT class, you’ll be guided through a series of high-intensity training exercises followed by short periods of rest. It’s a full-body cardio workout, and you’ll typically work harder than you would in a regular workout, allowing you to improve your swim strength and fitness in a shorter amount of time.
To get started, find an Our Parks class near you or head to Coal Drops Yard for MW5 Fitness.
4. Power Yoga
You’ll really notice the strength and mobility gains you’ll get from attending regular power yoga classes when it comes to your swimming efficiency. Power yoga should also help you stay injury-free, which is key to progression, as if you’re constantly out of the water you can’t train and improve.
To get started, find a Hotpod Yoga studio n your area or head to The Power Yoga Co in Parsons Green.
5. Strength and conditioning
Strength and conditioning sessions will help you improve your movement, performance, and endurance in the water by providing a series of strength-based workouts. By focusing on the whole body, sessions also help avoid muscle imbalance, which can be a leading cause of injury.
To get started, book a strength class at Classical Barbell in Hoxton.
6. Pilates
Pilates is great for boosting controlled flexibility, which will give you a greater range of motion when swimming, and help you hold yourself well in the water. This will enable you to swim more efficiently while maintaining a strong and fluid leg kick, and good catch (when your hand enters the water and begins the underwater part of your stroke).
To get started, try Reformer Pilates at BLOK in Clapton or Shoreditch or head to Milo and the Bull in Borough.
Written by Sam Haddad. Sam is a freelance journalist based in Brighton, she's been writing about sport and the outdoors for over 20 years.