How often should swimmers do dryland strength?

Most programmes use 2-3 dedicated dryland sessions per week. High-volume swimmers in heavy pool blocks lean toward two shorter sessions to manage fatigue, while lower-volume swimmers can handle three. This tool adjusts frequency to your swim load and phase.

Why does dryland load drop near competition?

During a taper you reduce overall training stress so you arrive fresh and fast. Strength is maintained with brief, low-volume, sharp sessions rather than building new strength, which is why the taper recommendation cuts volume but keeps intensity.

What exercises suit swimmers?

Pulling and core work transfer best: resistance-band pull-throughs, rows, lat pulls, planks, and shoulder stability drills. Swimmers should protect shoulder health, so the suggestions favour balanced pulling and pushing with controlled tempo.

Should beginners do less dryland?

Yes. New swimmers should master technique and build a pool base before adding heavy land work, starting with bodyweight and band exercises at low intensity. The base-phase output here is the right starting point for less experienced athletes.

Is this a substitute for a coach?

No. The recommendations follow common swim periodisation principles but cannot see your injury history, technique, or recovery. Treat them as a sensible framework and have a qualified coach tailor exercise selection and loading.

Swimming Dryland Training Load

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Match land work to pool work

Dryland strength makes swimmers more powerful, but pile too much on top of a heavy pool week and you blunt the very sessions that matter. This tool takes your weekly swim volume and competition phase and returns a sensible dryland prescription: how many sessions, what set-and-rep scheme, and what intensity to target.

How it works

The recommendation balances two ideas. First, higher pool volume means less spare recovery capacity, so dryland frequency tapers as swim kilometres rise:

swim < 15 km/week  -> 3 sessions
15 to 30 km/week   -> 2-3 sessions
over 30 km/week    -> 2 sessions

Second, the season phase sets the load character:

Base — moderate intensity, higher reps (3 sets of 12-15), build general strength
Build — higher intensity, lower reps (4 sets of 6-8), develop power
Taper / peak — low volume, sharp intensity (2 sets of 4-6), maintain only

The tool combines your volume band and phase to print the final session count and scheme.

Example and tips

A swimmer doing 22 km a week in the build phase is told to run 2-3 dryland sessions of 4 sets × 6-8 reps at high intensity, focusing on band pull-throughs, rows, and core stability. Keep dryland on the same hard days as quality pool sets so easy days stay easy, never train strength to failure the day before a key race, and always warm the shoulders before loaded pulling.