How many times per week should swimmers train in the gym?

During the off-season and general preparation phase, 2 to 3 sessions per week is optimal. During the competition phase, drop to 2 sessions and reduce volume while maintaining intensity. Never skip strength training entirely in-season: research shows that even 2 sessions per week are sufficient to maintain neuromuscular adaptations.

Do swimmers need to lift heavy weights?

Moderate-to-high intensity (65-80% of 1RM) produces the best results for most swimmers. Above 80% 1RM may elevate shoulder injury risk without additional performance benefit. Below 60% 1RM is generally insufficient to drive neuromuscular adaptation. Power training at lower loads but maximum velocity is a useful complement.

Is gym strength training more effective than in-water resisted training?

Neither alone is optimal. Research consistently shows that combining aquatic training with dry-land resistance training produces greater performance gains than either approach in isolation. In-water resisted training (tethered, parachute) is highly specific but benefits most from being layered on a general strength base built in the gym.

What are the best dry-land exercises for swimmers?

Pull-ups and lat pulldowns target the latissimus dorsi, the primary propulsive muscle in freestyle and backstroke. Squats and Romanian deadlifts develop leg and posterior chain power for starts and turns. Bench press and cable rows address the pectorals and mid-back. Rotational core work (medicine ball throws, cable rotations) transfers directly to the hip rotation that drives stroke mechanics.

Can strength training cause shoulder injuries in swimmers?

It can, if programmed incorrectly. Swimmers already accumulate very high internal rotation volume in the pool. Dry-land training must balance this with external rotation work, scapular stabilisation exercises, and adequate shoulder mobility. The rotator cuff group (SITS muscles) should be trained specifically, especially in high-volume swimmers.

Science

Strength training for swimmers: what actually works

9 min readApril 4, 2026

Why gym strength gains don't always transfer to the pool, and how to programme dry-land training so it actually improves your swimmers' times.

Most swimmers who lift weights see their bench press go up. Their 100m time stays flat. That gap between gym strength and pool speed is the central problem of strength training for swimmers, and for years coaches have worked around it without a clear framework.

Research from 2022 to 2025 is finally changing that. Three systematic reviews and a network meta-analysis now give coaches specific answers on which modalities transfer, which intensities work, and how to structure a season. The short answer: training type matters less than how you programme it.

Fone & van den Tillaar (2022, Sports Medicine - Open) reviewed all three main types of strength training for swimmers: non-specific dry-land, swim-specific dry-land, and in-water resisted training. All three produced similar mean improvements in swimming performance of approximately 2 to 2.5%. The conclusion: programming methodology determines transfer, not exercise selection alone.

Why general strength gains don't automatically transfer to the pool

Swimming propulsion comes from precise neuromuscular patterns, not raw force. A study reviewed in the PMC meta-analysis found that dry-land resistance training increased lifting loads by 25 to 35% in swimmers, yet produced no significant improvement in swimming propulsive force.

The explanation is biomechanical specificity. The bench press shares almost no joint angle, muscle sequence, or velocity profile with a freestyle pull-through. What transfers is strength expressed at high speed, in movement patterns that match the actual stroke.

"The lack of a positive transfer between dry-land strength gains and swimming propulsive force may be due to the specificity of training. Gains in force production on land do not guarantee the same neuromuscular recruitment patterns required in water."
— Transfer of Dry-Land Resistance Training Modalities to Swimming Performance, PMC (2020)

This does not mean general strength training is useless. It builds injury resilience, corrects muscle imbalances, and creates a base for power development. But it should not be expected to directly translate into faster lap times on its own.

The three training modalities: what each one does

Criteria	Non-specific dry-land	Swim-specific dry-land	In-water resisted
Examples	Pull-ups, squat, bench press	Swim ergometer, cable strokes	Tethered, parachute, tubing
Mean performance gain	~2.0%	~2.5-4.3%	~2.5%
Biomechanical specificity	Low	Medium-high	Very high
Best phase	Off-season / prep	Late prep / in-season	Competition build-up
Injury risk	Moderate if unbalanced	Low if supervised	Low

Non-specific dry-land training is most valuable in the off-season and early preparation phase, when racing is distant. The pull-up deserves particular attention: a 2024 PMC study of 8 competitive swimmers over 10 weeks showed significant improvements in explosive strength, especially in the first 25 metres of a 50m time trial, the phase most influenced by in-water propulsive force.

Swim-specific dry-land training, which includes cable pull-throughs, swim ergometer work, and band-resisted stroke simulation, produced a 4.32% improvement in swimming velocity compared to 2.78% for traditional resistance training, according to transfer data compiled in the 2020 PMC review. The higher transfer is explained by the closer match in joint angles and velocity profiles.

In-water resisted training (tethered swimming, drag parachutes) is the most specific modality. Breaststroke swimmers in one study improved 50m time by 4.3% and 200m time by 5.4% after 10 weeks combining resisted swimming with back squat training. The limitation: it requires equipment, technical monitoring, and a pre-existing strength base to avoid compensatory movement patterns.

The combined approach always wins. A 2025 network meta-analysis in Frontiers in Physiology found that water training plus dry-land resistance training produced the greatest improvements across 25m, 50m, and 100m times, stroke rate, and stroke length, outperforming swim-only and gym-only programmes. Treat dry-land and pool work as complementary, not competing.

What intensity works, and what to avoid

The 2024 Frontiers meta-analysis on front crawl performance found that only concurrent resistance training and power training consistently improved swimming performance across studies. The intensity findings matter for day-to-day programming:

Above 80% 1RM: may elevate shoulder injury risk without additional performance benefit. Swimmers already accumulate enormous internal rotation volume in the pool.
Below 60% 1RM: generally insufficient to drive neuromuscular adaptation. Produces endurance fatigue without meaningful strength stimulus.
65 to 80% 1RM: the optimal range for strength work. Combine with lower-load, maximum-velocity sets for power development.

Power training, defined as lifting at moderate load (30-50% 1RM) but maximum intentional velocity, is particularly effective for sprint swimmers. It trains the rate of force development, which is more specific to the explosive demands of starts, turns, and sprint phases.

The five exercises elite coaches prioritise

A survey of elite swimming strength and conditioning coaches published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2018) found five exercises used across nearly every elite programme:

Pull-up / lat pulldown: targets the latissimus dorsi, the primary propulsive muscle in freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly. Wide grip, controlled eccentric phase.
Squat (back or front): develops leg and posterior chain power for starts and turns. In elite programmes, starts account for up to 30% of 50m race time.
Bench press / dumbbell press: builds pectoral and anterior deltoid strength. Dumbbells are preferred over barbell for scapular stability and shoulder health.
Romanian deadlift: posterior chain, hamstring, and glute strength. Underpins underwaters and dolphin kick power.
Rotational core work: medicine ball throws, cable rotations, Pallof press. Directly transfers to the hip rotation that drives stroke mechanics in freestyle and backstroke.

Shoulder balance is non-negotiable. Swimmers accumulate very high internal rotation volume in the pool. Dry-land programmes must include external rotation work (band external rotations, face pulls), scapular retraction exercises, and thoracic mobility work. Without this balance, adding more pressing and pulling volume increases rather than reduces shoulder injury risk.

How to structure dry-land training across the season

Periodisation of dry-land training must follow the pool programme, not compete with it. The most effective model, based on current evidence:

Phase	Off-season	General prep	Specific prep	Competition
Sessions / week	3	2-3	2	2
Primary focus	General strength, mobility	Strength + power intro	Swim-specific + power	Explosive, low volume
Intensity	65-75% 1RM	70-80% 1RM	65-80% + velocity	30-60% 1RM, max speed
Volume	High	Moderate-high	Moderate	Low

One practical rule: never schedule a heavy lower body session within 24 hours before a high-intensity pool session. Residual neuromuscular fatigue from squats or deadlifts directly compromises sprint set quality. Schedule dry-land on the same day as pool work when possible, not the day before.

For more on managing the total training load across the week, the article on training load and overtraining in swimming covers how to monitor cumulative fatigue when combining pool and gym work.

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Frequently asked questions

Key takeaways

Strength gains in the gym do not automatically transfer to the pool. Specificity of movement, velocity, and joint angles determines whether dry-land work improves swimming performance.
All three training types (non-specific dry-land, swim-specific dry-land, in-water resisted) produce similar gains of 2-2.5%. Programming methodology and phase placement matter more than exercise selection.
The optimal intensity range is 65-80% 1RM for strength work. Above 80% elevates shoulder injury risk. Below 60% is insufficient for neuromuscular adaptation.
The five exercises elite coaches use most: pull-up, squat, bench press (dumbbells preferred), Romanian deadlift, and rotational core work. They cover all major propulsive muscle groups.
Always programme external rotation and scapular stability work alongside pressing and pulling volume. Neglecting shoulder balance in dry-land training is the most common cause of overuse injuries in high-volume swimmers.

Sources

Fone, D. & van den Tillaar, R. (2022) — Effect of different types of strength training on swimming performance in competitive swimmers: a systematic review. Sports Medicine - Open, 8, 19.
Crowther, R.G. et al. (2020) — Transfer of dry-land resistance training modalities to swimming performance. PMC, PMC7706652.
Frontiers in Physiology (2024) — The methodology of resistance training is crucial for improving short-medium distance front crawl performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PMC11310150.
Frontiers in Physiology (2025) — Comparative effectiveness of physical training modalities on swimming performance: a two-tier network meta-analysis. PMC12423047.
PMC (2024) — Effects of pull-up training on 50-metre freestyle swimming performance. PMC11344870.
Crowther, R.G. et al. (2018) — Dry-land resistance training practices of elite swimming strength and conditioning coaches. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(9).

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