One of the primary challenges of dryland swim workouts is the sheer number of athletes. It’s next to impossible to complete a 40- to 45-minute workout with 30 or 40 athletes in the weight room. More often than not, you have to train on the pool deck or in a hallway outside the room due to lack of space.

A solution to this problem is metabolic training, which builds speed, coordination, conditioning and overall athleticism. Metabolic training mimics the demands of swimming, is extremely challenging and requires no equipment. More important, we have found a 10 to 15 percent race time improvement after only four weeks of metabolic training.

The Dryland Workout for Swimmers

Perform a circuit of 10 exercises, with 10 to 15 seconds rest between them. Repeat the circuit one or two times, with three-minute rests between sets.

You can make the workout as difficult as you see fit. For example, you can perform an exercise for 20 to 30 seconds (50 free lengths) or up to three to five minutes (500 free lengths).

Below is sample metabolic dryland workout for swimmers:

Circuit 1

• 10 Push-Ups
• Sprint
• Carioca
• Jog
• 5 Streamline Jumps
• Jog
• Power Skips
• Shuffle
• Backpedal
• 5 Sit-Ups
• Rest for 3 minutes

Circuit 2

• 10-second Jog
• 5 Push-Ups
• Backpedal
• Sprint
• Zigzag Run
• Backward High Knees
• Carioca
• Shuffle
• Sprint
• 5 Sit-Ups
• Rest for 3 minutes

Repeat for 1 or 2 additional sets. By the end of this 20- to 25-minute workout, you will be at your limit. Take 15 to 20 minutes to cool down with a flexibility program to help you recover so you can see the performance benefits next time you are in the pool.

Find more tough drilland swimming workouts on STACK’s Swimming Guide.