5 Dryland Core Workouts for Faster Swimming

Looking for some ready-made core workouts for improved swim performance? Here are five dryland core workouts for every kind of swimmer.

When it comes to swimming faster, improving core strength is one of the best pound-for-pound ways to power up performance.

Core strength does a long list of awesome things for swimmers, including increased swim speed, reduced injury risk, tightened streamlines, and even improved stability for more explosive starts.

A study (Karpinski et al., 2020) with elite national-level swimmers found that a six-week core training intervention improved 50m freestyle performance. Swimmers increased dive velocity, turn speed, and swim speed.

I like that!

The dryland core workouts below are a mix of core stability and strength. This blend will help swimmers improve their ability to maintain a stiff trunk and spine when swimming and exert more power through the limbs.

Let’s dive in.

Dryland Core Workouts for Swimmers

The core workouts for swimmers include:

• A Core Workout for Building a Stable Core
• Sprinter’s Delight
• Plank Progress
• Dolphin Kick Core Training
• Distance Swimming Stability

Next, we will look at each mini dryland workout, including reps, intervals, and points for getting the most from each core dryland session. The workouts can be done as part of a broader dryland program or as standalone sessions that take around 20-25 minutes.

1. Building a Stable Core

The first core workout is about developing a focus on stability, targeting those deep stabilizer muscles that promote stability of the spine and pelvis.

While this workout won’t leave your core muscles aching, it will activate a lot of these lesser worked stabilizer muscles that help you swim with more precision and set the stage for more challenging core exercises later.

This workout is excellent for beginner swimmers and those looking for a foundational workout for more aggressive training later in the training cycle.

Warm-Up

• 5 minutes of dynamic stretches (arm swings, leg swings, trunk rotations)

Main Set

• 2x20s front plank holds
• 2x20s side plank holds
• 2×20 repetitions Bird Dog
• 2x20s bridge holds
• 2×20 repetitions Dead Bug

2. Sprinter’s Delight

Let’s crank up the speed and power with a core workout that is designed for the sprint-obsessed swimmer. The workout is a blend of stability and power.

While having lots of strength and power (as reflected in the gym or with resisted swimming) is great for swim speed, the core is essential to lend stability to these movements. This is important for the sprint swimmer and going Mach 5 in the pool, where we only have the water to plant ourselves to generate power.

Rotational and anti-rotational power is crucial for the sprint swimmer, and that’s where we will focus a lot of attention with this workout.

Warm-Up

• 5 minutes of dynamic stretches (arm swings, leg swings, trunk rotations)

Main Set

• 2x20s front plank holds
• 2x20s side plank holds
• 3x20s Pallof press hold
• 5×5 medicine ball rotational throw*
• 5×5 medicine ball overhead throw downs*

* These sets are maximal power and speed. Choose a medicine ball weight that allows for lots of force development. Use lots of rest between rounds to maximize power output.

3. Plank Progression

The plank is the foundation of any serious core training program and is an essential core exercise for swimmers.

It looks exceedingly basic from the outside, but when cued properly can activate the external obliques and rectus abdominis as well as any more of the difficult-looking core exercises in the weight room.

This dryland core workout is designed to test swimmers’ plank stability and strength, moving from the standard plank to more challenging variations of the exercise.

Warm-Up

• 5 minutes of dynamic stretches (arm swings, leg swings, trunk rotations)

Main Set

• 3x30s front plank holds
• 3×20 reps front plank with shoulder extension
• 3x20s long lever plank holds
• 3×20 reps front plank with hip extension
• 3×20 Pot Stirrers with stability ball

4. Dolphin Kick Core Training

The underwater dolphin kick is crucial for swimmers of all strokes, specialities, and competition pool size.

Whether you compete predominantly in a long course pool or especially if race in short course yards pools, a crisp and explosive dolphin kick is essential for race day success.

The core workout below is designed to help improve pelvic stability (which swimmers need in spades to efficiently generate kick power), the erector spinae (which power much of the downbeat of the kick), and general hip stability.

Warm-Up

• 5 minutes of dynamic stretches (arm swings, leg swings, trunk rotations)

Main Set

• 3x30s front plank holds
• 3x30s side plank holds
• 2x20s Superman holds
• 3×20 repetitions unilateral glute bridges
• 5×5 back extensions (loading optional)

5. Distance Swimming Stability

Distance swimmers need a strong and stable core musculature as well.

Endurance swimmers perform countless overhead movements, and working the stabilizer muscles in the scaps, hips, and deep core will improve functional movement scores, reducing injury risk in the shoulder.

The distance swimmer also wants a core that will help them streamline efficiently and maintain technique quality during long races and training. The core workout below places an emphasis on muscle endurance and stability.

Warm-Up

• 5 minutes of dynamic stretches (arm swings, leg swings, trunk rotations)

Main Set

• 2×10 repetitions Bird Dog
• 2×10 repetitions Dead Bug
• 2x front plank max duration hold with 90s rest between rounds (start by aiming for 60-90s; introduce more challenging variations like stability ball planks.)
• 3x30s hollow body holds
• 3×20 repetition Two Point Planks (raising left leg and right arm, and then vice versa)

How often should swimmers do core training workouts?

Core training can be done daily for swimmers. Most core training interventions with competitive swimmers and improved swim performance were modest in time invested compared to the results in the pool. Dedicated core training sessions were performed 3-5 times per week, with workouts lasting typically less than 20-30 minutes.

Core activation routines (a short set of core exercises lasting no longer than 5 minutes) should absolutely be added to your dryland activation routine before swimming to activate the core musculature before swimming.

More Core Training Resources for Swimmers

Coreintine: Check Out Caeleb Dressel’s Core Workouts. Dressel shared some of his core training workouts from the lead-up to his record-breaking and gold medal winning performance at the Tokyo Olympics.  

3 Dryland Workouts for Swimmers of Every Level. No pool? No problem! Here are three dryland workouts for swimmers from beginner to advanced that you can do at home or at the pool.