Swimming
Overhead, thousands of times a session.
Photo credits
Photo: Agência Brasil · CC BY 3.0 br · cropped
Start with these movements
Examples to support your sport
What it asks of you
Swimmers do enormous overhead volume and almost no loaded pulling, which is backwards. Dry-land work should build the upper back, the rotator cuff and a trunk that holds a line, plus the hips that start every wall.
Where to build durability
Shoulders, every time. Upper-back strength and scapular control are what make the volume sustainable.
Training guidance, not medical advice. Pain that persists is a question for a clinician, not a programme.
Qualities to train
- Overhead durability
- Aerobic endurance
- Explosive power
- Balance and control
Movement emphasis
- Horizontal Pull
- Core
- Vertical Pull
- Hinge
- Mobility
- Squat
Club season runs autumn to spring; long course is summer.
Where to train
Search all 1,226 →
Life Time Gold Coast
1030 N State St · Gold Coast · Chicago, IL
Midtown Athletic Club
2444 N Elston Ave · Bucktown · Chicago, IL
Equinox Lincoln Park
1750 N Clark St · Lincoln Park · Chicago, IL
Life Time Oak Brook
2 Oakbrook Center · Oak Brook, IL
Life Time Vernon Hills
930 N Milwaukee Ave · Vernon Hills, IL
24 Hour Fitness
4120 E Alameda Ave · Denver, CO
24 Hour Fitness
7600 E Academy Blvd · Denver, CO
24 Hour Fitness
Austin, TX
24 Hour Fitness
500 N Atlantic Blvd · Monterey Park, CA
Swimming by city
A plan built for swimming
Tell us your sport, your experience and how many days you have. The plan weights the patterns above, picks exercises your gym can actually support, and gives you the durability work that most programmes leave out. Free, and no account needed to see it.
Questions
- How should I train for swimming?
- Swimmers do enormous overhead volume and almost no loaded pulling, which is backwards. Dry-land work should build the upper back, the rotator cuff and a trunk that holds a line, plus the hips that start every wall. On GymGuide you can build a free plan that weights those patterns automatically and scores nearby gyms by whether their equipment supports it.
- What gets sore or breaks down in swimming?
- Shoulders, every time. Upper-back strength and scapular control are what make the volume sustainable. This is training guidance, not medical advice — anything painful or persistent is a question for a clinician.
- When is the swimming season?
- Club season runs autumn to spring; long course is summer.
- Where can I play swimming near me?
- GymGuide maps 1,226 places that support swimming across the US, including clubs, pools and general gyms whose facilities cover it. Use the finder to see the closest ones.