6 gym exercises to complement swimming

 Training skills such as strength, power, and endurance can be very fruitful for athletes from different disciplines. Of course, this also includes swimming. Therefore, doing gym exercises to complement swimming like the ones listed here can greatly increase performance in the pool.

More than once the training routines of swimmers have been published, which surprised the common people by how extensive and intense they are. Of course, if professionals train hard to enhance their skills, how can we not try to do the same, always at the pace and within the possibilities of each person?

In this training plan, gym exercises for swimmers play a really important role with lifeguard recertification online. Swimming is a sport that demands the action of a large number of muscle groups; all, together, contribute to improving the posture and propulsion of the individual in the aquatic environment.

Therefore, it is pertinent to devise a strategy that allows them to be strengthened. In this sense, not only technical work and aerobics are important; exercising strength and power is also paramount.

The best gym exercises to complement the swimming

1. Chest pull

Also called a front pulley, this is a great exercise for working your shoulders, traps, lats, and biceps. Doing it is very easy; in fact, one of its advantages is that it allows you to work with high loads in a controlled manner and with a very low risk of injury.

Always remember that the bar must be brought up to the collarbone, the legs must be locked in the support that you will have in front of the knees and, finally, the back must always remain straight.

2. Planks and spinal, classic gym exercises for swimmers

Something that many swimmers do not take into account is that great strength in the abdomen is required to maintain stability and maintain a correct posture when swimming. Therefore, doing crunches in the gym, as well as its counterpart, spinal crunches, is a great idea.

The good thing is that the options are many. For the abdominals, planks can be done with the support of the elbows, the hands, with three supports (one foot raised), the spider plank (bringing a knee to the support on that same side), or the hollow  ('boat' position). face up), among others.

Meanwhile, for spinal we also have a great variety. It is possible to choose between the traditional ones, the spinal bones on the gym machine, the superman, or the alternate ones (opposite feet and arms are raised, one at a time).

3. Pushups

Not because it is one of the most traditional gym exercises for swimmers, push-ups are no longer effective. If you want to add difficulty, you can rest your feet on a medicine ball, as we show you in the image.

The advantage of this work is that it allows you to strengthen the triceps and pectorals. It is an alternative to the also highly recommended bench press; The difference is that with push-ups we work with the weight of our own body.

4. Shoulder Press

The shoulders are one of the most demanding muscle groups during swimming since they are in constant movement during the strokes. For this reason, it is advisable to keep them trained.

An excellent workout is the shoulder press, which can be done with a barbell or dumbbells. The ideal repetitions for this exercise, as well as the others that include loads external to the body weight, is from 6 to 12, always working between 75% and 90% of the maximum capacity.

5. Squats

Of course, we cannot ignore the legs if we think of complete training for a swimmer. In that sense, squats are one of the most complete exercises.

We can add weight to exercise quadriceps, hamstrings,

 and glutes in a demanding way. If we also want to improve power, we can also do jump squats (without weight, of course).

Other variables are front and overhead squats; it is advisable to alternate them so that the muscles do not get used to always making the same effort.

6. Chest fly with dumbbells or pulley

In this last point, we propose another work for the chest. In this case, the major pectorals are worked intensely, which, in turn, allows for a wider rib cage. Unlike push-ups, in this case, we can progress in terms of kilos.

The chest opening is a simple exercise, but extremely demanding. It can be done lying down, with a dumbbell in each hand; Another option is to place ourselves between two pulleys and pull them to join the palms of the hands at chest height. It is important to keep your back straight in this variation.

The ones we have listed here are just some of the many gym exercises to complement swimming that we can find. In fact, practically any exercise will help you develop your muscles and gain strength and endurance. Start training and transfer those results to the pool!