"Break Through" with Dryland Swimming
August 2007
By Troy Jacobson
If you are like a majority of triathletes, you find swimming to be the
most difficult sport of your endurance training trilogy. And why
shouldn't it be? Unless you were brought up as a swimmer logging
countless yards on a club team since you were seven years old, you were
probably never able to fully develop that elusive 'feel' for the water
that experienced competitive swimmers talk about so often. You then
spend lots of time and effort in the water working on your technique
and conditioning hoping for a small drop in your pace per 100 yards --
getting more and more frustrated and disenchanted if the results aren't
coming quickly enough. What if I were to tell you that you can improve
your swim times without even getting wet? The missing link could be
dryland training!
Dryland training techniques and the gear used with them have been used
for years by swim coaches as a supplement to their swimmers pool time --
adding workloads and achieving greater gains in strength. Dryland
work builds specific muscular strength and conditioning while also
giving the athlete a break from the monotony of lap swimming. For the
age group triathlete, it adds another component to a swim program that
might just help them 'break through' to the next level.
Dryland training gear can include everything from the medicine ball and
kettle ball to swim specific machines and bands. Traditional strength
training equipment can also be used in a dryland program but that is
beyond the scope of this particular article.
The best program for the busy age group athlete includes at least 2 or
3 days in the water focusing on technique, conditioning and speed when
appropriate. If there's access to a Vasa Ergometer (a swim bench that
enables one to simulate an actual swim stroke with a measured
resistance workload), an 'erg' session can actually be a substitute for
a pool session. Just remember that there is no replacement for the pool
- in order to learn to swim faster, you've got to SWIM FASTER in
training!
A more affordable alternative to the Vasa products or other swim
benches is the band or stretch cord. Available in different resistance
levels (color coded in many cases), one can use resistance bands to
simulate their swim stroke of choice and benefit tremendously from the
added training volume. Just remember to use caution and to gradually
build your workload and allow for adaptation.
This winter, experiment with some swim specific dryland training and
see if you can achieve a breakthrough in your swim times!
Coach Troy is available for personal online coaching. Visit the coaching section on this website for more information.
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