How to Work Out With Swimming Weights

Swim coaches agree that perfecting your technique in the pool is the best way to improve swim performance, but many swimmers also lift weights to further strengthening their swimming muscles. Swim fanatics can train their upper body in the comfort of the pool with swim weights, which are waterproof swim dumbbells. Keep your swim weight-training sessions high-repetition and low-resistance to build useful, lean muscle instead of inflexible bulk.

Instructions

  1. Swim Weightlifting Tips

    • 1

      Select swim weight dumbbells that are moderately challenging for you to lift, rather than swim weights that are close to your maximum lifting capacity. Keep in mind that part of the time you'll be lifting the weights through the water, which adds resistance but makes it easier to maintain control.

    • 2

      Complete two to four sets of ten repetitions for each swim weight exercise. A high-repetition, moderate-weight workout is better than lifting heavy weights for building functional swim strength and muscle endurance.

    • 3

      Focus on flexing and extending your joints to the ends of their range of motion while you lift. Maintaining range of motion as you build strength which is important for keeping your muscles lean and useful for swimming.

    • 4

      Lift regularly to improve your strength and endurance over time. According to professional swim coach Braden Keith, most competition-level swimmers should lift three times a week for about an hour; recreational swimmers should see strength gains with bi- or tri-weekly, 15 to 25-minute sessions.

    • 5

      Begin to lessen the frequency of your lifting sessions and the amount of weight that you lift when you're 1 month from the end of the season.

    • 6

      Stop lifting 2 weeks before your championship swim meet.

    Swim Weight Exercises

    • 7

      Stretch for 5 to 10 minutes before you start lifting to warm up your muscles and minimize your chance of injury.

    • 8

      Lift before you swim on days that you both train with your swim weights and do laps.

    • 9

      Stand in the pool with the water close to shoulder height.

    • 10

      Strengthen your anterior deltoids with front shoulder raises. To perform a front shoulder raise, start with the weights hanging at your sides with your palms facing back so that your arms extend straight out from your shoulders. Lift both arms up and in front of you so that the swim weights are in front of your shoulders. Pause for one second, then slowly bring the weights down to your hips.

    • 11

      Work your lateral deltoids, or lats, with lateral shoulder raises. Hold the swim weights with your arms dangling in front of you, elbows bent and palms turned in. Lift your arms up to your side, pausing when your arms are extended horizontally from the shoulder before returning to the start position.

    • 12

      Perform pullovers to strengthen your triceps and pecs. Begin standing upright and holding a single swim weight over your head with your elbows bent so that the weight is slightly behind you. Extend your shoulders and elbows to pull the weight over your head and in front of you, then pause and raise the weight to the starting position.

    • 13

      Include upright rows in your swim weight-training program to further strengthen your lats. Hold the swim weights with your arms at your sides and palms forward, then lift the weights straight up in front of your shoulder as you flare your elbows out to the side. Pause at the top of the lift and slowly lower the weights as you bring your elbows back in.