Swimming is a sport of speed and endurance which you must train for if you want to improve your times. Some people think that the only way to improve your speed in the water is by swimming more, but there are other ways to train for swimming. To see improvement in your times, you have to get stronger and train harder. How do you go about training for a sport like swimming? We can help you push yourself toward your goals at DiamondFit Performance.

What muscles does swimming work?

Swimming uses just about every muscle in your body, although there are several large muscle groups that are used more than others. Swimming uses your quads, core muscles, back muscles, triceps, pectorals, and shoulders just to name a few. Although you do use a lot of leg muscle to swim, there is a great amount of upper body strength needed to get some speed. Each type of stroke also changes which muscles you are using the most when you are swimming.

How to train swimming muscles for speed?

In order to improve swimming speed, we need to understand how to physically go faster. It sounds silly to think about, but what actually makes you go forward when you are in the water? It’s the fast and powerful movements of your upper and lower body muscles pulling and pushing the water around you to propel yourself forward. There is a lot of technique involved with swimming faster as well. When you combine strength with knowing how to make your body glide through the water with as little drag as possible, that is when you start to improve your speed. The more strength you have, the stronger your strokes will be, propelling you through the water faster.

Exercises for strengthening swim muscles

To train your muscles for swimming, you must be consistent in your weight training to steadily progress. As you scale the amount of weight that you are lifting each week, you will get stronger over time. If you would like to improve your strength for a specific stroke, we can break down the movement of the stroke and train the muscles that are most responsible for the movement. The exercises that you need to do for strength in the water are compound movements that activate large muscle groups like your back, shoulders, chest, core, and legs. There are a lot of muscles being used while swimming, so you are going to have to train hard.

DiamondFit Performance

At DiamondFit Performance, we can help you train the right way to increase your swimming speed. If you need help staying consistent with your training outside the pool, we will keep you motivated. After several months of training with us, you will see results in your strength which will translate into your swimming ability. Contact us today for more information about your first day of training to be a better swim athlete.