Fun Swimming Exercises You Can Do Outside the Pool!

Holiday season is here, for many of us that means it’s too cold to even think about getting in a pool (save a few of you lucky Californians and Floridians) but it's just the right temperature for big, delicious family meals. Well, have your cake and eat it, too! Keep those holiday carbs in check while you practice your swim training with your little ones these four great exercises--no pool required!

Choose one or a couple exercises to do on different days. You don’t have to commit to practicing everyday. Once or twice a week is plenty and will keep your swim muscle memory fresh!

Start with a 2-3min Warm Up:

We Suggest Jumping Jacks

It’s important to get your muscles warm and loose before beginning any kind of physical training. Jumping jacks are a great warmup for swimmers as the exercise requires a similar motion to swimming as you swing your hands and arms above your head.

Swimming Exercises

This is a great workout which helps build the muscles in your legs for kicking, your core, and practices shoulder-extension.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Start by doing a regular squat, then tighten your core and jump up explosively! Raise your arms up towards the sky and reach up with your fingertips as high as possible.
3. When you land, lower your body back into the squat position to complete one rep. Land as quietly as possible, which requires control.

As the name suggests, this exercise puts you in a position that emulates Superman while he flies. The superman is a medium-intensity exercise that strengthens your lower back and core muscles by isolating them as you lift your arms and legs off the floor.

1. Lie facedown on the floor. Fully extend your arms in front of you.
2. Lift your legs and arms off the ground as if you are flying. You want to keep your core in the stationary position. Lift your arms and legs simultaneously to maximize the effectiveness of the workout.
   • If you find lifting both arms and legs too difficult, you can lift alternate legs and arms at one time. In other words, lift your right arm while lifting your left leg and vice versa. To work all the muscles in your back, you will need to alternate.
3. Slowly begin to lower your arms, legs and chest back down to the starting position while inhaling.

The abdominal flutter kicks are great for helping improve your lower core strength. It is a similar motion to the one involved in swimming the backstroke, which makes this exercise beneficial to swimmers. You will work your hip flexors a lot, which helps with flexibility, and will cause a marked improvement in your future workouts.

1. Start by lying flat on your back on a mat with your arms by your sides and your palms down.
2. Extend your legs fully out with a slight bend in your knees.
3. Make small, rapid up and down scissor-like motions with your legs, lifting your heels about 6 inches off the floor.

The lunge with twist exercise is a great core exercise that also builds lower body strength and balance and works the same twisting core muscles you use while swimming. No weight required.

1. Stand with feet about shoulder width apart.
2. Clasps your hands in front of you with elbows bent about 90 degrees.
3. Step forward with your left foot into a lunge position. Keep your knee aligned over your left foot.
4. From your torso, twist your upper body to the left. Then, reach across your left side with your arms out-stretched. (Think of pointing to the left from your belly button).
5. Maintain a slow and controlled movement throughout the exercise.
6. Slowly move your arms to center and step forward with the opposite foot and twist to the other side.

Stick with It

If you practice these dryland swimming exercises, you’ll effectively hit all your swimming physiology and major swimming lessons. What’s more, you’ll also develop a more balanced body. The more balanced your body is the less likely you are to experience an injury when you’re back in the pool in the summer!