You already have a busy schedule. Between work, family, cycling, running, and strength training, finding another hour for the pool might be unrealistic. Yet plenty of triathlon swimming advice still starts with the same recommendation: swim more.
More swimming can certainly help, but it isn't the only way to improve. If you have two pool sessions a week, the question is how to make those sessions more productive and what you can do outside the pool to support your technique.
From a high-performance coaching perspective, the starting point is simple: identify what is limiting performance before adding more work. In swimming, that often means looking at body position, breathing, and how effectively you move through the water.
Swimming is a technical skill. Fitness matters, but being able to work harder doesn't automatically mean you move through the water more efficiently.
If your head lifts every time you breathe, your hips drop, or your hands enter the water in the wrong position, you can spend more time and energy reinforcing those patterns. Additional volume may improve your conditioning without fixing the underlying problem.
That doesn't mean swimming volume is unimportant. More time in the water gives you more opportunities to practise. The point is that when your available time is fixed, the quality and purpose of each session matter.
Start by identifying one limitation. You might struggle to maintain body position, lose your rhythm when breathing, or feel that your arms are working hard without much forward movement.
Choose one priority for your next session and work on it deliberately. Don't try to rebuild your entire stroke in a single workout.
Water creates resistance against your body as you swim. The more your body sits out of alignment, the harder you have to work to maintain your speed.
This is why improving body position can be more valuable than simply trying to generate more power with your arms.
Your head, hips, and legs need to work together. When you lift your head to look forward or take a breath, your hips can drop. Your legs then sit deeper in the water, increasing resistance and making every stroke more expensive.
U.S. Masters Swimming identifies body position as a fundamental part of efficient freestyle, alongside rotation, breathing, and the pull.
Head position: Keep your head relaxed and aligned with your spine, with your eyes generally directed towards the bottom of the pool.
Hip position: Think about maintaining a long, level body line rather than letting your legs trail below you.
Body rotation: Allow your shoulders and hips to rotate together as you stroke and breathe, rather than twisting your head independently.
Don't force your legs to sit perfectly on the surface. Body shape, buoyancy, and mobility vary. The aim is to minimise unnecessary drag while keeping your stroke comfortable and sustainable.
For a useful reference, explore freestyle body position and rotation from U.S. Masters Swimming.
When pool time is limited, focus on the changes most likely to improve your efficiency.
Look down rather than forward, and avoid lifting your head to see where you're going in the pool. A neutral head position makes it easier to maintain alignment through your torso and hips.
Practise swimming short lengths while paying attention to whether your legs feel as though they're trailing heavily behind you. Change one thing at a time so you can recognise what improves your position.
Breathing should not interrupt your freestyle rhythm. Exhale underwater, rotate your body to take a breath, and return your face to the water without lifting your head excessively.
Don't force yourself to breathe every three strokes simply because it is a common coaching recommendation. Choose a pattern that gives you enough air and allows you to maintain good technique. Bilateral breathing can be useful, but comfortable, effective breathing is the priority.
Your catch is the point at which your hand and forearm begin to grip the water to help move you forward. If your hand slips through the water without creating useful propulsion, you can increase effort without getting the result you want.
Think about setting your forearm to press water backwards rather than immediately pulling with a straight arm. Keep the movement controlled, and avoid crossing your hand over the centre line of your body.
These are skills to practise, not positions to force. A qualified swim coach can help identify which adjustment is appropriate for your stroke.
Dryland training for swimmers is most useful when it supports what you need to do in the water. You don't need an elaborate programme or a separate gym session dedicated entirely to swimming.
The goal is to develop enough strength and control to maintain your position and repeat an effective stroke without unnecessary fatigue.
Upper back and lats: These muscles contribute to shoulder control and the pulling action. Rows and controlled pulldowns are practical options.
Core: Your trunk helps maintain alignment as your shoulders and hips rotate. Dead bugs and Pallof presses train trunk control without requiring heavy loading.
Shoulders: The shoulder needs both strength and control through repeated overhead movement. Light external rotations and controlled shoulder exercises can support this.
Hip stability also matters because your trunk and pelvis need to remain controlled while your limbs move. Try this short routine once or twice a week, alongside your existing strength work:
|
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
|
Resistance bands or cable row |
2-3 |
10-12 |
|
Lat pulldown |
2-3 |
8-12 |
|
Dead bug |
2-3 |
8-10 |
|
Pallof press |
2 |
10 per side |
|
Light band external rotation |
2 |
12-15 per side |
Use controlled movements and a resistance that allows good technique. This is supplementary training, not a test of how much weight you can lift. If you have already completed a balanced strength programme, incorporate a few suitable exercises rather than adding unnecessary volume.
Dryland strength cannot teach you how to feel the water or correct your stroke by itself. It supports your swimming; it doesn't replace it.
Two sessions can work well when they have different purposes. Rather than swimming the same set every time, use one session to develop technique and the other to practise holding that technique while swimming at a more race-specific effort.
Keep the effort comfortable enough that you can concentrate on how you move.
200 m easy warm-up.
4 × 50 m focusing on relaxed breathing and head position.
4 × 50 m using a suitable technique drill, with easy swimming between repetitions.
4 × 100 m freestyle at a controlled effort, concentrating on the same technical priority.
100 m easy cool-down.
Use this session to practise maintaining your stroke as effort increases.
200 m easy warm-up.
4 × 50 m building gradually to a comfortable, steady effort.
3 × 300 m at a sustainable race-relevant effort, with 30–45 seconds of rest between repetitions.
4 × 50 m steady, concentrating on maintaining technique rather than chasing speed.
100 m easy cool-down.
Adjust the distances to your current ability and available time. If 300 m repetitions are too demanding, shorten them and preserve the same principle.
The important part is the focus. During the technique session, work on one identifiable limitation. During the endurance session, notice whether that improvement holds when you swim for longer.
Swim drills can help, but only when they address a specific problem and carry over into your normal stroke.
A drill is not automatically useful because it looks technical. Nor does a drill need to be complicated to be effective.
|
Drill or approach |
Potential value |
Common limitation |
|
Side-kick or 6-1-6 drill |
Develops balance, rotation, and body alignment |
Can become an exercise in kicking without transferring the skill to full freestyle |
|
Fist swimming |
Encourages awareness of the forearm's role in the catch |
Needs to be followed by normal swimming to apply the sensation |
|
Single-arm freestyle |
Helps develop control, rotation, and breathing |
Can reinforce an uneven stroke if performed without attention |
|
Endless drill variations |
Can expose you to different stroke sensations |
Switching constantly between drills leaves little time to practise the correction in full freestyle |
|
Repeating a drill without a clear goal |
Adds activity to the session |
Repetition alone doesn't guarantee a technical improvement |
The first three drills are described in 220 Triathlon's guide to essential pool drills.
My recommendation is to choose one drill that addresses your current limitation, perform it in short repetitions, then swim normal freestyle while trying to maintain the same movement. That transition is the point of the exercise.
If you can't identify what a drill is meant to improve, ask your coach before making it a regular part of your sessions.
Open-water swimming introduces challenges that you won't fully reproduce in a pool. There are no lane lines to follow, no wall to push off at every turn, and no guarantee that the water will be calm or clear.
The main adjustments are practising sighting without lifting your head excessively, maintaining your direction, and becoming comfortable swimming around other athletes. Wetsuit buoyancy may also change how your body sits in the water.
Don't try to learn all these skills for the first time on race day. Include some open-water practice when conditions and supervision make it appropriate.
For a deeper look at preparing for swimming outside the pool, read our guide to open-water swim training.
Trying to fix everything at once.
Choose one technical priority per session. Too many instructions make it difficult to recognise which change is helping.
Pulling harder when progress stalls.
More effort won't necessarily solve a body-position or breathing problem. Check your alignment and catch before adding intensity.
Holding your breath underwater.
Exhale steadily and establish a breathing rhythm that allows you to stay relaxed.
Doing dryland work without practising the skill in the pool.
Strength supports swimming, but technique still needs to be learned and refined in the water.
Chasing distance instead of quality.
Completing a target distance is useful for endurance, but it doesn't tell you whether your stroke was efficient. Give each session a purpose.
Changing technique based on every tip you read.
Advice that works for one swimmer may not solve another swimmer's problem. If you're stuck, a coach's direct observation can be more useful than another list of drills.
