Workout at Home with a Professional Triathlete

Pools all closed? Pro Laurel Wassner shares a great "swim" workout you can do at home with a set of stretch cords.

Every Friday we feature a new swim workout that you can take to the pool! Unfortunately due to the Coronavirus pandemic, most pools are closed and many of us are left to try to hold onto some form of swim fitness without stepping foot in the water. Thankfully, there are some alternatives that can help you hold onto your fitness and maybe even make you an overall stronger swimmer. During this time, we’ll be using our Weekend Swim Workout column to bring you some creative ways to not let your swim totally take a backseat. First up, professional triathlete and coach Laurel Wasser is sharing dry land swim exercises you can do with stretch cords. You can buy them at almost any sporting good stores. You want them to be stretchy and not too tight.

Wassner mentions it in the video, but it’s worth reiterating. Don’t think of these movements as weight training. The movements and pace are different. These exercises mimic both the strength and cardio needed to become a better swimmer. See a list of the exercises below and then watch Wassner demonstrate each movement in the video at the bottom.

Dry-Land Swim Exercises You Can Do at Home

Beginners: Do each exercise for 30 seconds with 20 seconds recovery.
Intermediate: 40 seconds on, 20 recovery
Advanced: 50 on, 10 recovery.

Go through each exercise consecutively. Then take a two-minute break to stretch and get water. Do the entire set of exercises up to three times through.

Exercise 1: Double Arm Pull

Exercise 2: Tricep Push-Down

Exercise 3: Chest Fly

Exercise 4: Breaststroke

Exercise 5: Single-Arm Pull

Exercise 6: “The Gorilla”

Exercise 7: “The Windshield Wiper”

Exercise 8: Shoulder Abduction, Adduction (For this exercise only, beginner 10 reps / intermediate 15 / advanced 20 each arm.)