A strong core is essential for faster swimming. Here are six swim workouts and sets to target the core and abs in the pool.
Swimming is a killer full-body workout, but there’s one place where it really shines: the core.
A strong core isn’t just about having washboard abs—a powerful core also helps you swim more efficiently, exert more power through the pull and kick, tighten up your swimming streamline, and increase overall swim speed.
What’s not to like about that?
In this list of swimming workouts for the core, we are going to increase the connection between the trunk and your arms and legs so that you can generate more power and speed in the pool.
Let’s dive right in.
Swim Workout #1: Anti-Rotation Set for a Stronger Core
Swimmers require anti-rotation core strength in the pool to maintain stability and control in the water.
This swim workout for the core will challenge you to balance yourself properly in the water.
We will focus on doing a lot of single-arm swimming at various intensities. By the end, not only will your core get a great workout, but you’ll find that you have more stable hips while swimming and improved shoulder rotation.
The crux of the main set uses a freestyle drill called the Zona Kick Drill, which is single-arm and single-leg swimming for maximum core activation.
Here we go:
Warm-Up: 600 choice, alternating 100 swim, 100 pull, 100 kick
Main Set: 30×25 as 5 rounds of:
- 2 – Freestyle using Right arm and Left leg
- 2 – Freestyle using Left arm and Right Leg
- 2 – Freestyle full swim, fast
Take 30 seconds rest after each 25. Focus on perfect body position during the single-arm and single-leg drill 25s. Carry over the improved body position into the fast 25s.
8×50 backstroke single-arm. Take 25 seconds of rest after each rep. Focus on proper shoulder rotation.
8×25 single-arm backstroke fast. Take 25 seconds of rest after each rep.
Warm-Down: 200 choice
The core is crucial for swimmers doing long-axis strokes backstroke and freestyle, which involves rotating the body to generate propulsion.
By exaggerating the amount of stability and balance required to swim by constricting the arms and legs, you learn efficient rotation and work the core muscles, including the obliques, transverse abdominis, and erector spinae.
See also: 5 Swim Workouts for Beginners
While single-arm swimming can often be a graveyard for good technique, swimmers should really focus on proper rotation and body position to not only work the core but become a better swimmer.
Swim Workout #2: 30-Minute Resisted Swimming and HIIT
Resisted swimming involves using various types of added resistance to make swimming more challenging and, yes, increase the challenge to the core.
Tools like a swim parachute, resistance tubing, or DragSox are a great way to increase swim-specific strength,
This 30-minute swim workout is short in duration but high in quality.
- Warm-Up: 300m choice alternating 50 swim, 50 kick
- Main set: 20×25 freestyle swim with swim parachute or DragSox
- Choose an interval that gives you 2:1 rest to work (i.e. if it takes you 20 seconds to cross the pool, use an interval of 40 seconds)
- Focus on swimming with “easy” speed, at 80-90% effort. No slapping the water or overly tense traps during the arm stroke
- Extra minute rest
- 4×25 free swim fast on the same interval
- Warm-Down: 100 easy
This set is excellent for the core as the added resistance really forces you to maximize the strength being generated in each pull and kick while swimming.
The last 4×25’s swim takes advantage of the principle of post-activation potentiation for swimmers.
In layman’s terms, removing the resistance makes you feel like you are getting shot out of a cannon.
This little core-centric swim workout is also great for days when you don’t have a ton of time available (or pool space) and want to get a swim workout under your belt without spending tons of time at the pool.
Swim Workout #3: Distance Per Stroke Deluxe
Fast swimmers are also highly efficient swimmers.
If you look at the fastest swimmers on the planet, whether it’s a sprint-focused monster like Ben Proud or Caeleb Dressel, or distance stars Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh, they make swimming fast look easy.
Swim workouts designed around efficiency are also excellent for working the core.
Maintaining a streamlined position off the walls, stretching out for every extra inch in your stroke, and keeping the hips high and the body in an efficient position recruits the core muscles like crazy.
This swim workout for the abs is all about stroke counting and getting more distance off the walls and with your stroke.
- Warm-up: 600 choice swim and kick
- Pre-Set: 8×25 swim build, focusing on keeping the stroke “long and strong” from push-off to finish – take 20-25 seconds after each rep
- Main Set: 20×50 free swim, Mini-Maxi – count the number of strokes you take with each rep and combine with your time.
- e., 25 strokes and 35 seconds to complete the rep = score of 60. Work on decreasing the score as you repeat the set.
- Take 20-30 seconds after each rep.
[Mini-Maxi = Minimum strokes with maximum speed]
- 8×25 swim beating half of your average Mini=-Maxi score from the 50s – take 20-30 seconds rest after each rep.
- Warm-Down: 200 double-arm backstroke
Efficiency-minded swimming is great for the core—it’s firing like crazy to give you the most efficient body position possible—and highly engaging.
This type of swim workout for abs is great for mental stimulation and teaching the body how to find small pockets of technique improvement.
Swim Workout #4: Kicking It for the Core
The kick is crucial for swimmers.
Not just to power underwaters and help generate a marginal amount of propulsion, but a strong kick serves as a foundation to generate power through the upper body and pull.
Adding some different types of kicking to your swim workouts can be an excellent way to target the core.
Vertical kicking, kickboard-less kicking, and resisted kicking all increase the workload on the trunk and core.
See also: 7 Kick Sets for Swimmers
Here is one of my favorite swim workouts for the core that is also an awesome workout for the lower body.
- Warm-Up: 600 choice stroke, alternate 100 swim and 100 kick
- Main Set: 8×100 freestyle as 50 kick (no board), 50 swim (with a six-beat kick) – Take 30 seconds rest after each repetition.
- 8×50 kick fast with light resistance (small swim parachute or DragSox) – Take 20-30 seconds rest after each repetition.
- 8x [20 seconds maximum effort vertical kicking with DragSox + 40 seconds rest]
- Warm-Down: 200 swim easy
The 100s are designed to help you improve your kicking while swimming. Many swimmers have difficulty connecting a strong kick to their swimming.
Part of this is core strength, which can be trained outside of the water with this collection of the best core strength exercises for swimmers, but can also be improved by intentionally kicking hard while swimming.
The 50s and 25s are all about getting the core to activate and help you overcome the resistance of the DragSox or chute.
The last time I did this swim workout, my core was fully activated and my calves were twitching for an hour after getting out of the pool, so you have been warned 😉.
Swim Workout #5: Mash-Up for Total Core Training
Okay, for this swim workout for the core, we will take a little of each workout and mishy-mashy them into one big and chlorinated session in the pool.
This workout is longer, 5,000m if done in its entirety, featuring resisted swimming, vertical kicking, resisted swimming and kicking, and more.
Warm-Up: 600 choice alternating 100 swim and 100 kick
Main Set:
Five rounds through:
- 200 dolphin kick on your back with swim fins – best average. Perform 4-6 dolphin kicks off each wall in a streamline, and complete the rest of the length with arms at the side. Choose an interval that gives you 60 seconds rest.
- 8×25 Freestyle swimming Mini-Maxi – Go as fast as possible with as few strokes as possible. 30 seconds rest after each rep.
- 100 fish kick (dolphin kicking on your side) with swim fins – Alternate sides by 25, focusing on opening up the hips and an exaggerated amplitude of the kick.
- 8×25 kick FAST with DragSox or swim parachute – Take 30-40 seconds rest after each rep
- Extra minute rest
- 50 swim all-out Mini-Maxi
- 50 double-arm backstroke to reset
Warm-down: 200 choice
The 200 dolphin kick to lead off each round of the main set was lifted from legendary Texas Longhorns coach Eddie Reese, and is on my list of the best swim sets for improving underwater dolphin kick. With arms at your side, you can really undulate and work your core.
The Mini-Maxi 25s is all about full extension when swimming and using your core to get every last inch of water you can.
The fish kick 100 is awesome for opening up the hips and lower back. Kicking on the side also really works the core.
Fast kicking with resistance powers up the kick and encourages more activation in the trunk to overcome the resistance.
And that final 50 Mini-Maxi fast is about putting it all together: Strong underwaters, a rooster-tail of a kick, maximum efficiency, and, of course, total activation of the core to make it all happen.
Wrapping It Up
The core is vital for fast, efficient swimming.
A strong core in the pool helps you to minimize drag, exert power through the arms and legs, improve overall endurance, and even help you breathe more effectively.
For a great core workout in the pool, give the above sets a try and swim your way to a stronger trunk and faster swimming.
Disclaimer: Remember, before kicking off a new swim workout regimen or engaging in vigorous exercise, it’s always wise to consult with a healthcare professional to ensure it’s the right fit for you.
ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY
Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national-level swimmer. He’s the publisher of YourSwimBook, a ten-month logbook for competitive swimmers.
He’s also the author of the recently published mental training workbook for competitive swimmers, Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High-Performance Mindset.
It combines sport psychology research, worksheets, anecdotes, and examples of Olympians past and present to give swimmers everything they need to conquer the mental side of the sport.
Ready to take your mindset to the next level?
Click here to learn more about Conquer the Pool.
