The Importance of Strength Training for Swimmers Transitioning from High School to College
As parents of young swimmers, you’ve likely seen your child dedicate countless hours to perfecting their stroke technique, building endurance, and racing their peers. As they prepare to transition from high school to college swimming, there’s another crucial aspect of their training that deserves attention: strength training. While the primary focus of swim training is often in the pool, strength training plays a vital role in helping swimmers maximize their performance, and reduce their risk of injury.
Why Strength Train?
- Performance: Swimming is a full-body sport, and strength training helps swimmers develop the power needed to propel themselves through the water efficiently. Stronger muscles allow for faster starts, quicker turns, and improved stroke mechanics, giving swimmers a competitive edge.
- Injury Prevention: The repetitive motion of swimming can put strain on the shoulders, knees, and lower back. Strength training helps build balanced muscle groups and strengthens stabilizing muscles, reducing the risk of overuse injuries. Injury prevention is key to maintaining long-term success and health in the sport.
- Mental Toughness: Strength training is not just about physical gains—it also cultivates discipline, focus, and resilience. The mental toughness developed in the weight room can translate to the pool, helping swimmers handle the pressures of competition and the challenges of collegiate athletics.
Entering College with Experience
Collegiate swimming is intense, both in terms of training load and competition level. Athletes who enter college with a strong foundation in strength training are often better prepared for this transition due to:
- Faster Adaptation: College swims typically integrate rigorous strength and conditioning sessions. Swimmers with prior strength training experience can adapt more quickly to these demands, allowing them to focus on refining their technique and improving their times. Starting college with strength training capacity reduces the stress experienced from the new program.
- Confidence in the Gym: Walking into a collegiate weight room can be intimidating, especially for athletes new to strength training. Those with experience already know how to safely perform key exercises like squats, deadlifts, and pull-ups, boosting their confidence and minimizing the learning curve. Swimmers have historically lacked strength training experience going into college, but this trend is changing.
- Long-Term Development: Consistent strength training from a young age sets swimmers up for long-term success. By building a strong physical base early, they’ll be able to handle the increasing demands of collegiate training while continuing to make improvements in the pool.
Encouraging your swimmer to engage in strength training during high school isn’t just about improving their current performance; it’s about setting them up for success as they take the next step. By entering college with strength training experience, they’ll be better prepared to meet the physical and mental challenges of the next level, giving them an edge both in the pool, and out of it.
Chris Wojchik, NSCA-CPT | Head Strength and Conditioning Coach