Swimming Training: Yardage, Intensity, Dryland and Taper

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The whiteboard on the pool deck says it all: warm-up 800, kick 6 x 100, main set 10 x 200 on a tight interval, pull 1,000, swim-down 300. Somewhere a 12-year-old is counting laps in her head, a college sprinter is dreading the 200s, and a masters swimmer in lane 6 is just happy to make the intervals. Swimming training is built on three things: how much you swim, how hard you swim it, and what you do on land to keep your body able to handle it. Then, before the big meet, you back off and let it all come together. This page explains yardage and intensity, dryland strength, shoulder care and taper basics, for every level from age group to Olympic.

General information, not a training plan. Your coach knows your events and your history. Back to the swimming hub.

Yardage: how much is enough?

Swimming is famous for big volume. In one classic study of elite female swimmers during a high-volume training block, they averaged about 17.5 km a day in two sessions totaling 5–6 hours. That is the far end of the sport. Most age-group, high school and masters swimmers train far less, and they should: what matters is how much you can absorb and recover from, not what the top 1% does.

Volume has a cost, and the shoulder pays it. In a study of 80 elite young swimmers, the number of hours swum per week and weekly distance were both linked with rotator cuff tendon problems, the main cause of swimmer’s shoulder (see our swimming injuries page). So increases should be gradual, and pain is a reason to pull back, not push on.

For young swimmers, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends at least 1–2 days off a week from the main sport and about 3 months off a year in 1-month blocks. In one study, kids who spent more hours a week in organized sport than their age in years had higher odds of a serious overuse injury. Swimming also rewards trying other sports while young; many coaches like a season of something else on land.

Intensity: easy, threshold and race pace

Not every lap should hurt. Swim sets fall into rough zones: easy aerobic swimming (technique, warm-up, recovery), threshold work that is “comfortably hard” and sustainable for a long set, and race-pace or faster sprints with plenty of rest. A 2021 systematic review of highly trained swimmers found that training follows the event: sprinters tended toward a polarized mix (lots of easy, some very hard, little in between) or threshold-heavy plans, middle-distance swimmers toward threshold and pyramid-shaped plans, and distance swimmers mostly a pyramid (most work easy, less at threshold, least at the top). Most programs build in waves, with harder blocks followed by easier ones.

• Age group: skills first. Streamlines, turns, all four strokes and kicking. Speed work is short and fun.
• High school and club: a few hard sets a week, the rest aerobic and technical, with more event-specific race-pace work as the season goes on.
• College and elite: a periodized season with doubles, altitude or training camps for some, and planned recovery weeks.
• Masters and fitness: a mix of technique, steady aerobic sets and one faster set per session works for most people. U.S. Masters Swimming publishes workouts for every level.

A pace clock is the old-school tool; many swimmers now use a watch like the Garmin Swim 2 to log laps, pace and stroke count automatically. More options are on our best swimming wearables page.

Dryland strength: power off the blocks and walls

Swimmers spend most of their time horizontal and weightless, so land training fills the gaps: legs for starts and turns, trunk for body position, and shoulders and upper back to balance all that pulling. A 2019 systematic review found swim-start performance was very closely related to vertical jump height, and plyometric training (jumps) improved starts over time. That’s why box jumps and squat jumps show up in so many dryland programs.

• Legs and power: squats, lunges, jumps. Short, quality sets with full rest.
• Trunk: planks, side planks, dead bugs and hollow holds help you hold a streamline.
• Upper back and shoulders: rows, band pull-aparts and external rotation work (see below).
• Kids and teens: the AAP says strength training is fine for young athletes when it’s supervised and technique-first: 2–3 times a week for 20–30 minutes, 2–3 sets of 8–15 reps, learning lifts without weights first, adding load slowly, and no maximal lifts before full physical maturity.

Shoulder care: the habit that keeps you in the water

Every stroke pulls the arm in and down, so the muscles that rotate the shoulder inward tend to get stronger than the ones that rotate it outward. In a 2025 randomized trial, competitive swimmers aged 16–35 who did a five-exercise shoulder program twice a week for 12 weeks, with either light weights or elastic bands, kept that balance better over the season than swimmers who didn’t. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) also recommends strengthening the muscles around the shoulder and upper back and warming up for 5–10 minutes before swimming.

A simple version many teams use before getting in: band external rotations, band pull-aparts, “Y-T-W” raises, and scapular push-ups, a few minutes and light resistance. Ask your athletic trainer or PT to check your form and pick exercises for you. Other habits that help: mixing strokes, building up paddle work slowly, and breathing to both sides so one shoulder doesn’t do all the rolling.

Training tools many swimmers use

A pull buoy like the Speedo pull buoy lifts the hips and legs so you can focus on the arms and rotation. Short-blade fins like FINIS Zoomers Gold encourage a fast, short kick. A light band set like the THERABAND Beginner Kit covers the shoulder routine above. Most clubs supply kickboards; check your team’s equipment list before buying.

Taper basics: backing off to swim fast

Before a championship meet, swimmers cut their training so tired muscles can recover and the fitness shows. A 2007 meta-analysis of 27 studies in competitive athletes found the best results came from a taper of about two weeks, with training volume cut by roughly 41–60%, while keeping intensity and how often you train the same. A 2023 meta-analysis of endurance athletes agreed on the 41–60% cut with intensity and frequency kept up, and found tapers of up to three weeks worked, especially after a planned hard block beforehand.

• Cut yards, not speed. Short, fast race-pace swims with lots of rest keep you sharp.
• Keep the routine. Same practice days, shorter practices.
• Eat for the work you’re doing. Sports dietitians advise matching intake to the lower training load during taper (see swimming nutrition), while still eating enough.
• Sleep more. Taper is the time to bank it; more on our swimming recovery page.
• Age-groupers usually need a shorter, lighter taper than older swimmers with big training loads; your coach decides.

For meet-day warm-ups and fueling between races, go to Meet Day. For how other sports organize training, see our soccer training page, and for more band options, the best resistance bands for athletes.

Swimming training: FAQs

How many yards should a swimmer swim per week?

There’s no single number; it depends on age, events and experience. Elite swimmers in heavy blocks can swim around 17.5 km a day, but most age-group, high school and masters swimmers do far less. Build up gradually, because more weekly hours and distance were linked with shoulder tendon problems in elite swimmers.

Do swimmers need to lift weights?

Dryland strength helps. Jump height is closely related to swim-start performance and plyometrics improved starts in research, and shoulder strengthening helps keep rotator muscles balanced. For kids and teens, the AAP supports supervised, technique-first strength training.

How long should a swim taper be?

A meta-analysis found about two weeks worked best, cutting volume by roughly 41–60% while keeping intensity and frequency. Tapers up to three weeks also worked in a later review. Your coach will adjust for your age, events and training load.

What shoulder exercises do swimmers do?

Common choices are band external rotations, pull-aparts, Y-T-W raises and scapular push-ups. In a 2025 trial, a twice-weekly, 12-week program of five such exercises kept swimmers’ shoulder strength more balanced. Have an athletic trainer or PT check your form.

Should kids swim year-round?

The AAP recommends 1–2 days off a week and about 3 months off a year from a child’s main sport, in 1-month blocks. Playing other sports is good for young swimmers.