Dryland work is the training you do out of the water. With a stretch cord and hand paddles, you can do a swim strength session in a corner of your home.
Why a cord with hand paddles
The paddle sits in your hand and the cord pulls against it, so you work your arms against resistance while you copy movements of the stroke. Two of the six exercises in our guide do exactly that: the crawl pull and the end of the stroke, where your hands push back along your body to your thigh, like the finish of the freestyle push.
What a session looks like
A session is the six exercises, one after the other. For each exercise, do 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions per arm. With the Medium (green) cord, 3 sets of 10 per arm is already plenty.
- Arms stretched, bent forward: the crawl pull.
- Arms out to the sides, brought together in front of you.
- Elbows bent, hands pushed back to your thigh.
- Elbow against your body, forearm moving across.
- Elbows bent at 90°, arms at shoulder height, forearms moving.
- Arms along your body, forearms lifting.
Where to start
- Set up the cord with the 15 cm loop on a door handle, or around a radiator that is off and cold.
- Choose Light or Medium: about 5–14 lb or about 8–24 lb.
- Start with exercise 1, then follow the six exercises in order.
Safety
Check the cord and the loop for wear before every use, and use a solid anchor. Stop if something hurts, and talk to a qualified professional. The cord is made of natural latex: do not use it if you have a latex allergy.