The Best Strength & Conditioning Strategies for Aquatic Athletes: What the Science Says

Coach Justin English, M.S. Exercise Science | Unbroken Health & Fitness

Enjoy a shortened version of a paper I wrote while obtaining my M.S. in Exercise Science below...

In the world of strength and conditioning, there’s a saying: “There are few destinations, but many paths to get there.” That perfectly captures what it’s like to train athletes, especially aquatic athletes like swimmers and water polo players.

The physical demands of aquatic sports are unique. These athletes must master technique, build power and endurance, develop speed, and maintain aerobic capacity—often simultaneously. The question is: how can we best prepare these athletes outside the pool?

At Unbroken Health & Fitness, my philosophy blends high-quality movement with mental toughness. Through both coaching and evidence-based research, I’ve explored the most effective methods to build stronger, faster, and more resilient aquatic athletes. Here’s what the science says.

Athletes are mastering lifting techniques.

The Nine Key Training Adaptations

First, let’s frame the challenge. According to exercise physiologist Dr. Andy Galpin (via The Huberman Lab Podcast), there are nine distinct exercise-induced adaptations we can train for:

1. Skill & Technique

2. Speed

3. Power

4. Force & Strength

5. Hypertrophy

6. Muscular Endurance

7. Anaerobic Capacity

8. Maximal Aerobic Capacity

9. Long-Duration Training

   
   

Swimmers and water polo athletes need all nine of these adaptations to compete at a high level. But the path to developing them—particularly in dryland training—is still a topic of debate.

The Problem: What’s the Best “Dryland” Strategy?

Historically, swimming and water polo focused almost exclusively on water time and stroke technique. Dryland was often an afterthought. But times have changed.

Today, strength and conditioning programs are widely recognized as essential for correcting imbalances, enhancing neuromuscular efficiency, and building physical capacity. Yet the field still lacks consensus on how to train these athletes most effectively.

Is bodyweight circuit training enough? Should we focus on max strength? What about bodybuilding-style programming or even strongman-style training?

Here’s the hypothesis we explore:

Compound movements, paired with cardiovascular conditioning and progressive, periodized programming, are the most effective way to develop strength, power, and explosiveness in aquatic athletes.

Let’s look at the evidence.

What the Research Tells Us

1. Train All Energy Systems

Swimming and water polo demand output from all three major energy systems:

• ATP-PCr (immediate energy)

• Anaerobic glycolysis (short-term energy)

• Aerobic oxidative phosphorylation (long-term energy)

These systems must be trained through both in-pool and dryland work. As Franchini et al. discuss (2023), performance is directly linked to how efficiently an athlete can utilize and recover these systems.

✅ Coaching takeaway: Use a mix of strength training, HIIT, and aerobic base-building to fully prepare your athletes.

2. Maximal Strength Increases Sprint Speed

Strass (1988) demonstrated that athletes who trained at or near their 1-rep max saw faster sprint swim times. The adaptations were not just muscular, but neurological, increasing the amount of motor unit activation.

✅ Coaching takeaway: Incorporate low-rep, high-intensity lifts like deadlifts, squats, and presses to boost sprint performance.

3. Power Training Enhances Transfer to the Pool

While strength matters, power—the ability to apply force quickly—is even more relevant for aquatic sports. Fig (2010) found that combining strength and power work led to greater performance improvements than strength training alone.

✅ Coaching takeaway: Blend strength with plyometrics and explosive movement (e.g., med ball slams, kettlebell swings, Olympic lifts).

4. HIIT Builds Muscular Endurance & Lactate Tolerance

Botonis et al. (2016) showed that high-intensity interval training (HIIT), when combined with strength training, significantly improved water polo performance. This was attributed to better aerobic enzyme activity, lactate buffering, and muscular endurance. This must be balanced with in-pool workouts, however. In pool conditioning is much more effective at producing swim time improvements than dryland conditioning.

✅ Coaching takeaway: Include HIIT sessions both in the pool and on land to train muscular endurance and recovery capacity.

The Bigger Picture: Character, Grit, and Movement Mastery

At Unbroken, training is about more than just physiology. It's about building athletes of character.

Dryland training should not only improve strength and performance—it should challenge athletes mentally. Pushing through a 4,000-yard swim or finishing a tough HIIT circuit isn’t just about fitness—it’s about grit, focus, and mental precision. These attributes build both champions and resilient humans.

Final Thoughts: A Periodized, Multi-System Approach Wins

While research in aquatic sports strength training is still developing, the trend is clear:

A balanced approach that includes compound lifts, high-intensity intervals, aerobic capacity work, and skill development is the best way to train aquatic athletes.

This isn’t about choosing between technique and toughness. It’s about building both systematically, progressively, and intentionally.

If you're a swimmer, water polo player, or coach looking to upgrade your dryland game, this is what we do best at Unbroken Health & Fitness.

Check out our Instagram page here to learn more about these important topics. https://www.instagram.com/unbrokenhealthandfitness/

References:

• Botonis, P., et al. (2016). Effects of high-intensity interval training on water polo players.

• de Villarreal, E. S., et al. (2015). Strength and conditioning in professional water polo.

• Fig, G. (2010). Power development in swimming performance.

• Franchini, E. (2023). Energy systems and training methodologies in combat sports.

• Seifert, L., et al. (2011). Energy expenditure and drag in swimming.

• Strass, D. (1988). Effects of maximal strength training on swim performance.