If you want to improve your swimming strength, then you need a way to supplement your swim workouts in a time-effective way to work your swimming muscles in a manner that’s transferable to the water. The answer is stretch cords!

Since my training buddy taught me how to properly perform stretch cord routines, I’ve noticed a significant difference in my swimming. The cords are long sections of rubber tubing with handles or swimming paddles attached at one end and a nylon loop on the other to allow you to fasten them to a fixed object. You will want to purchase swimming-specific cords because they have longer tubing than standard cords. Swimming stretch cords can be purchased at swimming and triathlon stores or online and are available with different levels of resistance. It’s better to start easier/lighter so you can maintain proper form. A quick Internet search will point you to many resources demonstrating proper technique using your cords.

If you need more convincing, my friend coaches a triathlete who was called to serve a tour in Iraq last year. He spent six months on a base without seeing any more water than a shower. He brought his stretch cords with him and performed sessions every day, hooking them to the base’s blast wall. He went through several sets of cords and built up to 30 minutes straight at a time. Believe it or not, when he came home, after not seeing the pool for more than six months, he was only one second off of his all-time fastest 100-yard swim. If he can do it, so can you.

WHY USE STRETCH CORDS

Time Effective | Your stretch cord routine doesn’t have to take long — you’ll see some benefits by using them as little as five minutes. If you have 10 to 20 minutes, then you’ll have more than enough time to be effective. Then, if you can get in one to four times each week, you’re on your way to being a stronger swimmer.

Specificity | By using stretch cords, you’ll be building your strength specific to the swimming movements, firing the muscles in the proper manner and pattern, and thus reinforcing your swimming muscle memory. You may think that you can get the same strength benefits from trips to the gym. Resistance training will help your strength, but no exercise requires movements completely transferable to swimming. You would need a whole gym session with dozens of exercises to hit all of your swimming muscles. Stretch cords help you efficiently target the required muscles, reducing time while increasing performance.

Home or Gym | The cords themselves are small, portable and can be wrapped to any secure object. You can make your routine part of your gym or core session or hook them up to a banister and knock out your sets in front of the TV. Portability also makes them great for travel, so you don't have to stress about finding a lap pool on your vacation.

Substitute Session | If you’re short on time and can’t squeeze in your swim, a quick session on the cords will help to limit the adverse affect of spending a day out of the water. On the flip side, if you do get your swim in and are looking for the overload effect of a double swim day, instead of trying to find time to go to the pool for a second time that day, work with your cords for 20 to 30 minutes and your muscles will feel like you had two swim sessions.

Stability and Injury Prevention | An additional benefit to using stretch cords is that if you perform the movements with proper technique, then you will hold your form in the pool better and decrease the likelihood of injury. There are also several exercises specific to the rotator cuff, that if performed properly, can strengthen the stabilizers and help prevent “swimmer’s shoulder.”

Race Warm-up | With triathlons getting more crowded these days, more and more races do not allow athletes to get in the water before the swim-start to warm up. If you have your cords with you, either in the hotel before you leave, or right in transition, hook them up and cycle through a few sets. You will warm-up your swimming muscles and get your muscles into the proper firing pattern before you jump in the water. If you hit a few short and easy sets and then go for a jog to get your cardiovascular system ready, you’ll be in much better shape when the start gun fires than if you jump in the water cold.

TIPS FOR USING CORDS

Vary up the Routine and Exercises | Start with 10 to 20 reps. You can do double-arm, moving both at the same time; more like a butterfly stroke. Then try single arm, moving your right, then left, back and forth like a freestyle stroke. After you’ve built up strength and repetitions, then you can start shortening the rest or linking routines for sets of time. You can also change the direction you face to work on your triceps strength or deltoids.

Proper Technique | The most important part of your stretch cord session is to make sure you’re using text-book stroke technique. It’s hard to analyze your own stroke in the water, but with the cords, you can look in a mirror to ensure you're using proper form. Those muscle memory gains will quickly transfer into the pool.

Muscular Endurance | As you build up your sessions with the cords, try incorporating sessions specifically to work your muscular endurance. To do this, set the clock and build up the amount of time you can go while maintaining perfect form. If your form collapses, then you need to stop. This will help you in the latter portions of a race when your arms and lats feel like cinder blocks in the water.