The world’s best experts answer your strength training questions. Whether you want to learn about competitive weight lifting, sport specific strength training, or injury recovery and prevention, browse advice from experts like Wendy McLure and Matthew Pendola.

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Dan Daly is committed to helping swimmers -- swim faster, become more proficient in their technique, and go deeper into the inherent athleticism. Dan is a competitive open water and masters swimmer, he's a highly sought after performance coach, presenter, mentor, and content expert for several publications, with over 15 years in the industry. Dan co-created the Equinox signature group swim program EQX H2O, is a 3x Personal Trainer of the Year, 2x Educator of the Year nominee, as well as an awarded top performing coach and educator.

Gina Grain is a Canadian Strength & Conditioning coach and a retired professional road and track cyclist. She won a silver medal in the women's scratch at the 2006 UCI Track Cycling World Championships and later represented Canada at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Throughout her career she raced with U.S. and Canadian teams and Hong Kong's Giant Pro Cycling. She earned a number of titles, including the U.S. Pro Tour Championships and the Canadian Championships in Saint-Georges, Quebec. She also scored stage triumphs at the Grand Montreal Cycling Tour, Tour de Gastown, and Tour of the Gila. After retiring in 2010, she focused on her kinesiology career. Gina has her masters in Exercise Science. Gina volunteers with various soccer clubs around Vancouver including the Phoenix Women’s Soccer Team helping with pre-game physical preparation and post-game recovery. 

John Sinclair is an experienced sport and training management professional with a bachelors degree in physical education and sport performance, 15 certifications, and 20+ years of coaching experience. He has authored articles, created a programming algorithm, and is a programming consultant. His other achievements include inventing, being a master coach and educator for 7 different companies in the fitness industry, competing and training in 11 different sports, and coaching amateur hockey and baseball. 

Tim is Head Strength & Conditioning Coach at Montverde Academy, FL, with 35 years of experience. He's coached athletes to NBA, MLS & European Pro Soccer, and to World & Ironman Championships. He holds Elite coaching licenses with USA Triathlon & USA Cycling, and certifications with NSCA, ASCA & NASM. He was honored as 2009 USA Triathlon Elite Coach of the Year & 2007 USA Triathlon Development Coach of the Year.

NBA Champion Strength & Conditioning Coach

Erin is a Colorado-based strength coach. She is the co-owner of RallySport, a Boulder training facility and health club, and head coach for ECFIT. Her clients include world champions and everyday athletes seeking excellence. Previously, Erin attended the University of Colorado on a basketball scholarship and played professionally in Europe. She has multiple masters degrees, is certified by NSCA, NASM, EXOS, PTA Global and is a Foundation Training and Titleist Performance Coach. Erin is also an accomplished triathlete placing 6th in her age group at the 2016 70.3 World Championships and has multiple podium finishes.

Wendy has 30+ years in the fitness industry, co-owning Body Dynamics for 18 years. She was named on the "Top 100 Trainers in the Country" list by Men's Journal (2004 & 2005). She holds a MS in Exercise Physiology and is certified by ACSM, Bosu & TRX (Sports Medicine Level). She specializes in "hunting down" movement patterns that need help, and has consulted with the US Ski Team as a core rehab specialist for 10 years. She assists all levels of fitness from wheelchairs to Olympic athletes. Wendy has written articles for many fitness magazines.

Blair O’Donovan is a Strength & Conditioning Coach who has worked in the NHL, NFL, NBA and for the Jordan Brand Classic and McDonald's All American Game. Blair coached at Gonzaga College High School in Washington DC under Steve Turner, the Gatorade National Coach of the Year. In 2012, he founded Healthy Baller and in 2013, became partners and co-owners with Matt Boyd. In 2018, Blair accepted a position with the Washington Wizards as Director of Player Preparation and later returned to Healthy Baller in 2020 to help expand the Hoopers’ Program.

Squeeze elbows back, squeeze shoulder blades back, lift hands independently, don't let them touch. Straighten out your elbows without losing any shoulder extension all the way back and up. Lock out your elbows, feel the squeezing, and feel your upper back work. Slowly rotate around and end up in a big Y, just like you guys would do Y's on the ground. Try to rotate all the way back. From here, we're going to go ahead and reverse it just like a shoulder car, slowly rotating, reaching back for that back corner, ending up here, triceps lockout, elbows bent, slowly return but not to your lower back, and then down.

Squeeze elbows and shoulder blades back, lift hands independently, rotate around to a big Y, reverse it back to where you started, and then slowly return your arms down.

What is one of the most under utilized lift or exercise in your opinion for swimmers?

Unleash Underused Upper Body Exercise for Swimmers

In my opinion, one of the most underutilized exercises for swimmers is the Y-raise. To perform this exercise, start by squeezing your elbows back and shoulder blades together. Lift your hands independently, making sure they don't touch. Straighten your elbows without losing any shoulder extension, lifting them all the way back and up. Lock out your elbows and feel the squeezing sensation in your upper back. Slowly rotate around and end up in a big Y shape, similar to doing Y's on the ground. Try to rotate as far back as possible. 

To reverse the movement, slowly rotate back, reaching for the back corner. End with your triceps locked out and elbows bent. Then, slowly return without lowering your hands to your lower back, and bring them back down.

This exercise targets the upper back and helps improve shoulder mobility and stability, which are crucial for swimmers. Incorporating the Y-raise into your training routine can be highly beneficial for enhancing your swimming performance.

I love these type of questions. I actually think about these type of things all the time. So what I would do is, if I had 10 minutes, I'd actually say, I'd do it nine minutes. So what I'd do is take three exercises. So let's say we're going to do an upper body push, an upper body pull, and some sort of a squat. So I'm going to say, I'm going to do a dumbbell chest press. I'm going to do a pull up and then into a trap bar deadlift. I would do each exercise for about eight reps, which is going to take me approximately 30 seconds. I'm going to get 30 seconds rest, and I'm going to do three rounds. So typically, we'll call this a three by three. It's actually a very effective way of training in season, and especially if you have short periods of time. If you could do that three times a week, I think that can be really effective and give you a really big bang for your 10 minutes.

I'd do three exercises: a dumbbell chest press, pull up and trap bar deadlift- each for 8 reps. Resting 30 seconds inbetween, I would do 3 rounds of these exercises - known as a three by three- which is an effective way to train even with short periods of time. Doing this 3 times a week can be very effective.

If you only had ten minutes each day to build strength, what would you do and why?

Maximize Strength Gains with 10 Minutes: The Expert's Proven Formula

If I only had ten minutes each day to build strength, I would focus on three key exercises: an upper body push, an upper body pull, and a squat. Specifically, I would choose a dumbbell chest press, pull-ups, and trap bar deadlifts. 

In this time frame, I would aim to perform each exercise for about eight reps, which would take approximately 30 seconds. After each exercise, I would take a 30-second rest before moving on to the next one. I would complete three rounds of this circuit.

This approach, known as a three by three, is an efficient and effective way to train, especially when time is limited. It can be particularly beneficial during busy periods or when you have short windows for exercise. If done three times a week, this routine can provide significant results and make the most of your ten-minute sessions.

What are your favorite dryland exercises for swimmers? I think the difficulty of that question is what event do they swim, where are they at in their career, what do they enjoy, what do they need to work on? I mean that's just a tough question to answer in a general way. But I would say anything that gets them moving. A happy swimmer is a fast swimmer so something that helps them bring joy to what they're doing and making sure that they're always consistently getting better with what it is that they're working on. I've got one of the most elite back strokers in the world, would you have anything to add? I thought you were going to tell me some of your favorite exercises and I was going to perform it right now. Next time. Next time. We'll look for it in part 2. Boom. Boom.

It's difficult to answer what the best dryland exercises are for swimmers without knowing more specific information like the event they swim and where they are in their career. However, any exercise that gets them moving and brings joy to their training can help them become a faster swimmer.

What are your favourite dryland exercises for swimmers?

Unlocking the Secrets: The Best Dryland Exercises for Swimmers

My favorite dryland exercises for swimmers? Well, it's a tough question to answer because it depends on various factors such as the swimmer's event, career stage, preferences, and areas of improvement. However, I believe that any exercise that gets swimmers moving and brings them joy is beneficial. A happy swimmer tends to be a fast swimmer. Consistently working on improving their skills is also important.

I happen to have one of the most elite backstrokers in the world with me. Would you like to share any favorite exercises? Oh, it seems they're not ready to share at the moment. Perhaps we can look forward to it in part 2. Stay tuned!

Hi, Sam, I'm just reading your question here. It says should I schedule my weekly lifts by body part or by movement push/pull? I think that's a tricky question. The way I like to set things up is depending on your goals and your time, and what your schedule allows you and dictates. So, for instance, if you has a very specific goal where you're saying to yourself, hey I've got two weeks to do as much as I can, then I might say, hey, let's go by body parts. You can really break each body part down. But if you're saying, hey, I'm in season and I really have three days to lift a week, then I'm looking at a movement, push/pull, upper and lower together, some core work. So I really think that the way you dictate the workout depends on your schedule, your availability, and how much time you really have to dedicate to working out. I hope that helps, Sam.

It depends on your goals, schedule and availability when deciding whether to schedule your weekly lifts by body part or movement push/pull.

Should I schedule my weekly lifts by body parts or by movements (push/pull)?

Customize your workout schedule based on goals & availability - body parts or push/pull?

When it comes to scheduling your weekly lifts, whether by body parts or movements (push/pull), it depends on your goals, time availability, and schedule. If you have a specific goal and a shorter timeframe to work with, focusing on body parts can be beneficial. This allows you to break down each body part and target them individually.

On the other hand, if you're in a season or have limited time for workouts, a movement-based approach like push/pull can be more efficient. This involves combining upper and lower body movements, along with core work, in each session.

Ultimately, the way you structure your workouts should align with your schedule, availability, and the amount of time you can dedicate to exercising. Consider your goals and what works best for you in terms of time management.

Hey, Brett, interesting question. Energy drinks, because there's a lot of ways we can define that. If we're talking about stuff that's just like the goal of that is to get a teenage kid to be able to perform better after 3:00 pm because they don't sleep, then I'm not really into those kind of energy drinks. But if we're looking for a way to maybe use a little bit of caffeine, boost our afternoon, or a little bit of a performance within training or racing, they're definitely not all bad. I think it's just context of how you choose to use them.

It depends on the context of how you choose to use them, but energy drinks can have some benefits if used properly.

What do you think of energy drinks? Are they all bad?

Energy drinks: Not all bad, but context matters

Energy drinks can be a complex topic, Brett. When it comes to energy drinks that primarily target teenagers and aim to enhance performance despite lack of sleep, I'm not particularly fond of them. However, if we're discussing using energy drinks with a moderate amount of caffeine to provide a boost in the afternoon or to enhance performance during training or racing, they are not inherently bad. It ultimately depends on the context and how you choose to use them.

Hello, Brett. This is my favorite exercise I have found for swimmers. It might not be one with super load, but particularly swimmers who are experiencing instability in the scapulas or have some winging in the scapulas, I find that this exercise helps them connect core to scapulas to arm strength and keeping everything somewhat organized. You can start on the floor in a neat position, kind of like the knee position because it just doesn't allow you to over stabilize with the legs, that's just my opinion. And I'm coming off of a shoulder surgery from a random pickleball injury overzealous while I'm learning, but I think I can do this. So we're on our knees here. I like the fingertips turned out slightly so that we can drop down into the shoulder blades. You have a chin tuck for optimal head position. We're going to reach out here. The opposite elbow bends and drag back in, and this is my shoulder that I'm working on. Reach out, drag back in. So that's one version. And you want to really allow them-- I tend to palpate here at the lats and the low traps to get them to keep that organized and recruited as they reach. Another one is for both arms to come out. I'm going to go only a little ways here, draw the belly in, drag it back. You can also do some circles. And we want to-- I don't know if I was planking. I really don't want to be planking, we want to be in a neutral spying posture. The other thing you can do to add complexity and stability, more load is to do that same exercise on the Bosu, reaching out. Knees are up, heels are up towards the buttock to help neutralize the spine here, we tend to see a little arching going on. So you reach and drag in. You can also have someone sit on you if you'd like, added load. Enjoy.

This is a good exercise for swimmers with instability in the scapulas. Start on your knees and reach out, drag back in with one arm. You can also do this exercise with both arms and circles to add complexity. To add stability and more load, you can also do this on a Bosu with someone sitting on you.

What is your favorite core exercise for swimmers? 

Strengthen your core for optimal swimming performance with this exercise

This is my favorite core exercise for swimmers, particularly those experiencing scapular instability or winging. Start on the floor in a kneeling position, with fingertips turned slightly outward to engage the shoulder blades. Maintain a chin tuck for optimal head position. Reach one arm out while bending the opposite elbow and dragging it back in. Repeat on the other side. Another variation is to extend both arms out, draw the belly in, and then drag them back. You can also add circles to this movement. To increase complexity and stability, try performing the exercise on a Bosu ball. Keep the knees and heels up to neutralize the spine. For added load, someone can sit on you. Enjoy!