Strengthen Your Dolphin Kick With These Three Dryland Exercises

In swimming, you’re faster underwater than you are on the surface of the water. But being faster underwater requires you to develop a strong dolphin kick. The following three dryland exercises can help you strengthen your dolphin kick and get more propulsion out of each movement.

T-Spine Bend 

The first exercise is called a T-spine bend, which works the thoracic spine, also called your mid-back. The idea with this exercise is to improve mobility in the thoracic spine. 

Start by sitting up straight on the floor with your knees drawn up and your feet planted firmly on the floor. Rest your lower back against a medicine ball, foam roller or a cushion and place it against the middle of your back to prop up your upper body, so that your spine forms a soft bend.  

Engage the core and reach your arms outward so that they’re parallel to the tops of the thighs. Straighten the arms, but don’t lock the elbows and hold the hand loosely, palms facing each other about shoulder-width apart. 

Then, with the core still engaged, bring the arms straight above your head and gently bend your back over the ball or roller while looking up at your hands. Reaching for the sky directly above the shoulders. Pause for a moment and then bring the arms, head, and spine back to the starting point 

The key to this exercise is not forcing it. You’re not trying to get into a crazy-deep back bend—the idea is to keep the movement gentle and controlled while engaging the core. If your ribs are pointing up and your arms and head have collapsed backward over the support cushion, that means you’re probably arching your low back more than is best for this exercise. 

Complete 10 reps and rest for 30 seconds. Do that twice more for three rounds. 

Kettlebell Swing 

Now that your T-spine is fired up, it’s time to move into a kettlebell swing. I love the kettlebell swing because it’s a hip-driven motion like your dolphin kick. The focus here should be on developing power in the hip drive.

If you don’t feel comfortable with using a weight, you can start with a hip hinge and add the weight in later as you get stronger. 

For that variation, start by standing up straight with feet firmly planted on the floor hip-width apart. If you’re not using a weight, place your hands on your hips and gently hinge forward—this means keeping your spine straight and your head in alignment as through you’re swimming freestyle while your knees are loosely bent. 

When your torso reaches nearly parallel to the floor (or as close as you can comfortably bend—don’t force it) power back up quickly by straightening your knees and engaging your glutes. Keep the spine straight and the head in alignment as you come back to standing position. Think about shooting the hips forward while engaging the glutes. This movement helps mimic the propulsive driving motion of pushing off the wall into a dolphin kick, which you should be doing every time you leave the wall. 

When you’re ready to add weight to the movement, start by getting into a hip-hinge position with feet firmly planted on the ground about hip width apart, knees loose. Hinge at the hip so that your spine is straight and nearly parallel to the floor, and your knees are making about a 45-degree angle with the lower leg. Mimic the position a quarterback gets into when they’re set crouched and ready to hike a football.  

Reach down and grasp the handle of the kettlebell with both hands and drive the hands back between the legs so that the kettlebell swings toward the back then snap the hips forward in a controlled manner while swinging the kettlebell forward. Complete 20 reps in a steady, quick pace while thinking about shooting the hips forward. Don’t pull with your arms—allow the hips to do the work. 

Complete three rounds of 20 repetitions with about two minutes rest between rounds. 

Single-Arm Plank 

The final exercise in this series is the single-arm plank. This exercise helps you develop a strong, engage core that allows your limb movement to be more efficient. Working on this can help eliminate the common noodle-down-the-pool problem many swimmers have. 

For the single-arm plank, start in a plank position with hands flat on the ground directly under your shoulders, feet and toes engaged with a straight spine and your head in alignment with the spine. 

In this variation, set your feet a little wider than you would with a typical plank and then reach one arm up and forward so that it’s parallel to the floor. Pause a moment, then bring the arm back down in a controlled manner. Complete 10 repetitions on each side. Rest about a minute between each round and complete a total of three rounds. 

If you want to make it more challenging, you can bring your feet a bit closer together. The smaller your base of support, the more challenging these planks are going to be. 

Aim to complete these exercises two or three times a week to really target your dolphin kick.