When I was 12-years old, a local Olympic weightlifter came to my school and gave my class a demonstration on the different Olympic lifts.
He gave us some pointers on lifting technique, did a couple exhibition lifts (the snatch in particular left us wide-eyed and slack jawed), and even let us try to deadlift the bar with like 50lbs on it.
The next day, I had a swim meet. I don’t remember the event or how I did, but to this day I can feel the absolute (relatively speaking) thunderbolt that I shot through the starting block when the referee’s beep went off.
Of course, the concept of what was essentially dryland priming was completely foreign to me at the time.
But it was impossible not to make the connection between that single deadlift attempt and what felt like shooting off the block and into orbit, even if I didn’t understand exactly what it was.
Here’s what dryland priming is, how it can improve sprint performance, and some tips to make it work for you in the pool.
What is Dryland Priming?
The concept of dryland priming is as simple as it is elegant: around 24 hours before racing, you do a short power-focused training session. These explosive movements fire a round of caffeinated wakey-wakey into the neuromuscular system, priming it.
By the time you step up on the block, around a day or so later, your body is dialed in and ready to fire.
It’s similar to other popular activation concepts, including post-activation potentiation (PAP) and post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE). There are same-day activation protocols where you pair a strength/power movement with a sprint, separated by 3-12 minutes.
For example:
- 4x10s all out on the power rack + 10 minutes + 50 swim fast.
- 3 reps barbell back squats (90% max 1RM) + 8 minutes + 25m sprint
Dryland priming is Today You setting up Tomorrow You for more speed.
How Priming Cranks Up the Speed
So beyond my n=1 example from when I couldn’t grow enough hair to warrant a shave-down, does this stuff actually work?
A study (Zaras et al., 2022) with well-trained adolescent national-level swimmers put this to the test, looking to see if dryland priming (with explosive movements in the gym) or swim priming (all-out efforts on lots of rest) could boost sprint performance 24-hours later.
Swimmers were randomly assigned to one of two pre-competition protocols::
- Dryland priming – a 30-minute session with medicine/slam balls, CMJs, and stretch cord pulls done at max resistance and speed.
- Swim priming – Swimmers did a full warm-up and then 4×50 free fast off the blocks taking plenty of rest (1:4 work-to-rest)
Results?
Both groups improved 50m times by ~2.5%. A sizable chunk in a 50 and reflects the same time drops that swimmers see with a successful taper (Bosquet et al., 2007).
So why did they see such drastic jumps in performance?
The researchers in the study acknowledged that they don’t have a complete explanation, but made a few possible suggestions:
- Neuromuscular activation was the more obvious explanation. Properly done priming improves neuromuscular firing and rate of force development. But the study measured CMJ performance after the time trials and found no measurable difference, meaning priming didn’t boost lower-body power output.
- Core temperature and hormonal response was also proposed. Same-day priming—particularly for sessions done 5-6 hours before sprinting (McGowan, 2016) can increase testosterone levels and body temperature. But with a 24-hour window, it’s unlikely these were still a factor.
- Calcium ion sensitivity and mechanical stiffness. Both are associated with increased muscle contraction efficiency and more power, but the study didn’t directly measure these.
Something worked, and it worked good—and both conditions worked well. Swimmers that responded well to one type of priming also responded really well to the other.
Tips for Making This Work
Here’s how swimmers can drop this into their training:
Use dryland priming when you can’t get in the water. Swim meets can be a logistical gong-show in terms of getting pool time and navigating travel. A dryland priming session can produce the same effect as getting in the water.
Set up your big sprint workouts. In training, use this strategy to prime your big sprint sets of the week. If you’ve got a power session in the water planned for Monday night, for example, a short dryland priming on Sunday night can set the stage for a better session.
Keep it short and explosive. The goal is priming, not crushing yourself with fatigue, so keep it short, rest between sets, and keep it fast and snappy. We’re flipping switches, not draining batteries.
Punch it into your taper. Tapering can be a mystifying mess for swimmers struggling to navigate increased tension, flushing residual mental fatigue (“taper blues”), and overanalyzing every meter and split. Race week should realistically feature a couple of these types of workouts that are pure activation. It’s low stress, high stimulus, and retains the characteristics of power for race-day success. Just what every high-performance taper feasts on.
Prime for Speed
Whether you’re looking for an extra shot of nitro before your next race, or want to take your sprint sets to the next level, a little bit of priming can go a long way.
It’s also one of these things that you don’t really have to overthink—do something short, explosive, low stress.
A few med ball throws. Some squat jumps. 2x your body weight deadlift (just kidding).
Do it in the gym, or do it in the pool, but however you do it, move fast, keep is short, clock that 24-hour window, and let that speed fly.
Happy sprinting!
ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY
Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer, 2x Olympic Trials qualifier, and author of several books for swimmers, including YourSwimBook, Conquer the Pool, The Dolphin Kick Manual, and most recently, The 50 Freestyle Blueprint.
The book is a beastly 220+ pages of evidence-based insights and practical tips for improving freestyle sprint speed.
It details everything from how to master stroke rate, technique, build a thundering freestyle kick, improve your start and underwaters, and much more.
The 50 Freestyle Blueprint also includes 20 sprint sets to get you started and a bonus guide on how to master the 100 freestyle to complete your sprint preparation.
👉 Learn more about The 50 Freestyle Guide today.
