Dry-land Strength and Conditioning for Competitive Youth Swimmers

Starts and turns play an important role in swimming performance, with starts accounting for around a quarter of the total time achieved in a 50m freestyle race and have been recommended as a high priority area for improvement by York City Baths Club (YCBC). The relationship between starts and turns and plyometric and general strength training is well documented. However, few studies have explored this relationship in competitive youth swimmers. This non-randomised controlled trial will evaluate the effects of a dry-land strength and conditioning programme, when added to usual swim training, on the physical fitness and start and turn performance of regional- and national-level age-group swimmers. The study intervention will involve two supervised gym sessions per week for 10 weeks. Study outcomes will be assessed before the intervention, at the midpoint and at 1 week and 3 weeks post-intervention. The following testing will occur: Pool-based testing (50m Freestyle; a Time to 7.5m test; Turn time); Gym-based testing (Counter-movement jump; Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull; Athletic Shoulder (ASH)) The dive and turn measures will be assessed via video recordings.

NCT Number	NCT07076017
Lead Sponsor	York St John University Collaborators: York City Baths Club
Conditions	Swimming, Strength Training Effects, Power Training Exercise Protocols
Enrollment	38 participants
Start Date	2025-08-08
Primary Completion	2025-12-10 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-05-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-01-12