Background: Stroke rate (SR) is a key determinant of swimming performance and may be influenced by shoulder muscular balance. Aim: To investigated whether a dryland training program focusing on high frequency arm swings could improve SR and performance, without affecting shoulder muscular balance. Methods: Twenty-eight swimmers (16.2±3.3 years) were randomly assigned into experimental (EXP, n=13, males n=5, females n=8) and control (CON, n=15, males n=9, females n=6) groups and participated in the same swimming training over a six-week period. Before and after the intervention, swimmers were assessed in: i) dryland upper-limb movement frequency (SRdry) during 2 × 10 s maximal trials, ii) a single 50-m sprint to record performance time (s50) and SR, iii) a series of 8-12×25 m front crawl repetitions with progressively increasing intensity to calculate the maximum speed (maxS) and maximum SR (maxSR). Isokinetic flexion-extension peak power ratio (PPR) was calculated in each upper limb, at 60o/s and 180o/s. In addition to swimming training the EXP group completed 2-3 weekly dryland sessions consisting of two sets of 10-20 s arm swings at 70-100% of individual SRdry. Results: SRdry was improved following the training period in both groups (EXP: 117.67±9.05 vs. 125.79±11.31, CON: 121.26±7.54 vs.123.70±11.74 cycles.min-1, p<0.01). However, s50, SR, maxS, maxSR and PPR of each upper limb were no different after training compared to baseline or between groups (s50, pre: 30.69±3.26, post: 30.62±3.21 s; maxSR, pre: 63.8±8.3, post: 64.6±7.7 cycles.min-1; PPR-average of both upper limbs, 60 o/s, pre: 0.81±0.17, post: 0.84±0.18, 180 o/s pre: 0.70±0.13, post: 0.69±0.13, p>0.05). Conclusions: While SRdry improved, no changes were observed in performance, SR, and shoulder muscular balance. While a six-week high-frequency dryland protocol appears ineffective for performance gains, it remains a safe implementation for shoulder muscular balance in competitive swimmers.
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