Pier-to-Pier Swim: How Strength Training Supports Open Water Performance

The Dwight Crum Pier-to-Pier Swim covers roughly one mile of open ocean between Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach — no lane lines, no walls, no guaranteed water conditions. The athletes who handle that challenge best are not just pool-fit. They have the shoulder endurance, core stability, and total-body resilience that only dry-land strength training develops.

Gate 14 at 130 E. Grand Ave, El Segundo is 10 minutes from the Manhattan Beach Pier and offers the coached barbell strength work that complements open water preparation.

What open water swimming demands beyond pool fitness

Pool training develops stroke mechanics and aerobic capacity efficiently. What it underloads are the stabilizing demands of open water.

Shoulder volume tolerance: A one-mile open water swim at a moderate pace involves 1,200-1,500 shoulder rotations. Fatigue in the supporting musculature — rotator cuff, scapular stabilizers, lats — degrades stroke mechanics and raises injury risk. Dry-land strength training builds the structural capacity to sustain that volume without breakdown.

Core stability in moving water: Ocean swells, chop, and current require constant trunk stabilization to maintain body position. This is different from the stable environment of a lane. A core that cannot maintain rigidity in motion loses stroke efficiency and wastes energy on positional correction.

Bilateral symmetry: Many swimmers have strong dominant-side pulling patterns that are fine in a pool but create directional drift in open water. Single-arm and unilateral strength work identifies and corrects asymmetries.

The gym movements that transfer

Pulling work: The lat is the primary mover in freestyle. Lat pulldowns, pull-ups, and cable rows develop pulling strength directly. Dumbbell rows address each side independently, which helps identify asymmetries.

Shoulder stability: Face pulls, external rotation exercises, and rear delt work maintain the shoulder health that allows for high-volume swimming without injury. These are structural requirements, not optional maintenance.

Core anti-rotation and anti-extension: Planks, pallof presses, and dead bugs develop the core stiffness that holds body position in chop. The demand is static stability, not flexion strength.

Hip and leg strength: Kicking in open water is primarily about maintaining horizontal body position rather than propulsion. Strong hips reduce drag across a longer swim.

Goal	Exercise
Lat and pulling strength	Lat pulldown, pull-up, cable row
Shoulder stability	Face pull, band external rotation
Unilateral balance	Single-arm dumbbell row
Core stability	Plank, pallof press, dead bug
Hip and leg strength	Romanian deadlift, goblet squat

Training timeline for the September event

Working from a June start with the event in early September gives approximately 12 weeks:

June-July (base phase): 2x/week strength sessions, full-body emphasis. Build pulling strength and shoulder capacity before swim volume peaks.

August (build phase): 1-2x/week, reduced volume. Open water swim volume likely high — strength sessions support, not compete with, the swim block.

Race week: Light movement only. No new strength stimulus.

Gate 14's coached 60-minute format integrates into a swim training schedule without requiring athletes to program their own dry-land work.

See strength training in the South Bay for the broader picture. See Gate 14 membership options or the Gate 14 story.