Water Strong
Strength, power and conditioning for the multi-disciplined water athlete. Built for 14–50+ year olds training for surf, surf lifesaving, water polo and paddle sports. ** Consider weeks as micro-cycles that needs to be guided based on life stress, training history and recovery. Practically what this could mean is that one week of training might take you 12 days to get through and that is 100% ok**
Why this program is angled at the water
The original framework builds a generalist: someone who needs to lift heavy, run, carry and fight. A water athlete needs a lot of the same qualities, but the demands are angled differently:
Paddling
is a repetitive, aerobic-dominant, shoulder-and-lat pulling pattern under horizontal load; closer to swimming than rowing.
Pop-ups and take-offs
need explosive hip and upper-body power from a prone, unstable starting position.
Turns and maneuvers
are rotational, generated through the hips and trunk, transmitted through the feet.
Duck dives, wipeouts, and hold-downs
demand anaerobic capacity and CO2 tolerance, not just raw conditioning.
Balance and proprioception
on a moving, unstable surface matter as much as strength itself.
Shoulders, neck, and lower back
take repetitive strain from paddling posture and need to be built resilient, not just strong.
So the five weekly sessions stay, but the exercise selection and energy system work are re-angled toward the water.
Program structure
- Day 1 Strength & Power (lower body dominant, explosive)
- Day 2 Upper Body Hypertrophy + Shoulder/Scap Resilience (paddling pattern)
- Day 3 Functional & Rotational Strength (turns, carries, trunk power)
- Day 4 Lower Body Hypertrophy + Unilateral Balance/Stability
- Day 5 Energy Systems (paddling endurance + anaerobic burst conditioning)
Foundation
Build base strength, movement quality, aerobic capacity.
Development
Add power, rotational load, anaerobic conditioning.
Performance
Peak explosiveness, sport-specific conditioning, taper in week 12.
Each block ends with a lighter week (reduced volume, same intensity) to absorb fatigue before progressing.
General warm-up
5 min easy bike/row/jump rope
Shoulder: band pull-aparts, wall slides, arm circles
Hips: 90/90 rotations, world’s greatest stretch, leg swings
Thoracic spine: open books, cat-cow
2–3 sets of light potentiation work matching the day’s main lift (e.g., bodyweight jumps before Day 1)
Equipment substitutions (home gym / limited kit) are noted under each session.
One session, in full
So you can judge the programming before we talk. This is Block 1, Day 1 of 60 — laid out exactly as the rest are.
Block 1 — Foundation (Weeks 1–4)
Day 1 — Strength & Power
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Rest | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trap Bar Deadlift or Back Squat | 4 x 5 | 2–3 min | Build to a solid working weight, leave 2 reps in reserve |
| Box Jump | 4 x 3 | 90 sec | Land soft, reset each rep |
| Kettlebell Swing | 3 x 12 | 60 sec | Hip snap, not a squat |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 x 8/leg | 60 sec | |
| Juddle Shrugs | 3 x 10/side | 45 sec | |
| Pallof Press (anti-rotation) | 3 x 10/side | 45 sec |
Home gym sub: goblet squat or DB Romanian deadlift for the main lift; broad jumps for box jumps.
Equipment-limited substitutions
No barbell
goblet squats, DB presses, DB rows, banded carries
No sled
heavy step-ups, farmer’s carries uphill, weighted stair climbs
No pool/rower for conditioning
burpees, mountain climbers, shadow-boxing, jump rope intervals
No box for jumps
broad jumps or tuck jumps with soft landings
The full 12 weeks
14 more sessions, session by session
The remaining 14 sessions across all 3 blocks, the week-by-week progression rules, and a 12-week tracker to log against.
This one isn’t a download. It comes with a conversation — so the loading, the deloads and the substitutions get matched to your training history, your season and your equipment. Get in touch and we’ll sort out access.