How to Train for Open-Water Swimming in Lake Wānaka: Gym and Pool Work That Makes Summer Swims Easier

When the days get longer, Lake Wānaka gets busy with swimmers: early-morning groups off the beach, triathletes logging distance and locals doing a quick dip after work. It's one of the best things about a Wānaka summer. It's also one of the hardest workouts you can do if your body isn't ready for it. If you've just finished the spring reset after ski season, swimming is a great next step.

How do you train for open-water swimming in Wānaka?

Short answer: Build pulling strength and shoulder stability in the gym twice a week, swim in a pool once or twice a week for technique and endurance, and get used to cold water a little at a time before your first proper lake swim. Strength work protects your shoulders, pool work builds efficiency, and cold exposure keeps the first few minutes in the lake from taking your breath away.

Why open water is harder than the pool

Swimming in a lake isn't just pool swimming with a better view. In open water you:

• Can't push off a wall. In a pool, every length gives you a few seconds of rest. In the lake you swim without a break, so your shoulders and core work the whole time.
• Need to sight. Lifting your head to check your line puts more load on your lower back and neck.
• Deal with cold. Lake Wānaka is cold even in midsummer. Cold water makes breathing harder at the start and tires you out sooner.
• Deal with chop. When the wind picks up, you need a stronger, steadier stroke to hold your line. All of this can be trained, mostly away from the lake.

Step 1: Strength work for swimmers (2 sessions a week)

Swimming mostly uses the upper back, lats and shoulders, and your core holds your body position in the water. Focus on:

Pulling strength

• Lat pulldowns or assisted pull-ups: the closest gym movement to your catch-and-pull.
• Seated or single-arm cable rows: build the mid-back muscles that keep your shoulders healthy.
• Straight-arm cable pulldowns: train the "high elbow" pull swimmers try to master.

Shoulder stability

• Face pulls and band external rotations: light weight, high quality. These are your best defence against swimmer's shoulder.
• Push-ups: they balance out all that pulling.

Core and body position

• Dead bugs, side planks and Pallof presses: they keep your hips high and your body straight in the water, especially when you lift your head to sight. Two 45-minute sessions a week is plenty. Keep the weights moderate, leave a couple of reps in reserve, and don't lift heavy upper body on the day before a long swim.

Step 2: Pool work for technique and endurance (1–2 sessions a week)

The pool is where you build your engine and clean up your stroke without worrying about wind, navigation or cold.

• Technique set: drills like catch-up and fingertip drag, then easy swimming focused on long, relaxed strokes.
• Endurance set: cut back the stops at the wall. Build from 4 × 200m with rest towards longer continuous swims.
• Sighting practice: every 6–8 strokes, lift your eyes just above the surface to spot something at the end of the lane, then go straight back to your normal stroke. W Fitness members get the on-site unheated lap pool included with membership, which is ideal for swimmers. You can do technique sets in calm water, and because it's unheated, you get a gentle head start on cold adaptation too.

Step 3: Get used to cold water gradually

You don't need to be an ice-swimming fanatic, but showing up to your first lake swim with zero cold exposure makes it a lot harder. Build up over a few weeks:

• Short dips in cooler water, focusing on slow, controlled breathing out
• Gradually longer swims as your breathing settles faster
• A warm-up afterwards. The sauna, included with every W Fitness membership, is a comfortable way to bring your body temperature back up after a cold session. Get out and rest if you feel dizzy or unwell. For more on using heat for recovery, see our guides to sauna and recovery in Wanaka and the benefits of sauna alongside strength training.

A sample week

• Monday: gym, pulling strength + core
• Tuesday: pool, technique set
• Wednesday: rest or easy walk
• Thursday: gym, shoulder stability + full body
• Saturday: longer swim (pool or lake, conditions permitting) + sauna
• Sunday: rest, or a light trail run if you're training for triathlon (see our trail running guide)

Lake safety basics

However fit you are, open water deserves respect. Water Safety New Zealand has plenty of good advice, and the basics are:

• Swim with a buddy or a group, never alone
• Wear a bright swim cap and use a tow float so boats and paddlers can see you
• Stay close to shore until you know how you handle the cold that day
• Check the wind before you go. Conditions on the lake can change quickly
• Consider a wetsuit for longer swims, especially early in the season

Want a programme built for you?

If you're training for a triathlon or a big swim, or you just want to swim without sore shoulders, a personal trainer can build a plan around your goals. Personal training at W Fitness starts from $60 per hour, and every membership includes a complimentary PT consultation.

Ready to get in the water?

W Fitness is inside Oakridge Resort on Studholme Road, with member access from 5am to 10pm, seven days a week. That's early enough to fit in a session before a morning swim at the lake, and here's the best time to train if you want the gym quiet. Memberships start from $39 per week and include the weights room, sauna and pool facilities. See membership options and start building your summer swim fitness this week.