Butterfly is one of the most powerful and challenging strokes in swimming. Known for its explosive dolphin kick, strong arm pull, and rhythmic body movement, butterfly requires coordination, endurance, and strength.
Many swimmers avoid butterfly because it feels exhausting or too difficult to sustain over long distances. However, incorporating butterfly into your swim workouts can enhance power, improve overall fitness, and build upper body strength—even if you're not a competitive swimmer.
This guide covers why you should add butterfly to your training, how to ease into it, and workout sets to improve endurance and technique.
Why Should You Include Butterfly in Your Workouts?
✅ Full-Body Strength – Engages the core, shoulders, arms, and legs, making it the most physically demanding stroke.
✅ Improves Endurance – Helps build aerobic capacity and muscular stamina, benefiting all strokes.
✅ Develops a Stronger Kick – Strengthens hip-driven dolphin kick, which translates into faster starts and turns in freestyle and backstroke.
✅ Enhances Coordination – Requires perfect rhythm between arms, legs, and breathing, improving overall swimming mechanics.
✅ Increases Stroke Efficiency – Practicing butterfly makes other strokes feel easier by improving strength and body control.
Whether you're a beginner wanting to add butterfly gradually or an advanced swimmer refining technique, these workout strategies will help you integrate butterfly effectively.
1️⃣ Start Small: Introduce Butterfly in Short Segments
Butterfly requires high energy output, so ease into it with shorter distances before adding it to full workouts.
How to Begin:
Start with single 25m reps of butterfly between freestyle or backstroke sets.
Swim only 2-3 strokes of butterfly before switching to another stroke.
Use fins to practice dolphin kicks and build leg strength.
🔥 Beginner-Friendly Butterfly Set:
4 x 25m butterfly (focus on smooth technique, 20s rest)
4 x 50m freestyle (moderate pace, 30s rest)
4 x 25m kickboard dolphin kick
👉 Tip: Quality over quantity—focus on good technique rather than swimming longer distances poorly.
2️⃣ Use Butterfly Drills to Improve Form & Efficiency
Butterfly is all about rhythm, so refining your technique with drills will make it easier to sustain.
🏊♂️ Best Butterfly Drills to Improve Technique
✅ Single-Arm Butterfly Drill
Swim butterfly using one arm at a time, alternating every lap.
Helps improve timing and breathing.
✅ Body Dolphin Drill
Swim without arms, focusing only on dolphin kick and core undulation.
Develops body movement without overusing arms.
✅ 3-Strokes Butterfly, 3-Strokes Freestyle Drill
Swim 3 strokes of butterfly, then switch to freestyle.
Helps manage breathing and endurance.
🔥 Drill Set Example:
4 x 50m Single-Arm Butterfly (25m right arm, 25m left arm)
4 x 50m Body Dolphin Drill
4 x 50m 3-Strokes Butterfly / 3-Strokes Freestyle
👉 Tip: Use drills in your warm-up to prepare your muscles before full butterfly sets.
3️⃣ Build Endurance: Progress to Longer Butterfly Sets
Once you feel comfortable with shorter distances, gradually increase butterfly repetitions to build endurance.
🔥 Intermediate Butterfly Endurance Set (1,500m total)
200m warm-up (freestyle & backstroke mix)
6 x 50m butterfly (focus on relaxed breathing and steady rhythm, 20s rest)
6 x 50m freestyle (recovery)
4 x 100m IM (butterfly-back-breast-free, 30s rest)
200m cooldown (easy breaststroke & backstroke)
👉 Tip: Maintain a relaxed stroke—don’t force speed, focus on efficiency instead.
4️⃣ Strengthen Your Butterfly Kick with Power Training
The dolphin kick is the foundation of butterfly, so strengthening your legs and core will make butterfly more powerful and less exhausting.
🔥 Kick & Strength Set (1,000m total + dryland exercises)
4 x 50m Underwater Dolphin Kick (with fins)
4 x 50m Kickboard Dolphin Kick (keep the core engaged)
4 x 25m Sprint Butterfly Kick (no board, streamline position)
Dryland: 3 rounds of 10 reps each
Planks (improve core stability)
Squat Jumps (increase leg power)
Medicine Ball Slams (mimic explosive pull motion)
👉 Tip: Adding dryland strength training 2x per week enhances butterfly performance.
5️⃣ Combine Butterfly with Other Strokes in IM Training
Butterfly is always the first stroke in the Individual Medley (IM), making it a great way to train stroke transitions and overall endurance.
🔥 IM Training Set (1,800m total)
200m warm-up (freestyle & backstroke)
4 x 100m IM (focus on smooth butterfly starts)
4 x 50m butterfly (relaxed pace, 20s rest)
4 x 100m freestyle (recovery swim)
200m cooldown
👉 Tip: IM sets force you to swim butterfly under fatigue, improving race endurance.
6️⃣ Challenge Yourself: Advanced Butterfly Sprint Set
For experienced swimmers, high-intensity butterfly sets improve speed and race endurance.
🔥 Sprint & Power Butterfly Set (1,600m total)
200m warm-up (freestyle & backstroke mix)
6 x 50m butterfly sprints (30s rest)
4 x 25m Butterfly with Resistance Bands or Parachute
4 x 100m freestyle recovery
200m cooldown
👉 Tip: Short, fast butterfly sets build explosive power without draining energy.
Final Takeaways: How to Incorporate Butterfly into Your Workouts
✅ Start Small: Introduce butterfly in short reps and combine it with other strokes.
✅ Use Butterfly Drills: Focus on body movement, timing, and breath control.
✅ Build Endurance Gradually: Increase butterfly distance slowly over time.
✅ Strengthen Your Kick & Core: Power comes from hip-driven dolphin kicks.
✅ Mix It with IM Training: Helps improve butterfly under fatigue.
✅ Prioritize Efficiency Over Speed: Stay relaxed and controlled for smoother swimming.
By incorporating butterfly into your workouts using progressive training, drills, and endurance-focused sets, you’ll develop strength, improve stamina, and make butterfly a natural part of your swim routine.
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