Bathurst Swim Club adjusts their training regime after Manning Aquatic Centre's closure

With the Manning Aquatic Centre closed during the coronavirus pandemic there's no more early morning practice for members of the Bathurst Swim Club, who now need to use other means to stay on top of the fitness game.

And, much like swimming, a program designed for dry land isn't just some 'one size fits all' scenario, considering the variety of athletes in the club.

Head coach Josh Stapley and the Bathurst Swim Club team have been busy putting together programs for their students while the centre remains shut down.

"It's tricky, especially having such a wide variety athletes I coach. I'm currently putting them through a combination of running and basic strength and conditioning," he said.

"I'm lucky that I've got a few of my older members already experienced in strength and conditioning so it's been easy to get them travelling along well, and I've seen a high level of adherence from them.

"The hardest thing for me is actually getting them to pull back a bit. Some of them looked at the program and though 'that's easy so I'll do a bit more', but when you've got an offseason you need to be a bit lazier and work into things.

"It's all about firing those neuro connections that relate to swimming and keeping those neuromuscular pathways open."

Stapley said that adherence is vital when your typical swimming strokes aren't available to practice.

Without conditioning there's the potential for muscle memory to be lost.

"For a lot of younger guys it's maybe getting a bit more shoulder mobility happening - something that they haven't had the chance to target before," Stapley said.

"Swimming is done with a movement you don't get much through any other sport, so if we can keep the neuro pathways open and remind the muscles how to contract under pressure then I'm confident once we hit the water again that we'll have a nice base established."

Sadly, the entirety of the 2019-20 long course swimming season has been completely cancelled.

However, there's still a window for the short course season to take place towards the back end of window.

It's the perfect carrot for some members of the club to chase during a challenging time to stay focused.

"All of the school state championships, along with NSW Junior State Championships and NSW State Open are cancelled. The Australian National Age Championships are gone. The only thing that hasn't been canceled is Swim League, which has just been postponed at this stage," Stapley said.

"Our seniors don't do Short Course State Championships until about August and September so we've still possibly got something to target there.

"For now, it's just about letting everyone have a break, which I'm kind of excited about, because with swimming it's not something that you normally get."