This article analyzes the current literature dealing with the issues of sports physiology, swimming performance, and nutrition, in order to provide evidence-based recommendations for training to achieve maximum performance in swimming and to minimize the risk of overuse injuries. Recommendations for day-of-competition exercise and nutrition are also offered. The paper provides a detailed review of the studies done on the topic of performance, metabolism, nutrition, stroke technique, tapering, and injury. This multidisciplinary approach to swimming training that optimizes each stage of training and competition will likely improve the performance of many competitive swimmers.