Swimming Anatomy
Page 8
To gain maximal benefit when performing the exercise, emphasize a curling motion, beginning with the upper torso and continuing all the way down to the waistline. When performing the exercise, resist the temptation to pull downward with the hands. Doing this shifts the focus away from the abdominal muscles and places unnecessary stress on the joints and muscles of the neck.
Seated Physioball Abdominal Hold
Execution
1. In an upright seated position on a physioball, set your abdominal muscles.
2. Slowly lean backward until your upper torso is at a 45-degree angle to the floor.
3. Lift one arm forward until it is in a streamlined position.
4. Lower and then repeat with the opposite arm.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, rectus femoris, iliopsoas
Secondary:Serratus anterior, internal oblique, external oblique, transversus abdominis
Swimming Focus
It is easy to visualize how this exercise can contribute directly to strengthening the core stabilizers as they are used while swimming backstroke. The addition of trunk rotational movements similar to those performed while swimming backstroke emphasizes the internal and external obliques. By moving both arms in unison and holding a streamlined position, the focus of the exercise shifts to strengthening the core muscles as they contribute to maintaining a streamline during both starts and turns.
While performing this exercise, the main focus must be placed on (1) maintaining the set abdominal position during the entire exercise and (2) performing the arm and trunk movements in a slow, controlled manner.
Russian Twist
Execution
1. From a seated bent-knee position, tighten your abdominal muscles, lean backward, and lift your feet 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) off the ground. Hold a medicine ball in your hands at your chest.
2. Moving only with your trunk, rotate to one side. Quickly reverse the movement and rotate to the opposite side.
3. Continue until you have completed the set number of repetitions.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique
Secondary:Psoas major
Swimming Focus
The main focus of this exercise is the internal and external obliques, which are extremely important in linking the movements of the arms and legs during freestyle and backstroke, especially when you are in an elongated position. The upper-trunk rotational movements are similar to those performed during open turns for both butterfly and breaststroke, so this exercise can also be used to improve the speed at which you can complete a turn and get off the wall.
To keep the focus of the exercise on the abdominal musculature, hold the medicine ball close to the chest. If you hold the ball away from your chest and emphasize touching it to the ground, you may compensate by using the shoulder muscles instead of the abdominal muscles.
Kneeling Chop
Execution
1. Position yourself so that when you are kneeling, the high pulley is diagonally behind your shoulder.
2. Reaching up and back, grasp the handle with both hands.
3. Initiate the movement with your abdominal muscles. The arms should act as an extension of the torso.
4. Using an arcing movement, guide the handle downward toward the opposite knee.
5. Reverse the movement to return to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique
Secondary:Serratus anterior, latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major
Swimming Focus
Because it starts with the arms and trunk in an elongated and stretched position, this exercise helps swimmers develop confidence and strength in their stroke during the initial portion of the pulling phase of all four strokes. Another key to this exercise is that the actions performed recruit the latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major, which helps to link their activation with that of the involved abdominal muscles. This coordination in muscle activation helps swimmers generate more power with their arm movements by linking them to the core.
When performing the exercise, the head should follow the movements of the hands. This action links the movements of the arms to the movements of the torso, which in turn targets the abdominal muscles. Not doing this poses the risk that the movements will be performed predominantly with the arms rather than the trunk, thus negating most of the benefits of the exercise.
Physioball Prayer Roll
Execution
1. Using your forearms, support your upper body on a physioball. Support your lower body with your knees and toes.
2. Set your abdominal muscles to stabilize your spine in a neutral position.
3. Roll the ball out slowly, allowing your arms to move with the ball and your knees to straighten.
4. Pause in the ending position and then return to the start.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis
Secondary:Latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus
Swimming Focus
This core-strengthening exercise is particularly useful for breaststrokers. It can help them develop confidence when the body is in an elongated position at the start of the pulling phase. Additionally, the exercise targets the abdominal muscles in a way that will carry over to strengthening the undulating body movements that occur during breaststroke and butterfly.
To get the maximum benefit out of performing this exercise, you must stabilize the spine in a neutral position for the entire time. Dropping the hips and arching the back is a sign that this control has been lost. The difficulty of the exercise can be modified by altering the starting forearm placement on the physioball. If the starting position of the hand and forearms is lower on the ball and closer to the floor, the exercise becomes more difficult because you will be able to roll the ball farther away from the body.
Physioball Upper-Trunk Rotation
Execution
1. Sit on a physioball and slide down into a bridge position with your neck and shoulders balanced on the ball. Point your arms toward the ceiling.
2. While keeping your hips straight and your spine in a neutral position, rotate your upper body to one side.
3. Pause and then rotate to the opposite side.
Muscles Involved
Primary:External oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis
Secondary:Serratus anterior, rectus abdominis, rectus femoris, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus
Swimming Focus
The rotational movements performed during the exercise are useful for strengthening the oblique muscles, which in turn will help to strengthen the linkage between the legs and arms during freestyle and backstroke. This exercise also improves awareness and control of hip position, which can help a swimmer who is having trouble keeping the hips elevated when swimming backstroke.
The degree of rotational movement performed during the exercise depends on the ability to keep the hips straight, meaning that the shoulders should be rotated until the hip position can no longer be controlled. When just learning how to perform the exercise or for those with weak core musculature, the best approach is to keep the rotational movements small and focus initially on maintaining the bridge position for a 60-second hold. As proficiency with the exercise increases, the focus can be shifted toward increasing the rotational movements of the upper body and performing a set number of repetitions.
Physioball Jackknife
Execution
1. Begin with a physioball positioned under your feet, and then walk your hands out to move into the starting position.
2. When you are in the starting position, focus on holding your legs and body in a straight line from your ankles to the top of your head.
3. Initiate a curling motion with your abdominal muscles and p
ull your knees up to your chest.
4. Pause at the ending position and then reverse the leg movement.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, rectus femoris, iliopsoas
Secondary:Serratus anterior, external oblique, internal oblique, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus
Swimming Focus
For many swimmers, simply attaining the starting position for this exercise will be a challenge. The initial emphasis should be on holding the body in a straight line from the feet to the tip of the head for a 60-second duration. Developing the strength to hold this position will greatly enhance your ability to hold a tight streamlined position in the water. Incorporating the trunk-curling motion with hip flexion shifts the focus of this exercise from a general stabilizing exercise to one that targets the rectus abdominis and the hip flexors (rectus femoris and iliopsoas). As a result of this combined strengthening, this exercise strengthens the relationship between the core musculature and the hip flexors, which enhances the hip-rolling movements that take place in breaststroke and butterfly.
VARIATION
Physioball Jackknife With Twist
The addition of the twisting motion shifts the focus from the rectus abdominis to the internal and external obliques. This alteration broadens the benefits of the exercise, making it useful to freestyle and backstroke swimmers.
CHAPTER 6
BACK
The latissimus dorsi and the erector spinae muscle group are the two primary targets of the exercises in this chapter (figure 6.1 on page 114). The latissimus dorsi, a humeral propeller, is the primary workhorse of the upper extremity, responsible for generating most of the forces that propel a swimmer through the water. The latissimus dorsi works in unison with the shoulder girdle (chapter 3) and arm muscles (chapter 2) to transmit forces to the hand and forearm, which allows the swimmer to guide the body through the water with each stroke. As the name implies, the erector spinae muscle group is responsible for extension of the spine, which holds the body erect and, in swimming, maintains proper horizontal body positioning in the water.
The latissimus dorsi is a triangular flat muscle that arises from the lower thoracic vertebra, the thoracolumbar fascia, and the posterior iliac crest (back part of the hip bone). Recall from chapter 5 that several of the core muscles also attach to the thoracolumbar fascia, thus dynamically linking the latissimus dorsi to the core stabilizers. From the attachments that form the base triangle, the muscle tapers to a tendon at the tip of the triangle, which attaches to the upper humerus. Through its attachment on the humerus, the latissimus dorsi contracts to generate the following movements at the shoulder: extension, adduction, and internal rotation. Extension is the movement of bringing the hand and arm down from a forward raised position or, if the arm is already at the side of the body, the movement of reaching the hand behind the body—think of a runner in a relay race reaching behind to grab the baton. Adduction is the movement of bringing the arm down to the side from an overhead position, as when performing a jumping jack. Internal rotation involves rotating the hand inward toward the midline of the body. As you read through the exercises, you will find that several muscles are commonly activated in conjunction with activation of the latissimus dorsi. The lower and middle fibers of the trapezius and the rhomboid major and minor often assist by aiding in retraction of the shoulder blade. The teres major aids with shoulder extension, and the biceps brachii and brachialis flex the elbow joint.
The erector spinae muscle group is composed of a series of muscles separated into three columns that run vertically along the spine. The iliocostalis forms the most lateral column, the longissimus forms the middle column, and the spinalis forms the most medial column. The columns share a common origin spanning the posterior iliac crest, the posterior sacrum, and a portion of the lumbar vertebra. The superior attachments are variable, depending on the column. When the erector spinae groups on each side of the spine contract in unison, extension of the trunk occurs. When only one muscle group contracts, lateral flexion (side bending) and rotation of the trunk occur to the side of the muscle group that is contracting. The gluteus maximus and the hamstring muscle group (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, and semimembranosus) are commonly activated in unison with the erector spinae because they extend the hip, a movement that commonly takes place in conjunction with extension of the spine; their anatomy will be discussed in chapter 7.
Figure 6.1 Back muscles.
Although the pectoralis major and the latissimus dorsi are both defined as humeral propellers and together produce most of the upper-extremity propulsive forces responsible for driving a swimmer through the water, of the two, the latissimus dorsi is the prime mover. During freestyle, butterfly, and breaststroke, the latissimus dorsi begins contributing shortly after hand entry at the initiation of the propulsive portion of the pulling phase. During backstroke, no delay occurs in the activation of the latissimus dorsi. In all four stokes the latissimus dorsi remains active from its point of recruitment during the propulsive phase until the initiation of the recovery phase. In butterfly, it contributes to the initiation of the recovery phase. For every exercise that primarily targets the lats, extra emphasis should be placed on pinching the shoulder blades together in the ending position. Doing this increases the recruitment of the musculature that stabilizes the shoulder blades, further increasing the benefit of the exercise.
The erector spinae muscle group is extremely important in maintaining proper horizontal body alignment in the water, especially during backstroke. Whenever a swimmer has difficulty holding a tight streamline in the water or allows the hips to drop while swimming backstroke, the erector spinae should be near the top of the list of suspected areas of weakness. The erector spinae muscle group produces the extension of the spine that takes place with the undulating body movements performed with underwater dolphin kicking, butterfly, and breaststroke. The erector spinae muscle group also plays a vital role in the starting motion of all four strokes. During starts performed from the blocks, it is one of the primary muscle groups responsible for creating the streamlined body position. During backstroke starts, contraction of the erector spinae leads to the arching motion that allows the swimmer to get off the wall and into the water quickly.
Chin-Up
Execution
1. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, with the palms facing your body. Your hands should be slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold your knees in a bent position and cross one foot over the other.
2. From a hanging position pull your body upward, focusing on bringing your chest to the bar.
3. Pause at the top of the movement and then slowly lower to a hanging position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Latissimus dorsi
Secondary:Biceps brachii, brachialis, lower trapezius, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, teres major
Swimming Focus
Chin-ups are a great addition to any dryland program because they can be done wherever a chin-up or pull-up bar is available. In comparison with the hand positioning for pull-ups, the hand placement for chin-ups emphasizes the elbow flexors (biceps brachii and brachialis). By targeting both the latissimus dorsi and the elbow flexors, this exercise benefits all swimmers by strengthening the pulling phase of their strokes. Because chin-ups are generally a challenging exercise for most swimmers, they are useful for building mental toughness. To help you reach your goal number of repetitions, a partner can assist by supporting your feet.
Make sure that your body movements are slow and controlled during the exercise. Excessive jerking and swinging of the legs is a form of cheating.
SAFETY TIP
When returning to the starting position, lower your body in a controlled manner to avoid placing extra stress on the shoulders, which can occur if you allow your body to drop down quickly. Also, avoid hanging in the starting position for a prolonged period because doing this also places extra stress on the shoulders.
Pu
ll-Up
Execution
1. Grasp the bar with your palms facing outward and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold your knees in a bent position and cross one foot over the other.
2. From a hanging position pull your body upward, focusing on bringing your chest to the bar.
3. Pause at the top of the movement and then slowly lower to a hanging position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Latissimus dorsi
Secondary:Lower trapezius, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, teres major, biceps brachii, brachialis
SAFETY TIP
When returning to the starting position, lower your body in a controlled manner to avoid placing extra stress on the shoulders, which can occur if you allow your body to drop down quickly. Also, avoid hanging in the starting position for a prolonged period because doing this also places extra stress on the shoulders.
Swimming Focus
Like chin-ups, pull-ups are easy to add to a dryland program because they can be performed almost anywhere. The hand positioning, opposite that used in chin-ups (palms facing away instead of toward the body), decreases the emphasis on the elbow flexors but is more similar to the hand positioning used during the four competitive strokes. This exercise strengthens the muscles responsible for the initial portion of the pull phase by targeting the latissimus dorsi with the arms in an overhead and elongated position. The difficult nature of the exercise builds mental toughness. To help you reach your goal number of repetitions, a partner can assist by supporting your feet.