by Mcleod Ian
Emphasis should be placed on the rotational movements performed during exercise because this is the key to targeting the rotary muscles. The knee extensors and gluteus maximus can also be incorporated by adding a slight knee bend as you reach toward the ground. As your confidence and strength grow, you can hold a medicine ball in both hands to increase the difficulty of the exercise.
Standing Hip External Rotation
Execution
1. Standing on one leg, reach with your arms and trunk to the outer side of the weight-bearing foot.
2. Use the weight-bearing leg as a pivot point.
3. Reach your arms and trunk toward a point on the ceiling above and slightly behind the opposite shoulder.
4. Hold the free leg in a flexed position and simultaneously rotate it with the trunk, driving the knee upward toward the ceiling with the arms.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Obturator internus, superior gemellus, inferior gemellus, obturator externus, quadratus femoris
Secondary:Piriformis, gluteus maximus, sartorius
Swimming Focus
By targeting a group of muscles that are responsible for externally rotating the hip, this exercise can help increase the forces generated during the propulsive phase of the breaststroke kick. Like the hip’s internal rotators, the external rotators also function as hip stabilizers, making this an exercise that all swimmers should consider for injury prevention purposes. The single-leg nature of the exercise and combined movements of the upper trunk also make this a useful exercise for improving balance and linking movements between the upper and lower extremities. As mentioned in the previous exercise, the emphasis should be on maintaining balance and the rotational movements. The knee extensors and gluteus maximus can also be incorporated by adding a slight knee bend as you reach toward the ground. As your confidence and strength grow, you can hold a medicine ball in both hands to increase the difficulty of the exercise.
Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs)
Execution
1. Holding a barbell with an overhand grip, position your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your knees slightly.
3. Keeping your back straight, start lowering the bar by pushing your hips backward.
4. Lower the bar until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
5. Rise back up to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus
Secondary:Erector spinae
Swimming Focus
The primary targets of RDLs are the gluteus maximus and the hamstring muscle group, muscles that are important in extending the hips when performing starts and when transitioning into a streamlined position off each turn wall. The gluteal muscles and hamstrings are also important in extending the hips during the propulsive portion of the breaststroke kick.
To ensure proper performance of the exercise, focus on the following: (1) Keep your head up because looking downward will roll the shoulders and place extra stress on the back, (2) keep the back flat during the entire movement, and (3) isolate the movement to the hips.
SAFETY TIP
If performed improperly, especially when using heavier weights, this exercise presents a risk of injury, so younger swimmers should avoid it.
Physioball Hamstring Curl
Execution
1. Lie on your back and position a physioball under your heels.
2. Tighten your core muscles and lift your hips toward the ceiling.
3. Without letting your hips drop, pull your heels toward your buttocks.
4. Straighten your legs until your body is in a straight line extending from your ankles to your shoulders. Then repeat.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus
Secondary:Erector spinae
Swimming Focus
Breaststrokers who want to strengthen their hamstrings will find this a useful exercise. This exercise is also valuable because it targets the hamstrings, gluteus maximus, and erector spinae, which contribute to holding a tight streamlined position. Those who do not have access to a formal weight room will find this a good exercise for the hamstrings because the only equipment needed is a physioball.
Before implementing this exercise, you must first master the physioball bridge exercise described in chapter 6 (page 138). To maintain proper body position, the core muscles must be activated during the entire exercise. Failure to recruit the core stabilizers will cause the hips to drop downward and decrease the effectiveness of the exercise. To avoid placing undue stress on the neck and head, make sure that you maintain shoulder contact with the ground.
VARIATION
Single-Leg Physioball Hamstring Curl
Because the isolation to one leg requires increased balance and core strength, this advanced variation should be used as a progression only after you are adept at performing the double-leg curl. The primary focus should be on holding the body in a straight line from the ankles through the knees, hips, and shoulders.
Leg Curl
Execution
1. Lie facedown on a hamstring curl machine and hook your heels under the roller pads.
2. Pull your heels toward your buttocks in an arcing motion.
3. Slowly lower the weight to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus
Secondary:Gastrocnemius
Swimming Focus
Although the hamstrings actively contribute to the kicking motions performed during all four strokes, their involvement is greatest in the recovery phase of the breaststroke kick as the heels are drawn toward the buttocks. Swimmers tend to be quad dominant, resulting in a strength imbalance between the quadriceps and hamstrings. To address this imbalance, swimmers should incorporate exercises that isolate the hamstrings.
Breaststrokers should rotate the toes outward to mimic more closely the movements performed in the water. This positioning also increases recruitment of the biceps femoris. Avoid lifting the hips off the bench when performing the exercise. Perform the movements in a slow, controlled fashion. Do not try to kick the roller pads toward your buttocks; pull them instead.
Leg Extension
Execution
1. Sit on the leg extension machine and hook your ankles under the roller pads.
2. Extend your legs until your knees are straight.
3. Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis
Secondary:None
Swimming Focus
This exercise directly targets the quadriceps muscle group and the rectus femoris in a manner that helps to strengthen the propulsive kicking phase of all four strokes. The same muscles also contribute to the lower-extremity movements that take place during starts and when pushing off a turn wall.
To maximize the benefit of the exercise, you must fully extend the knees in the ending position and lower the weight in a slow, controlled manner. When performing the exercise, focus on pushing the roller pads as opposed to trying to kick them toward the ceiling.
SAFETY TIP
Swimmers who are currently experiencing knee pain or have a recent history of it should avoid this exercise because it can place increased stress on the patellar tendon and the undersurface of the patella (kneecap) as it glides over the femur.
Band Lateral Shuffle
Execution
1. Stand with a slight bend in the knees and with the feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Keeping the trailing leg stationary, step to the side 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) with the lead leg.
3. After placing the lead foot on the ground, move the trailing foot.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you cover a set distance or number of repetitions.
Muscles Involved
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p; Primary:Tensor fasciae latae, gluteus medius
Secondary:Gluteus maximus, rectus femoris
Swimming Focus
The tensor fasciae latae and gluteus medius are two important stabilizers of the pelvis. They also make minor contributions to the kicking movements that take place with all four strokes. Strengthening of these muscles is often overlooked in dryland programs. This exercise should be cycled into the dryland program at various times during the year to ensure that the muscles do not become neglected. Breaststrokers, who depend more on strong and stable hips, should incorporate it more often. The involvement of the rectus femoris and gluteus maximus can be increased by increasing the amount of knee flexion.
SAFETY TIP
Placing the exercise band below the knee can put undue stress on the tendons and ligaments surrounding the knee.
VARIATION
Band Diagonal Shuffle
Adding the diagonal movement will greatly increase the activation of the rectus femoris, which can improve kicking strength across all the strokes. This variation, however, will decrease the activation of the gluteus medius.
Standing Hip Adduction
Execution
1. Stand sideways to a backstroke flagpole with a band fixed to the pole and the ankle closer to the pole. Tighten your core muscles to stabilize your hips.
2. Allow the resistance of the band to pull your leg out to the side.
3. Keeping your knee straight, pull your leg across and in front of the stabilizing leg.
4. Slowly return to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, pectineus, gracilis
Secondary:Transversus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique
Swimming Focus
Direct targeting of the adductor muscle group can help the breaststroker increase the strength and stamina of the kick.
When performing the exercise, tightening the core stabilizers and holding the upper body in a tall, upright posture will help to isolate the adductor muscle group. Swimmers who are currently experiencing or have a recent history of knee pain should anchor the resistance band just above the knee.
Inversion and Eversion Ankle Band Strengthening
Execution for Inversion
1. Supporting the foot off the ground, wrap the exercise band around the forefoot so that the resistance is coming from an anchor point to the outside of the foot performing the exercise.
2. Without rotating the knee or hip, pull the toes toward the midline of the body.
3. Slowly return to the starting position.
Execution for Eversion
1. Supporting the foot off the ground, wrap the exercise band around the forefoot so that the resistance is coming from an anchor point to the inside of the foot performing the exercise.
2. Without rotating the knee or hip, pull the toes away from the midline of the body.
3. Slowly return to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Tibialis anterior and tibialis posterior (invertors); fibularis longus and fibularis brevis (evertors)
Secondary:Flexor digitorum longus and flexor hallucis longus (invertors); fibularis tertius (evertor)
Swimming Focus
The ankle invertors (tibialis anterior and tibialis posterior) and the ankle evertors (fibularis muscle group) are important stabilizers of the ankle joint. Incorporation of exercises targeting these muscles can help protect the ankle joint by improving its dynamic stability. Strong ankle invertors provide support to the ankle during flutter and fly kicking and help maintain the foot in a slightly inverted position. Strengthening the ankle evertors helps with the positioning of the ankle and foot as the legs are being set for the whip portion of the breaststroke kick. The ankle evertors also provide lateral stability to the ankle, which can help protect against ankle sprains when performing cross-training activities such as running.
CHAPTER 8
WHOLE-BODY TRAINING
This chapter focuses on whole-body exercises that require simultaneous muscle activation from muscles of the upper extremity, core, and lower extremity. Because the previous chapters discussed the specifics of joint and muscle anatomy, muscle actions, and their role in swimming, the focus of this chapter is to describe the importance of whole-body training and the role of these exercises in enhancing swimming performance.
The focus of the previous chapters has been on exercises that isolate a single joint or, through a combination of movements, the joints of the upper extremity or lower extremity. In contrast, the exercises in this chapter integrate the upper and lower extremities during total-body movements, allowing one exercise to link these areas with the core. These exercises involve multiple joints and multiple muscle groups and are therefore very functional, or sport specific.
As the number of joints and muscle groups recruited during an exercise increases, so does the specificity of the exercise. For example, a simple triceps extension isolates one joint, the elbow, and one muscle group, the triceps brachii. Comparatively, the burpee, an exercise described later in this chapter, is a total-body exercise that incorporates movements of the lower extremity and upper extremity and, in turn, multiple muscle groups. The differences between the two kinds of exercises are obvious; the question that arises concerns the comparative advantages and disadvantages of each. The primary advantage of the triceps extension is that it isolates a single muscle group. As a result, controlling the degree of resistance (by increasing or decreasing the weight) placed on the muscle is easy, and the focus can be directed to strengthening only the triceps. The main disadvantage is that the movement is not swimming specific because it involves only a single joint. On the other hand, the primary advantage of the burpee exercise is that multiple joints and muscle groups are involved and it emphasizes jumping into a streamline at the end of the exercise; it is a swimming-specific exercise. Other advantages are that it requires coordinated movements, activates the core musculature, and includes an explosive jumping component. Through the coordinated movements of the upper and lower extremities and activation of the core musculature, swimmers will find that these exercises help to improve the strength and efficiency of the strokes. A disadvantage of burpees and other total-body exercises is that because multiple muscle groups are recruited in unison, stronger muscles may compensate for weaker muscles. For example, an amazingly fast swimmer may also be the slowest kicker on the team if his or her upper-body stroke mechanics are strong enough to compensate for the lower-extremity kicking weakness. Although total-body exercises are important, you need to perform the more focused upper-body and lower-body multijoint movements and additional isolation exercises to have a comprehensive dryland program. Think of the total-body movements as your main set and the other exercises as the drills and technique work that fine-tune your stroke.
Besides having a total-body focus, several of the exercises emphasize explosive movements. The principle of specificity applies here. The best way to improve your ability to explode off the starting blocks and turn walls is to incorporate explosive exercises into the dryland program. The primary focus with these exercises is to help you learn to generate power through the lower extremity and core. The advantage of using exercise outside the pool to increase power production is that performing multiple repetitions in succession is easier, and technique feedback and corrections are more easily provided.
With these exercises come some special considerations. The first is that because these exercises incorporate multiple joint movements, the joint movements must be properly coordinated. An example of a poorly coordinated exercise would be to start the streamline before starting the jump when performing the burpee exercise. Initiating the streamline early removes the force-generating swinging motion of the arms that helps you jump higher. A swimming analogy would be to bring your arms into a streamlined position before initiating your jumping motion off the starting block. Lack of coordination can turn a total-body
movement into several isolated single-joint exercises, decreasing the sport specificity. Additionally, because of the complicated nature of the exercises, technique perfection should be imperative. Therefore, when first using these exercises, you should focus on the quality of the movement, not the quantity. This advice is especially relevant with the jumping and explosive exercises, not only because uncontrolled explosive movements present a high risk for injuries but also because the associated landings place increased stress on the lower extremities. One way to ensure proper technique is to begin these exercises by using little or no weight to engrain proper technique before building strength or power. A final consideration is the importance of the core-stabilizing musculature when performing these exercises. The core stabilizers function not only as the link between upper- and lower-body movements but also as stabilizers and protectors of the upper and lower back. Therefore, you must set the core stabilizers at the start of every exercise. Chapter 5 provides a thorough overview of how to set the core stabilizers.