by Mcleod Ian
SAFETY TIP
Because of the overhead nature of the exercise, young swimmers who may not have the strength and coordination to control the movement should not perform it. If you are currently experiencing shoulder pain or have a recent history of it, you should follow the 90/90 rule when performing this and other upper-extremity exercises. The 90/90 rule states that you should avoid dropping your shoulder below 90 degrees of abduction or flexion and avoid flexing your elbow more than 90 degrees.
Bent-Over Reverse Dumbbell Fly
Execution
1. Standing with a flat back, bend forward at your waist until your back is near parallel to the ground.
2. With your arms hanging, hold the dumbbells so that your palms face in.
3. Keeping your arms straight, raise the dumbbells in an arcing motion until your elbows are level with your shoulders.
4. Resisting gravity, slowly return to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, posterior deltoid
Secondary:Trapezius, infraspinatus, teres major, teres minor
Swimming Focus
This exercise can have two points of emphasis depending on the weight of the dumbbell used. Using lighter weights allows you to concentrate more on pinching the shoulder blades together at the end of the exercise, thus focusing on recruiting the rhomboid major and rhomboid minor. This is an effective way to target the rhomboids to improve their role as a dynamic stabilizer of the shoulder blades, which in turn will increase the foundational strength of the shoulder blades and decrease the risk of injury. As the weight increases, the emphasis shifts from the rhomboids to the posterior deltoid along the back of the shoulder. Targeting either of these muscle groups with this exercise will transfer to strengthening the recovery phase of breaststroke and butterfly, as well as contribute to the initial portion of the recovery during freestyle.
SAFETY TIP
Be sure to keep your head in line with your back when performing this exercise. Lifting your head will lead to arching of the low back, and dropping your head will cause rounding of the upper back. Either motion can place unnecessary stress on the low to mid-back.
Prone T, Y, A (Blackburn)
Execution
1. Lying facedown, slightly arch your upper back and lift your shoulders off the ground.
2. In a T position with your thumbs pointing to the ceiling, oscillate your hands up and down for 30 seconds.
3. Switching to the Y position with your palms down, oscillate your hands up and down for 30 seconds.
4. Finish with your hands down by your sides forming an A. With your palms up, oscillate your hands up and down for 30 seconds.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, infraspinatus, teres major, teres minor, supraspinatus, trapezius
Secondary:Anterior deltoid, middle deltoid, posterior deltoid
Swimming Focus
Because of the variety of shoulder positions used, this exercise targets most of the muscles that support the shoulder blade (scapular stabilizers). Performing this exercise will help to enhance the stability of the shoulder blade, which will aid in transferring the forces generated by the arms to the rest of the body while swimming and help prevent shoulder injuries.
During the exercise the focus is on squeezing the shoulder blades together and performing small, rapid oscillatory movements with the arms. As endurance improves and you are able to maintain good form while holding each of the three positions for 60 seconds, you can incorporate weights as shown to make the exercise more challenging. These muscles are small, so any weights used should be very light (1.25 to 2.5 lb, or .55 to 1.1 kg, to start) and changes should be made in small increments.
VARIATION
Physioball T, Y, A
Although adding a physioball makes the exercise much more challenging, it more closely mimics the demands encountered while swimming. As in the water, holding the body in a straight line from the feet all the way to the top of the head is important.
Scapular Push-Up
Execution
1. Facedown, support your body weight on your toes and forearms.
2. Holding your body in a straight line, lower your chest while maintaining the shoulder position and allowing your shoulder blades to pinch together.
3. By rolling your shoulders (protraction), push your upper body upward.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Serratus anterior
Secondary:Pectoralis minor
Swimming Focus
The sole target of this exercise is a muscle called the serratus anterior, which is important in keeping your shoulder blade tight against your back. Weakness of this muscle will lead to “winging” of the shoulder blade, a sign that the shoulder blade is not being properly controlled, which in turn increases the risk of shoulder injury. The serratus anterior is also important in rotating the shoulder blade upward when moving overhead, which helps to extend the stroke.
The purpose of performing this exercise from the forearms instead of the hands is to isolate the movements to the shoulder region.
Winging of the shoulder blade.
Scapular Dip
Execution
1. Sitting upright between two 6-inch (15 cm) boxes, position your hands so that they are in line with your torso. Your elbows should be flexed to 90 degrees, which will allow you to rest your forearms on the box.
2. Pushing down, lift your butt off the ground, emphasizing a reverse shrug of your shoulders.
3. Lower back down until you barely touch the ground and repeat.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Lower trapezius
Secondary:Pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, latissimus dorsi
Swimming Focus
This exercise helps to increase the stability of the shoulder joint and to correct postural changes frequently seen in swimmers. It targets the lower fibers of the trapezius, where weakness can lead to shoulder injuries. Strengthening of the lower fibers of the trapezius also helps to correct the forward rounded-shoulder posture common to swimmers.
Internal Rotation With Tubing
Anterior deltoid _______
Pectoralis major _______
Execution
1. Stand sideways 4 feet (120 cm) from a pole with a piece of exercise tubing attached at elbow height. Hold the end of the tubing with the arm closer to it and bend the elbow to 90 degrees.
2. Rotate your hand across the front of your body until it contacts your torso. Keep your forearm parallel to the floor during the entire movement.
3. Slowly return to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Subscapularis
Secondary:Pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, anterior deltoid
Swimming Focus
The subscapularis is one of the four rotator cuff muscles, a muscle group that is important in stabilizing the shoulder joint during repetitive upper-extremity exercises; hence, exercises that target the subscapularis play a vital role in injury prevention. Remember that the rotator cuff muscles all arise from the shoulder blade, so when performing this exercise you should stabilize the shoulder blade by pinching it down and back and holding that position during the exercise. Placing a towel between your elbow and the side of your body as shown helps decrease tension on some key muscles and serves as a reminder to keep the elbow tight against your side as you rotate your arm.
External Rotation With Tubing
Execution
1. Stand sideways 4 feet (120 cm) from a pole with a piece of exercise tubing attached at elbow height. Hold the tubing in the hand farther from the pole and bend the elbow to 90 degrees.
2. Rotate your hand away from your torso until you have covered a 90-degree arc. Keep your forearm parallel to the floor during the entire movement.
3. Slowly return to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Infraspinatus, teres minor
Secondary:Posterior deltoid
Swimming Focus
External rotation isolates the infraspinatus and teres minor, two components of the rotator cuff muscle group. These muscles are important in stabilizing the shoulder joint during repetitive upper-extremity exercises. Because all the strokes except backstroke emphasize internal rotation movements at the shoulder, adding this exercise to address the strength imbalance is important.
Remember that the rotator cuff muscles all arise from the shoulder blade, so you must stabilize the shoulder blade when performing this exercise. Pinch your shoulder blade down and back and hold that position during the exercise. Placing a towel between your elbow and the side of your body as shown helps decrease tension on some key muscles and reminds you to keep your elbow tight against your side as you rotate your arm.
VARIATIONS
Side-Lying Dumbbell External Rotation
From a side-lying position, with your elbow bent to 90 degrees, rotate your arm so that the dumbbell moves away from your abdomen in an arcing motion toward the ceiling. Avoid twisting your upper body because doing so will take the isolation away from the shoulder joint. Dumbbells provide a more consistent form of resistance than the exercise tubing.
Double-Arm External Rotation
Perform this variation by holding both arms in the starting position for the external rotation with tubing exercise. Hold one end of an exercise tube in each hand. In this starting position, there should be a small amount of tension on the tubing. Next, rotate both arms outward 45 degrees while simultaneously pinching your shoulder blades together. Hold this position for three to four seconds and then return to the starting position.
Crabwalk
Execution
1. Position your hands and feet so that they are flat on the ground and you are face up.
2. Lift your butt up off the ground by tightening your gluteal muscles.
3. Begin “walking” by first moving your hands and then your feet.
4. Avoid excessive shoulder strain by moving your hands no more than 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) at a time.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Anterior deltoid, middle deltoid, posterior deltoid, rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis), triceps brachii
Secondary:Latissimus dorsi, teres major
Swimming Focus
This excellent all-around exercise targets the deltoids, rotator cuff, and triceps brachii, all of which contribute to each of the four competitive strokes. Recruitment of the deltoid will transfer to gains in the recovery phase of each stroke. Strengthening the rotator cuff will help develop shoulder stability, and the triceps brachii is a varying contributor to the propulsive phase of each stroke. Additionally, the reaching-back movement performed during the exercise will help develop better awareness of where the hand is in relation to the body, which will improve swimming mechanics.
Another benefit is that the exercise places the shoulder in a closed-chain position. Exercises that do this enhance the recruitment of stabilizing muscles surrounding the shoulder joint. The term closed chain means that the anchor point of the exercise, in this case the hand, is in contact with the ground.
Overhead Single-Arm Bounce
Execution
1. Position yourself so that you are standing 12 inches (30 cm) from a wall. Begin by holding an air-filled ball (for example, a soccer ball) in the palm of your hand, as a waiter would hold a serving tray overhead.
2. Initiate the bouncing motion by moving your entire arm. The target on the wall is either the 11 o’clock (left arm) position or 1 o’clock (right arm) position.
3. Emphasize small, rapid bounces.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Anterior deltoid, middle deltoid, posterior deltoid
Secondary:Trapezius, rotator cuff (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis)
Swimming Focus
This exercise is useful for developing strength when the hand is in an overhead position, which will increase your confidence when you are trying to elongate your stroke. The hand positioning with this exercise closely mimics that seen with freestyle and butterfly. As a result this exercise can be beneficial in developing a quick transition from the catch portion of both strokes to the pulling portion.
When performing the bouncing motion, emphasize small, rapid movements to focus on the deltoid and rotator cuff. This exercise builds endurance in the scapular stabilizing and rotator cuff muscles, which aids in the prevention of injuries. If you use larger movements, you recruit the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi, which is not the goal of this exercise.
CHAPTER 4
CHEST
The primary muscle of the chest, the pectoralis major, is one of two humeral propeller muscles involved in generating most of the forces that propel a swimmer through the water. With the aid of the shoulder girdle muscles described in chapter 3 and the muscles of the arm described in chapter 2, the forces generated by the pectoralis major are transmitted to the hand and forearm, which serve as the primary force conduits through which a swimmer guides the body through the water. Other muscles in the chest region are the pectoralis minor and the serratus anterior.
The pectoralis major (figure 4.1 on page 62) is typically divided into two heads: the clavicular (upper) head and the sternal (lower) head. The clavicular portion comprises the upper portion of the pectoralis major and arises from the anterior surface of the inner half of the clavicle. The sternal portion forms the lower portion and arises from the anterior surface of the sternum and the cartilage of the first six ribs. The upper and lower portions join and cross the shoulder joint, attaching to the humerus. As the pectoralis major contracts and pulls on the humerus, the following movements take place at the shoulder joint: flexion, extension, adduction, and internal rotation. Flexion involves bringing the arm from the side of the body forward. Extension, the reverse of flexion, involves returning the arm to the side from a flexed position. Adduction involves bringing the arm toward the midline of the body when it has been raised to the side; this movement can be either horizontal or vertical in nature. Internal rotation involves rotating the hand across the body so that the palm is resting on the abdomen. For an in-depth description of the pectoralis minor and serratus anterior, refer to the introduction to chapter 3. For this chapter it is best to think of their role in helping to stabilize the shoulder blade and in turn the shoulder joint as the pectoralis major acts on the humerus. A number of other muscles are also activated during the exercises described in this chapter. The anterior deltoid often functions to assist the pectoralis major with shoulder flexion. The latissimus dorsi assists with shoulder extension, and the triceps brachii functions to extend the elbow joint during the many pressing exercises that target the pectoralis major.
As previously mentioned, the pectoralis major is one of two primary force generators acting to propel a swimmer through the water. During freestyle and butterfly, as the hand first enters into the water and the body is in an elongated position, the pectoralis major initiates the pulling phase of both strokes. At this time the upper portion of the pectoralis major is a key contributor to the movement. As the hand moves toward its anchor point, the lower portion along with the latissimus dorsi joins in to assist in propelling the swimmer through the water. As the hand passes below the shoulder joint, the contribution of the upper portion of the pectoralis major decreases and the lower portion takes over the primary responsibility for completing the propulsive phase. As in butterfly and freestyle, during breaststroke the upper portion of the pectoralis major is important in initiating the propulsive phase of the stroke, beginning with an outward sweep of the hands. As the hands transition into the lateral sweeping motion, the pectoralis major continues as a contributor, functioning both to adduct and to rotate the shoulder joint internally. The pectoralis major is active during the shift from the propulsive phase to the recovery phase as the hands are brought together at the midline of the body. During backstroke the
contribution of the pectoralis major during the initial portion of the pull depends on the swimmer’s technique. Those with an initial deep catch depend less on the pectoralis major and rely more on the latissimus dorsi for force generation. Those who have a shallower catch initially have a greater contribution from the pectoralis major. In both instances the initial contribution comes from the upper portion of the pectoralis major. As the swimmer progresses through the pulling motion, the lower portion takes over primary responsibility for the remainder of the pulling phase.
Figure 4.1 Chest muscles.
An important consideration when designing a dryland program and choosing exercises from this chapter is that the pectoralis major is usually not an area of relative weakness in swimmers because the swimming motion activates it to a large degree. Therefore, although using exercises that target the muscles in the chest is important, keep in mind that one of the key goals of a dryland program is to address muscle imbalances, not accentuate them. To avoid overemphasizing the chest, use a 2:1 ratio of pulling exercises that emphasize the latissimus dorsi to pushing exercises that emphasize the pectoralis major.
