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