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 pull 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.
Pull-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