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.
A group of total-body exercises known as the Olympic lifts are extremely beneficial in developing speed, strength, and power. But because these complex exercises require teaching and supervision by qualified personnel (such as certified strength coaches), they are not included in this text. Two of the more common Olympic lifts that should be considered for advanced swimmers, when adequate instruction and supervision are available, are the hang clean and the hang snatch. These are two of the best total-body exercises for developing power through the core and lower extremity. Swimmers who specialize in the sprint events (50 to 100 meters or yards) will benefit the most from these lifts. The primary gains will be in explosiveness off the starting blocks and turn walls. Because of the skills required to perform these exercises, guidance should be obtained from a certified Olympic weightlifting coach or a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
All the exercises included in this chapter are beneficial because they are total-body in nature and, like the Olympic lifts, help to generate strength and power through the core. Advantages of these exercises are that they do not necessarily require instruction and supervision by a certified strength coach. As a general reminder, you should always have a coach supervise your program so that you can receive continual feedback on your technique.
Single-Arm Lawn Mower
Execution
1. Balancing on one leg, face the pulley machine from about 3 to 4 feet (about 1 m) away. With an outstretched arm, grasp the stirrup handle with the opposite hand.
2. Initiating the movement with the hips, lower your body while simultaneously moving your upper extremity into a lawn-mower starting position.
3. Return to an upright position by straightening your leg and pulling the handle toward your body.
4. When pulling the handle toward your body, emphasize pinching the shoulder blade backward.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, latissimus dorsi
Secondary:Biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, erector spinae, external oblique, internal oblique, trapezius, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor, teres major, posterior deltoid, biceps brachii, brachialis
Swimming Focus
By linking the movements of the upper and lower extremities and incorporating trunk rotational movements, this exercise strengthens the linkage between the arms and legs during freestyle and backstroke. Emphasizing shoulder retraction at the end of the exercise will transfer to the initial recovery process during freestyle.
To enhance the linkage between the arms and legs, setting the core at the start of the exercise is crucial. Doing this engages the core-stabilizing musculature. When performing the exercise, you should perform the movements of the upper and lower extremities in unison; separating the movements will decrease the cross-linking benefits. As with other exercises involving the lower extremity, when dropping down, the front of the knee should not extend past the tip of the toes.
Burpee
Execution