Swimming Anatomy

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