focus on holding the core tight and maintaining the low back in a neutral position.
Physioball Crunch
Execution
1. Begin in a bridge position with the ball positioned in the middle of your back. Your fingers should be touching but not interlocked behind your head.
2. Raise your shoulders toward the ceiling and bring your chest forward in a crunching motion.
3. Slowly lower your shoulders back to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis
Secondary:External oblique, internal oblique, transversus abdominis, rectus femoris
Swimming Focus
Because the movement begins with the back in an extended position, this exercise strengthens the rectus abdominis through a range of motion not targeted by any of the other exercises listed in this chapter. This feature makes it a valuable exercise for both breaststroke and butterfly swimmers because it contributes to the undulating body movements that occur during both of these strokes.
While performing the exercise, keep your fingers loose behind your head and do not pull your head forward with your hands. Additionally, the positioning of your body on the physioball should remain constant during the entire exercise. If your hips roll back, your shoulders will rise and you will lose the isolation of the abdominal muscles. An easy way to prevent this from happening is to focus on keeping the thighs parallel to the ground.
VARIATION
Physioball Crunch With Trunk Rotation
Incorporation of the twisting motion diverts the focus of this exercise from the rectus abdominis to the internal and external obliques. This exercise is useful in linking the movement of the arms to the movement of the legs in freestyle and backstroke.
Cable Crunch
Execution
1. Kneel on the ground in front of a pulley machine. With your elbows bent, hold the separate ends of a rope pulley handle behind your head.
2. Holding your hips stationary, bend at the waist and crunch your torso downward.
3. Slowly return to the starting position.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis
Secondary:Serratus anterior, internal oblique, external oblique, transversus abdominis
Swimming Focus
Use of the pulley machine allows this exercise to be performed with variable resistance. As a result, the focus of the exercise can be shifted from endurance to strength simply by altering the weight and number of repetitions performed. The variable resistance offers an advantage when compared with most of the exercises in this chapter, which depend primarily on body weight. The motion performed during the exercise closely mimics the motion performed during a flip turn, but because of the wide range of motion through which the abdominal muscles are targeted and the variable resistance, this exercise is beneficial across all four strokes.
To gain maximal benefit when performing the exercise, emphasize a curling motion, beginning with the upper torso and continuing all the way down to the waistline. When performing the exercise, resist the temptation to pull downward with the hands. Doing this shifts the focus away from the abdominal muscles and places unnecessary stress on the joints and muscles of the neck.
Seated Physioball Abdominal Hold
Execution
1. In an upright seated position on a physioball, set your abdominal muscles.
2. Slowly lean backward until your upper torso is at a 45-degree angle to the floor.
3. Lift one arm forward until it is in a streamlined position.
4. Lower and then repeat with the opposite arm.
Muscles Involved
Primary:Rectus abdominis, rectus femoris, iliopsoas
Secondary:Serratus anterior, internal oblique, external oblique, transversus abdominis
Swimming Focus
It is easy to visualize how this exercise can contribute directly to strengthening the core stabilizers as they are used while swimming backstroke. The addition of trunk rotational movements similar to those performed while swimming backstroke emphasizes the internal and external obliques. By moving both arms in unison and holding a streamlined position, the focus of the exercise shifts to strengthening the core muscles as they contribute to maintaining a streamline during both starts and turns.
While performing this exercise, the main focus must be placed on (1) maintaining the set abdominal position
